San Francisco Giants Starting Rotation Given Surprising Ranking by MLB Analyst

The San Francisco Giants worked hard over the winter and spring to ensure a quality starting rotation, but one MLB analyst sees it as below average.

Mar 15, 2025; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb (62) throws against the Seattle Mariners in the first inning at Scottsdale Stadium. Mandatory Credit: | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants got dealt a bad hand when two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell opted out of his contract and chose to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency.

Gone was the one-two punch that Snell formed with ace Logan Webb to form one of the best rotation-topping duos in all of MLB, and in his first offseason as the team's chief decision maker, Buster Posey was forced into action to make the unit work in Snell's absence.

His solution was to go out and replace Snell with another multiple-time Cy Young winner, landing 41-year-old Justin Verlander on a one-year, $15 million contract to bring his experience to the Bay Area.

Verlander joined Webb, fellow veteran and former Cy Young winner Robbie Ray and Jordan Hicks in a rotation that was completed when Landed Roupp won a protracted spring training battle for the No. 5 spot.

Roupp earned the nod over Hayden Birdsong, a talented young pitcher who also thrived in the spring, and Kyle Harrison, a former top prospect who struggled with velocity and will begin the season in the minor leagues.

In a piece for The Athletic (subscription required), former MLB executive Jim Bowden ranked all 30 MLB teams by the quality of their starting rotations.

Bowden gave the Giants the No. 19 spot, a seemingly harsh ranking for a team with a legitimate ace at the top and intriguing youth at the bottom.

"The Giants’ rotation has a solid top three with Webb, Verlander and Ray," Bowden wrote. "The biggest question for this rotation may be whether Verlander and Ray stay healthy and make 25-30 starts. Hicks made a strong transition from reliever to starter last season (4.10 ERA over 20 starts and nine relief appearances), and Birdsong and Harrison have promising arsenals if they can be developed properly."

It's true that Verlander and Ray are susceptible to injuries, but that's true for basically any starting pitcher in 2025. Verlander in particular is due for a healthy season, and his performance in spring training is a massive green flag for what his campaign could look like.

Add the natural stuff that Hicks is throwing out of the four spot, the veteran pedigree of Ray at the three and the tantalizing upside that Roupp brings at the five, and there's no real reason for this to be a bottom half unit.

Even if an injury does strike, Birdsong absolutely has the potential to perform like a solid three this season, and Harrison is waiting in the wings as well, no doubt motivated to get back on track after his tough spring.

San Francisco is average or above average at every spot in the rotation, with the possible exception of Verlander at the two. If his spring is for real, look for this to be one of the better rotations in the league, possibly even threatening the top 10.