SAN FRANCISCO -- When the Giants broke camp with six starting options and multiple young pitching prospects waiting in Triple-A, it seemed that adding to the rotation would be the last thing on their to-do list ahead of the trade deadline. When they were running multiple bullpen games a week in June, it seemed it might be their biggest need.
So, where do they stand now, with less than three weeks until Major League Baseball's trade deadline?
"I know that a lot has been talked about with our starting pitching," president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said last week. "I think we have a lot of depth there."
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The Giants do still have depth, although that hasn't always been a positive. They have carried so many starters in their bullpen in part because some of their veterans struggled when part of the rotation, and as they enter the second half and think about a playoff push, they really only know what they're getting from two starting pitchers.
Logan Webb leads the Majors in innings and Alex Cobb was an All-Star, but Anthony DeSclafani tailed off after a hot start and went on the IL with shoulder fatigue. Ross Stripling, Sean Manaea and Alex Wood all had struggles that led to role changes, although Stripling will kick off the second half Friday at PNC Park. In addition to that group, the Giants also have used Sean Hjelle, Keaton Winn and Tristan Beck, although the preference has been to mostly deploy them in bulk innings roles out of the bullpen.
The Giants might have more options than any team in the National League when it comes to taking down three or four innings of a game, but they're also short on pitchers you could comfortably pencil in for a playoff start. Not surprisingly, Zaidi said that any addition before the deadline would have to be a higher-end one, noting that the Giants "have a lot of guys that we think are capable of filling the middle and back of the rotation."
"If you're talking about kind of a front-of-the-rotation arm that becomes available, I think every team with playoff aspirations is going to have interest," he added. "You can always fit that. But I don't really see us adding starting rotation depth because we like the guys that we have in that category."
San Francisco Giants
The problem with chasing a frontline arm is that there usually aren't a lot of them available in July, and the cost is often prohibitive. The addition of a third wild card team has made it more difficult for some organizations to commit to selling in July, and some of this year's potential sellers -- most notably the New York Mets and San Diego Padres -- are teams with sky-high payrolls and expectations, and hopes of getting back into the race with a run of better play in August. There still will be options, though.
Chicago's Lucas Giolito and Cleveland's Shane Bieber are brought up often within the industry, but both pitch for teams in a terrible AL Central that's still winnable for every team but the Royals. The Cardinals' shocking first half should make Jack Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery available, and if the Cubs fall any further, Marcus Stroman may end up being the best pitcher moved at the deadline. The Giants targeted him in free agency in 2021 and he looms as an obvious fit if they want to go all-in.
Zaidi and the current Cubs regime linked up earlier that year for the Kris Bryant trade, and if familiarity is needed again, old friend Scott Harris could have Michael Lorenzen and Eduardo Rodriguez available, although the latter -- like Stroman -- has a contract opt-out that's reminiscent of what the Giants dealt with last season with Carlos Rodón. They ultimately found it very difficult to match up on a trade that made sense for both sides.
Zaidi said that, while it's early, some of the conversations he's having are shedding light on which teams might be selling in late July.
"I do expect there will be more teams willing to talk about players who could impact playoff teams as we get closer to the deadline," he said. "That's just always the way it works. On the starting pitching front, I think it's particularly uncertain because there just aren't a lot of frontline guys that are likely to be made available."
That could all change quickly, and it's not out of the question that a Shohei Ohtani or Max Scherzer becomes attainable if their teams fall further out before August 1. But at the moment, it appears that a lot of the likely trade options wouldn't represent a notable upgrade for the Giants, who do still believe in the depth they've built.
Stripling has slid back into the rotation and manager Gabe Kapler said last week that he expects "him to have a big second half for us." The Giants are hopeful that a break can get DeSclafani back to his April form, and they expect Winn to make an impact down the stretch. Once his hamstring strain heals, Kyle Harrison could very easily wind up as a better choice than many of the trade options.
The Giants have a couple of weeks to figure out where they stand, and Zaidi said the staff is hoping that stretch provides "a little bit more definition" on the pitching staff.
"We would love to have a group of five guys that just get the ball every fifth day," he said. "Even though we’ve had success in the bullpen games and we’ve got guys that are willing to buy in, I think it’s just the most comfortable thing for everybody. Just have a five-man rotation and be giving five guys the ball every fifth day and try to get deep into games.
"Hopefully we start seeing a little bit more of that over the next two or three weeks. Teams that I’ve been around that have really gotten on rolls, they’ve had that, where you've got five starters who are sort of feeding off of each other. Hopefully we can move more in that direction."