The Giants won’t be bringing back Kevin Gausman, but it appears they’re adding a new split-finger specialist to the staff.
San Francisco is finalizing a deal with right-handed starting pitcher Alex Cobb, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.
Cobb, 34, is a 10-year veteran who made 18 starts for the Angels last season, his only season in LA after spending the previous three in Baltimore. Cobb was solid, his 3.76 ERA and 1.26 WHIP the best figures he’s posted since the 2017 season.
Cobb was originally a fourth-round pick by the Rays in 2006 and spent six seasons as a member of Tampa Bay’s rotation before signing with the Orioles. Cobb’s career numbers — 3.87 ERA, 1.26 WHIP — are fairly reflective of last year’s performance. The one number that stands out is the 9.5 strikeout-per-nine innings he posted in 2021, quite the bump from his 7.3 career average.
Cobb throws four pitches; a fastball and sinker that reach 93, a knuckle curve and a splitter that he frequently throws with two strikes. As a matter of fact, Cobb actually threw his splitter more often than Gausman in 2021, though less effectively.
Cobb made $15 million last season in the final year of what was a four-year, $57 million deal originally shelled out by Baltimore. It’s unclear at this time what Cobb’s deal with the Giants is.
Cobb has an extensive injury history, one that includes a concussion (hit with a comebacker), UCL tear (resulted in tommy john surgery), groin strain, blood clot in chest (resulted in surgically removing a rib), lumbar strain (resulted in hip surgery) to name a few.
Cobb will join Logan Webb, Anthony DeSclafani and reportedly Alex Wood as members of next year’s rotation. A number of free agent starting pitchers remain available on the open market to fill the final spot, but many high-end options including Max Scherzer, Robbie Ray, Justin Verlander, Noah Syndergaard and Eduardo Rodriguez have been signed.
Marcus Stroman, Clayton Kershaw and Carlos Rodon are still avaliable.