With Kevin Gasuamn, Alex Wood and Anthony DeSclafani all slated to hit the free agency this offseason, Farhan Zaidi knows that rebuilding the Giants starting rotation is massively important.
For more than a decade, the Giants have always had the Buster Posey card they could pull out when trying to lure free agents to San Francisco. What hitter wouldn't want to be in the same lineup as Posey? Is there really a pitcher who wouldn't want to throw to one of the greatest catchers of all time? You know the answers.
That pitch as a selling point is no longer there for the Giants. Posey retired, leaving the franchise in a tough spot with plenty of holes to fill in their starting rotation.
However, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi still believes the Giants are an attractive destination for pitchers post Posey.
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SIGN UP HERE “I think we’ve been an attractive destination for pitchers for a lot of reasons,” Zaidi said Wednesday at the GM meetings, via the San Francisco Chronicle's John Shea. “Certainly, the chance to throw to a Hall of Fame catcher is a big one, but on the same token, we’ve got a really good pitching (coaching) group.”
In recent offseasons, the Giants have signed pitchers like Kevin Gausman, Alex Wood, Anthony DeSclafani, Drew Smyly and Drew Pomeranz to one-year contracts. Each found success in the Bay and Posey wasn't the only reason.
“In our early conversations in the market, there’s been a lot of interest in pitching for the Giants,” Zaidi said. “We had a really good season, and people want to pitch for a winner. They believe in our pitching group and the ability they have to get the most out of them.”
Prospect Joey Bart is expected to be handed the keys as the Giants' next catcher. They also have Curt Casali, who is arbitration-eligible, still in the building.
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Casali proved this past season how much pitchers trust him, and his 2.72 catcher's ERA was the best in the big leagues. The Giants went 42-13 in games that Casali started.
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The Giants' starting rotation consists of just Logan Webb right now. They already have been connected to big-name free agents, and Zaidi met with DeSclafani's reps on Wednesday. Zaidi and Co. also would love to bring back Gausman.
This all won't be as easy without Posey behind the dish at Oracle Park, but the Giants still feel like they're in good hands during a critical offseason.