Report: SF Giants among 10 teams trying to acquire starting pitching
The SF Giants are among 10 buyers attempting to upgrade their starting rotation prior to the MLB trade deadline, according to a report by MLB Network's Jon Morosi. Per his report, the Giants, Dodgers, Orioles, Astros, Rays, Diamondbacks, Reds, Marlins, Phillies, and Atlanta are all hoping to land one of the top arms on the market. However, Morosi points out that the high demand has empowered sellers to maintain a high asking price for their starters.
The Giants have already been tied to New York Mets ace Justin Verlander and have several potential trade fits with the Detroit Tigers, who have two of the best starting pitchers expected to be traded (Michael Lorenzen and Eduardo Rodríguez). With that said, San Francisco also has some of the most starting pitching depth among potential buyers, which might lessen president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi's willingness to part with prospects in a deal.
Even after injuries to Anthony DeSclafani, Keaton Winn, and Kyle Harrison, the Giants still have veteran starting pitchers Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, Alex Wood, Ross Stripling, Sean Manaea, and Jakob Junis on the big-league roster. Young arms like Tristan Beck and Sean Hjelle also have plenty of starting experience and have been in the majors at various points this season. Other prospects like Mason Black and Kai-Wei Teng have quietly had success at Triple-A as well.
Of course, despite the plethora of options, Webb and Cobb have been the only consistent starters for the Giants this season. Those struggles have led manager Gabe Kapler to rely heavily on bullpen games. San Francisco has gone 13-4 in contests started by traditional relievers, but those games tend to put a heavier burden on the bullpen. As the Giants look to make a deep postseason run, adding another trustworthy starter could go a long way toward stabilizing the pitching staff.
With less than two days to go until the MLB trade deadline, the SF Giants are running out of time to make a move. But, at the moment, it seems like they are hoping to upgrade the team's starting rotation.
