4 questions A's must answer before opener

MESA, Ariz. -- In two short weeks, the A’s will be roaming Tokyo and readying to christen the regular season across the Pacific Ocean with a two-game set against the Mariners.

Between now and then, they must sort through a handful of questions. MLB.com breaks down four of them:

Who is the Opening Day starter?
A’s manager Bob Melvin is in no hurry to make an official announcement, but all signs point to Mike Fiers. The right-hander spent all of two months with the club in 2018, but he made a lasting impression, so much so they brought him back on a two-year, $14.1 million deal. Fiers pitched in 10 games for the A’s, who won eight of them, and he compiled a 3.74 ERA after being acquired from the Tigers.

The next-best option would be offseason acquisition Marco Estrada, who will more than likely get the nod for the second of Oakland's two games at the Tokyo Dome, scheduled for March 20-21.

Will Khris DavisKhris Davis be in the lineup?
That’s the plan. As of Friday, Davis was yet to make his Cactus League debut as he continues to rehab a left calf strain, but the A’s expect him to have full health on his side by the time they depart for Japan.

Davis took part in running drills for the first time in over a week on Friday, signaling continued progress, and he’s been accruing at-bats on the Minor League side for several days. Melvin remains confident he’ll see big league pitching ahead of the team’s opening series.

“As long as we keep him healthy, I’m OK with the timetable right now,” Melvin said. “We gotta get there, but my guess is we’ll have him in some games before we leave.”

Davis leads all players with 133 home runs since the start of 2016, smacking a Major League-leading 48 in 2018.

Who bats third?
As long as Davis is in the lineup, the A’s will have several options in lieu of the departed Jed Lowrie. The leading candidates are Stephen Piscotty, Matt Olson and the switch-hitting Jurickson Profar. Melvin has also mentioned Matt Chapman as an option, though he’d like to keep the third baseman in the two-hole.

“We’ll take a look at a bunch of different lineups,” Melvin said, “and the righty-lefty thing could factor in once the season starts.”

Who is in the bullpen?
The A’s are expected to carry eight relievers this year, and it’s fairly easy at this point to speculate just who will be among this group when the season opens. Blake Treinen, Lou Trivino, Yusmeiro Petit, Joakim Soria, Ryan Buchter and Fernando Rodney are essentially locks. That leaves two spots for a slew of candidates, including Jerry Blevins, J.B. Wendelken, Andrew Triggs, Liam Hendriks -- the likeliest option to serve as an opener, should the A’s decide to utilize one -- and Frankie Montas, who is out of Minor League options and also being considered to start.

Hendriks and Blevins presumably have the edge here. However, assuming Hendriks’ services aren’t needed in Tokyo, the A’s could put Wendelken on the roster, then swap him out for Hendriks when they resume regular-season play against the Angels at the Coliseum on March 28.