San Francisco Giants Ace Faces Immense Pressure This Year After Poor Free Agency

The San Francisco Giants enter the season with a new-look starting rotation, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a better one.

In fact, on paper, the unit is in a significantly tougher spot than they were at the conclusion of the regular season. After losing the best pitcher on staff with Blake Snell deciding to part to the Los Angeles Dodgers, things looked bleak.

That was, until the Giants looked like they were on the cusp of signing away Corbin Burnes from the Baltimore Orioles. Burnes would have been arguably an immense upgrade from Snell with the ability to go significantly more innings and deeper into games with the reliability to stay on the field Snell doesn't have.

Despite nearing a deal, Burnes wound up instead with the division rival Arizona Diamondbacks, bringing San Francisco back to square one.

The big acquisition wound up being a lucrative one-year contract for one of the best pitchers of the generation in future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander.

While the name alone invokes memories of his domination for the better part of the last two decades, Verlander is about to be 42 years old and looked far from the old version of himself in 2024 with the Houston Astros.

Even if Verlander never pitches an inning, it was a good move in the sense of San Francisco having a young pitching staff which the legend will be able to mentor and offer guidance for.

But for even all the benefits that Verlander brings, barring him turning back the clock a few years, the Giants did not do what they needed to do and find a one for one replacement - or upgrade - from Snell.

This places immense pressure on the staff as a whole, but on one pitcher in particular with likely Opening Day starter Logan Webb now called upon to once again be the team's ace.

It's not to say Webb isn't capable. The workhorse of the league has made a full slate of starts in each of the last three years, throwing over 200 innings for the last two consecutive season and even leading the majors in innings thrown for the 2023 season.

The 28-year-old is coming off an All-Star campaign and is expected to be sensational once again, but asking him to shoulder the load as the team's No. 1 following a failed pursuit of Burnes is a tall task.

There's nothing to indicate he isn't up for it, but Webb was supposed to be part of a dynamic duo at the top of the rotation, and San Francisco has not done themselves any favors by failing to supplement the staff.

Everyone is going to be asked to step up which is no different from any other year, but Webb in particular has an uphill battle ahead of him.

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