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The Giants’ pitchers and catchers will have their first workout Wednesday, but the group likely will get an addition or two before the trimming begins.
They have a five-man rotation on paper in Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood, Johnny Cueto and Logan Webb, but little depth behind that crew. Tyler Beede, coming off Tommy John surgery, is throwing bullpen sessions but is not expected to pitch in spring games, with a May return (likely in the minors) targeted. Conner Menez is the next best option and figures to start at Triple-A Sacramento. Arguments can be made Webb should start there, too, and finetune his stuff after he pitched to a 5.47 ERA last season.
There are also the facts that DeSclafani and Wood are coming off poor and/or injury-riddled seasons, Cueto struggled mightily last year, and there is more concern about pitching depth than ever because of the shortened 2020 campaign.
So, yes, the rotation is still on the to-do list.
“We’re still going to look to add,” Farhan Zaidi said on a Zoom news conference Friday afternoon. “… Adding another experienced starting pitcher, whether it’s on an NRI [non-roster invite] or potentially a major league deal or trade is something we’re still looking at.”
Jake Odorizzi, James Paxton and Taijuan Walker are the most intriguing options still left on the free-agent market, although odds are more likely they will continue to stay away from the top choices. There are plenty on lower rungs, including 2020 Giants like Trevor Cahill and Tyler Anderson as well as Anibal Sanchez who remain unsigned.
It would be surprising if there aren’t more additions, and probably multiple of them. Gabe Kapler mentioned that he has considered the possibility of a six-man rotation, and while it’s no sure thing, “we wouldn’t take it off the table.”
There will be a lot to sort out over the next six weeks. Kapler talked from Arizona, where he’s already seeing the early arrivals work out. Webb is among that group, and the manager reported he is in “very good physical condition.”
While the numbers were poor last season from the now 24-year-old, his 4.17 FIP suggests some bad luck was involved. Kapler said a big focus for Webb will be landing his changeup for strikes, a pitch opposing batters batted .230 against last season.
“This pitch has been really impressive so far in his bullpen sessions,” Kapler said. “He definitely has the capability to be in our starting rotation, but I do think there’s going to be some competition there.”
Last year, Webb was expected to be on an innings limit until the pandemic put an end to that. While Webb won’t throw 300 innings this season, the Giants are not putting a hard cap to his total, although they will be careful with his workload.
The Giants mentioned possibly being less concerned with his games pitched and more concerned with how deep they allow him to pitch into games, at least at the start.
“With a lot of these guys, I think their build-up will continue early in the season,” Zaidi said. “Especially with a young guy like Logan, where he doesn’t have that much experience getting through a longer season and throwing 100-plus innings. So, you may see us being a little bit more conservative.”