The Oakland Athletics conducted their annual FanFest Sunday afternoon as they get ready to head down to Phoenix for spring training. FanFest is mostly a chance for the fans to meet their favorite players and hear some basic Q&As. This year's FanFest did feature some interesting tidbits with the most notable being the mention of Brandon McCarthy as a candidate for the opening day nod.
The A's will travel to Japan for a brief series with the Mariners and McCarthy and Bartolo Colon are expected to get the first two starts. As the most veteran members of the A's pitching staff at this point, the move makes sense. Dallas Braden would have gotten the Opening Day start, but he remains a bit questionable heading into the start of the season. He could be ready for his first time through the rotation, but there is no real need to push it if he is not completely ready.
Beyond McCarthy, Colon and Braden, the final two rotation spots remain up for grabs with Brett Anderson likely to return in August. Guys like Jarrod Parker, Tom Milone, Tyson Ross and others will be in the hunt for rotation sports in what should be an exciting spring training battle.