Report: SF Giants front office considering trading young pitching
As the end of the 2023 season approaches, the SF Giants front office is contemplating how to upgrade the team offensively this offseason. In an excellent article by Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic, the Giants beat writer details the problems with the team's current situation and offers some observations about the franchise's standing. However, he also snuck one notable tidbit into the piece that signals president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and general manager Pete Putila could be eyeing some big trades this offseason.
"It’s becoming clear to the Giants’ top decision-makers that there might be just one way to do that: trading from what they view as a largesse of young pitching," Baggarly wrote.
It's easy to see why the Giants see pitching as an area of strength on the current roster. While the Giants rank 14th in MLB in ERA this season, the team's pitchers have posted the fourth-best FIP and second-best xFIP, two statistics that attempt to control for statistics that tend to be less reflective of a pitcher's future performance. Moreover, it's very clear that the blame for San Francisco's late-season collapse falls almost entirely on the offense, which was easily the worst in the league for more than two months.
Looking beyond this season, Jakob Junis, Alex Wood, John Brebbia, and Scott Alexander are the only members of the current big-league pitching staff slated to become free agents this winter, assuming Ross Stripling and Sean Manaea do not exercise the opt-outs in their contract. While all six of those pitchers have contributed this year, none have been the most effective arms for manager Gabe Kapler.
Giants top starting pitchers Logan Webb and Alex Cobb are both under team control through next season alongside closer Camilo Doval and top setup arms Tyler Rogers and Taylor Rogers. Assuming Manaea and Stripling opt-in, they will join Anthony DeSclafani to form a trio of veterans looking to reestablish themselves as starting pitchers next spring.
Of course, it's not just the veterans who will be returning to the fold in 2024. Several rookie Giants pitchers had impressive seasons. Top pitching prospect Kyle Harrison showcased frontline potential and has a chance to make a huge impact next season. Other prospects like Tristan Beck and Keaton Winn looked like potential mid-rotation starting pitchers as well. Ryan Walker, another rookie, has been particularly effective as a multi-inning reliever who has a chance to eclipse 80 innings pitched this season between Triple-A and the majors.
That's before getting to the glut of additional Giants pitching prospects who finished the season in the upper minor leagues. Carson Whisenhunt (Giants Top 6 Prospect), Mason Black (Giants Top 12 Prospect), Landen Roupp (Giants Top 14 Prospect), and Hayden Birdsong (Giants Top 34 Prospect) were all dominant at times this season and would generate plenty of interest on the trade market as well.
While Baggarly does propose some potential trades for Harrison, it's hard to imagine the Giants planning on parting with the best draft pick since Zaidi joined the franchise. However, Winn, Beck, Walker, and the other minor league arms close to the majors seem like obvious candidates to be shopped. The Giants are already likely to enter next spring with five veteran starting pitchers and Harrison. San Francisco has consistently had success finding undervalued pitchers in free agency under Zaidi, which could add another starter or two to the mix. All that before discussing any of the other options.
Winn, Beck, and Whisenhunt would likely be the most valuable in trade talks, although Walker could net a surprising return given his potential to be a true setup arm or closer. However, depending on the caliber of player the Giants are after, they might be able to find upgrades without parting with their best trade chips.
Black, in particular, seems like a name to watch. He posted a 3.86 ERA in 13 starts at the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League after he was promoted to Triple-A Sacramento. He recorded 72 strikeouts in 60.2 Triple-A innings pitched. The Giants third-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft has clear mid-rotation upside and could be ready to pitch in the majors by the start of next season. On one hand, Black could make it easier to part with someone like Beck or Winn. On the other, Black seems like a good enough prospect to be an intriguing centerpiece for a team shopping quality hitters in search of pitching all by himself.
While Whisenhunt, Black, Roupp, and Birdsong are a tier above San Francisco's other upper minor-league starters, Kai-Wei Teng, Carson Seymour, and Ryan Murphy all had success this season at Double-A. Teng actually was even better after a promotion to Sacramento. It's hard to imagine any of them netting a significant piece in a trade by themselves, but they could be valuable secondary pieces to get a deal across the finish line, or could be used in smaller swaps to acquire less proven position-player depth.
The SF Giants understand that they need to make some significant upgrades this offseason. With a relatively weak offensive free-agent class, though, they may have to get creative if they want to improve their offense. According to Baggarly's reporting, the front office is prepared to trade from the organization's young pitching depth to try and find the position players they need to make a deep postseason run in 2024.
