Amid the goose chase for superstar free agent Shohei Ohtani, the Giants still have many holes to fill on their 40-man roster.
MLB Network’s Jon Morosi joined “Giants Talk” with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Laura Britt and explained San Francisco’s biggest priority this offseason.
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“A co-ace for Logan Webb is [the Giants’] No. 1 need, as I see it,” Morosi told Britt. “I don’t see with this group enough of an ability to go pitch-to-pitch, start-for-start with how good the other teams in the [NL West] are today and how good they’re going to be by Opening Day.
“The [Arizona] Diamondbacks, I expect their young pitching to get better. The [Los Angeles] Dodgers, they’re likely to add– whether it’s Ohtani or someone else to their group. Then you start thinking about the Diamondbacks…The Giants don’t have a Corbin Carroll, right now, to help lead the way.”
Last season, Webb had a 3.25 ERA across 216 innings – leading the Giants in innings pitched by over 60.
And with Alex Cobb reportedly missing Opening Day due to left hip surgery, San Francisco must move quickly to acquire help for Webb to compete with the competitive NL West’s pitching rotations.
San Francisco Giants
Fortunately for the Giants, Morosi believes the team should have plenty of options – pending some massive decisions from certain Japanese stars.
“If [San Francisco] doesn’t get [Yoshinobu] Yamamoto, then I think the Giants have to go fully into the market, trade-wise, perhaps, for a starting pitcher,” Morosi said. “Maybe Blake Snell will be a name you look at in free agency. If you can’t get Snell or Yamamoto, then you go into the Dylan Cease marketplace. Potentially, the Tyler Glasnow marketplace. Corbin Burns’ got some California roots himself.
“I think there’s enough supply out there, Laura, that [the Giants] will be able to get the player they want or a player they want. Right now, the players they would really love to have – Ohtani and Yamamoto – we’re still waiting to hear their decisions.”
With Ohtani reportedly deciding on his next club soon, the Giants should be upping its pace in their search for a co-ace beside the 27-year-old Webb.