San Francisco Giants Starting Rotation Has Depth, Incredible Upside

The San Francisco Giants are lacking a true No. 2 starter, but they have a lot of depth and undeniable upside.

Sep 13, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb (62) pitches during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Oracle Park. / Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants have one of the most reliable aces in baseball with Logan Webb anchoring their rotation.

He has made at least 32 starts in three straight years and has led MLB in innings pitched in each of the last two. The only time he didn’t, he still threw an impressive 192.1 innings. He takes the ball whenever it is his turn in the rotation.

However, there are some question marks about how things will fill in behind him.

After losing Blake Snell in free agency to the Los Angeles Dodgers, they could certainly use another top-end starter. Jack Flaherty would be an excellent target, especially with his willingness to accept a short-term deal, similar to how the team landed Snell ahead of 2024.

The only addition the team has made to the starting rotation thus far this offseason is veteran Justin Verlander, who struggled with staying healthy and effective on the mound this past campaign.

At 42 years old and coming off the least effective year of his career, there are legitimate questions about how much he will bring to the table. He will be in the starting rotation out the gate along with another former Cy Young Award winner, Robbie Ray.

The talented lefty returned from Tommy John surgery last season to mixed results. Even further removed from going under the knife, the team is hoping he can regain his form.

Likely filling out the rotation behind that trio is Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison.

Hicks will have to prove that he can handle the rigors of being a starter, as he has had injury concerns throughout his career. Harrison, who rapidly moved through the Minor Leagues, will have to regain the velocity on his fastball that concerningly dipped in 2024.

If the unfortunate trend of not staying healthy continues, the Giants can at least rest easy knowing that they have some depth with legitimate upside to turn to in a pinch.

Hayden Birdsong, who made his much-anticipated debut last summer, was a breakout pitching prospect. He threw 72 innings and struck out 88, which is an encouraging start and showcases the MLB-type stuff he possesses.

His focus in 2025 will be throwing strikes more consistently as his pitch count would rack up quickly courtesy of shaky control.

Another youngster the team is excited about is Carson Whisenhunt. The talented lefty has an all-world changeup and is the No. 3 prospect in the organization. He ran into some issues last year with a 5.17 ERA over 27 starts, but the Pacific Coast League is no friendly to hurlers.

Keaton Winn has shown some real upside but is also recovering from an injury, as he underwent surgery on his right elbow in July. He is another option that will factor into the mix when healthy.