Five lefty pitchers Giants still can sign in free agency
When Johnny Cueto let the ball go for the first time last July 23, he became the first Giants right-hander since 2013to throw the team's opening pitch of the season. Madison Bumgarner made five Opening Day starts in his final six years with the Giants, and when he got hurt late in the spring of 2018, Ty Blach was the emergency option.The Giants, as it currently stands, won't have a left-handed option to start their opener, but it goes far beyond that. They don't currently have a left-hander set to even compete for a rotation spot, with Kevin Gausman followed by Johnny Cueto, Anthony DeSclafani and Logan Webb in some order, and Tyler Beede due back from Tommy John surgery in May.Drew Smyly signed with the Braves, Tyler Anderson was non-tendered, and Andrew Suarez, the most experienced option on the roster for most of free agency, is now in South Korea. Conner Menez is the only southpaw starter on the 40-man roster, but that could change soon.During an appearance on SiriusXM's MLB Network Radio on Tuesday, general manager Scott Harris said the Giants have some lefty starters in their sights."We could use some more balance in our rotation," Harris said. "I think we're targeting some left-handed starters out there and we're hopeful that we might be able to push one across the finish line in the coming weeks. But we like what we have right now, we think there's a lot of talent and upside in our rotation and we're going to continue to try to add to it as the winter unfolds."Giants officials have said they wouldn't be opposed to their next starter also being a righty if he's the best option, but all else being equal, they probably would prefer a lefty in a division where the best team has Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy and Corey Seager in the heart of the lineup. Luckily, there are plenty of good options left this late in the offseason. Here are five guys who could fit.(Insider's Note: This gallery does not include Trevor Bauer because he's not likely to end up in San Francisco and is also right-handed, but feel free to take a few seconds to switch back to your Twitter tab and type "#BAUER" underneath my latest tweets. I will wait!)
If he had been healthy in 2020, Big Maple might have been the second-best starter on the market, but he has made more than 24 starts just twice in his career and last season was limited to five appearances by a flexor strain. That won't scare off these Giants, of course.
Paxton held a showcase in December and reportedly hit 94 mph, so the signs appear to be positive. He had a 3.82 ERA in 2019 for the Yankees and struck out 186 in 150 2/3 innings. Paxton has No. 2 starter upside, and while there's a lot of injury risk here, he's one of the few pitchers available who wouldn't seem to be overmatched any time he faces the Dodgers or Padres. Gausman/Paxton would be a pretty strong duo for a season in which the Giants hope to again be competitive.
The 31-year-old has spent his entire career in Chicago, first with the White Sox and then with the Cubs, who gave up Eloy Jimenez to get a reliable cost-controlled lefty. Quintana made just one start and three relief appearances for the Cubs last year because of injuries -- none of which figure to linger -- but before that he was one of the more consistent lefties in the game.
Quintana has had an ERA+ above 100 in eight of his nine seasons and threw at least 170 innings seven consecutive seasons before 2020. Quintana would bring a lot of stability to a rotation that currently has some boom-or-bust potential.
When discussing a new acquisition, Farhan Zaidi often goes all the way back to the player's college days. He likes a guy who was an ace before he was even drafted, and the Giants have been drawn to former top prospects -- Gausman was once taken fourth overall -- over the last couple offseasons. Rodon checks off every box here.
The 28-year-old was the third overall pick in 2014 and was a top 15 prospect as a minor leaguer, but he hasn't lived up to that hype yet. The tools are still there, though. The slider is a wipeout pitch and Rodon touched 98 mph out of the bullpen last year and regularly hit 96-97 mph in 2018, his last consistent run as a starter. He has had trouble staying on the field, but there's a lot of upside here, and he's exactly the type of pitcher the Giants have been trying to get into the lab with Andrew Bailey and Brian Bannister.
Wood was one of many players who seemingly came out of nowhere to turn into a star for Zaidi's Dodgers. He had been a solid pitcher early in his career and then turned into an All-Star and down-ballot Cy Young candidate in 2017, going 16-3 with a 152 ERA+. Wood had another good year in 2018 but then got hurt with the Reds the next season and mostly pitched out of the bullpen for the Dodgers in 2020 after coming back from an injury.
He had a good postseason, allowing one run in four appearances, including two strong innings in the World Series clincher. Zaidi has brought a few players and coaches with Dodgers ties up to Oracle Park. Could Wood be next?
With just about a month remaining until pitchers and catchers report, the market is flooded with well-known veteran lefties. Jon Lester. Cole Hamels. J.A. Happ. Brett Anderson. Seriously, it's not hard to find an experienced lefty right now. You could have put any of them in this spot, but I settled on Hill because he's actually the closest to what the Giants got from Smyly in 2020. Smyly missed half the season with a hand injury, but when he was on the mound he was dominant.
That's Hill's career in a nutshell. He's 40 years old and not even really a good bet to give a team 100 innings next year, but when he's out there, he'll keep curveball-ing his way through scoreless frames. Hill threw just 38 2/3 innings over eight starts for the Twins last year but had a 3.03 ERA. In 2019 he gave the Dodgers a 2.45 ERA over 13 starts. There are plenty of safer lefties out there, but Hill is a good bet to duplicate Smyly's success, and the Giants could be built to weather the inevitable injuries, with Beede due back early in the season and the front office still looking to add multiple starters to the roster.
