SAN FRANCISCO -- It was overshadowed by the firing of Gabe Kapler and then the celebration of Brandon Crawford, but members of the Giants player development staff experienced a pretty cool moment on Sunday when Kyle Harrison took the mound.
Harrison became the third consecutive rookie to start, joining Keaton Winn and Tristan Beck. It was the first time in 20 years that the Giants started rookies in every game of a three-game series and the first time since 1909 that they did it against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It was also likely a 2024 preview.
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President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has made a habit of signing veterans to short-term contracts, with huge hits in Kevin Gausman and Alex Cobb, and also a few notable misses and additions that didn't move the needle one way or the other. Zaidi anticipates a much different approach this offseason, though.
"I don't imagine us looking to add starting pitching depth," Zaidi said on Tuesday. "It's a little bit like what we talked about at the trade deadline, where we were looking for top of the rotation help, and if that wasn't available we felt like we had answers internally that were maybe similar to what was out there. I would imagine the same approach in free agency."
The Giants plan to be in on the biggest names, including Shohei Ohtani -- who won't pitch in 2024 -- and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a Japanese superstar who is viewed as a potential ace. But the days of offering one- and two-year deals appear to be over, at least for now.
"When we look at what we have, between Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, the young guys who pitched the last three games of the season for us, we're going to have Anthony DeSclafani coming back and we'll see what happens with (Ross) Stripling and (Sean) Manaea, I just think we have a good amount of that depth," Zaidi said.
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The Giants have Webb signed long-term and they intend to soon finalize a no-brainer decision and officially pick up Cobb's $10 million option for next year. That's a good start, and Harrison, Winn and Beck will all be in the mix next season. DeSclafani has one year left on a deal that thus far hasn't at all lived up to expectations. Stripling intends to pick up his player option for next season, while Manaea said he is still undecided about whether to do the same or hit the open market again.
Of course, there's a difference between having depth and having usable depth.
When he was pressed about the organization's use of openers over the last week, Zaidi mentioned multiple times that the Giants entered the 2023 season with six starting pitchers. But DeSclafani struggled and got hurt again, while Alex Wood, Stripling and Manaea all pitched their way out of the rotation.
It's unclear what the Giants will do with DeSclafani, Stripling and Manaea if all are back, especially given the presence of the three young starters. There's little doubt that a lot of the young options are simply better at this point, and in Carson Whisenhunt, Mason Black, Hayden Birdsong and Landen Roupp, there's more on the way.
For all that is wrong with the organization right now, rival executives are envious of that pitching depth. But depth is no longer the goal. The Giants need upside, and that will guide their offseason.
The front office plans to scour the trade market to see if a young arm or two can bring back an everyday player. When free agency opens, the bargain bin is likely to be ignored.
"Anytime you have a chance to add top of the rotation options, we'll look at it, but for guys that are more back of the rotation options, we just don't view that as a need," Zaidi said.