"SCOTTSDALE - The Giants' offseason strategy for acquiring starting pitching was hardly a secret. Back in November, chairman Greg Johnson told The San Francisco Standard that the team would be "cautious" about signing the top free-agent starting pitchers to long-term, big-money contracts. The front office didn't deviate from that script. That meant no Framber Valdez, who signed a three-year, $115 million contract with the Detroit Tigers. That meant no Dylan Cease, who went to the Blue Jays for $210 million over seven years."
"Adrian Houser found two ticks of velocity and put together a career year. For that, San Francisco rewarded him with $22 million over two years (with a club option). Tyler Mahle had his first reasonably healthy season since 2022 and, despite some odd underlying metrics, prevented runs. His efforts netted him a one-year, $10 million contract. Houser and Mahle complete a rotation featuring Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and Landen Roupp."
"It's a rotation with upside. It's also a rotation with plenty of question marks. Those question marks begin at the very top. Webb, 29, is in his prime. He's a two-time All-Star (and one-time Gold Glove Award winner) coming off a season where he led the majors in innings (207) and the National League in strikeouts (224). He projects to deliver another excellent season, one where he puts up about 200 innings with an ERA just above 3."
Giants avoided top-tier, long-term free-agent starting pitchers and instead pursued lower-cost options. The team signed Adrian Houser for two years ($22 million) and Tyler Mahle for one year ($10 million). The projected rotation includes Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Landen Roupp, Houser and Mahle. The organization traded Kai-Wei Teng and still retains several young starters: Hayden Birdsong, Blade Tidwell, Carson Whisenhunt and Trevor McDonald. The rotation presents upside due to youth and cost-controlled additions but carries significant uncertainty. Logan Webb projects as the staff ace, likely to deliver roughly 200 innings with an ERA just above 3. Projected Position WAR Ranking: 22nd.
Read at The Mercury News
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