San Francisco Giants: Who Will Replace Madison Bumgarner in the Rotation?

1. Ty Blach

Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area has already reported that Ty Blach will get the first shot at replacing Bumgarner in the rotation. This really should not be a surprise to anyone considering how well he pitched for the orange and black last season.

As a rookie in 2016, Blach made four appearances on the year, including two starts. He finished the year 1-0 with a 1.06 ERA in 17 innings.

His first career win in the MLB was one of the most critical victories for the team all season. In the final series of the year, Blach pitched an 8 inning shutout against none other than Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers to help send the Giants into the playoffs. It was a win that no one expected, but really solidified Blach as a legitimate starter for the Giants in the future.

Blach’s impressive rookie showing resulted in him challenging Matt Cain in spring training for the fifth starter role, which he ultimately lost after going 2-1 with a 4.22 ERA in eight spring training games.

Although the Giants have begun the season with Cain as the fifth starter, Blach has assumed the role as the long reliever.

Blach has had a difficult time in that role so far in 2017, starting the year with a 5.79 ERA in 4.2 innings thus far.

Maybe moving into the starting rotation will be beneficial to Blach’s progression, and luckily for him, his first start will come against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who he dominated last season.

1. Tyler Beede

Tyler Beede was the Giants first round draft pick in the 2014 draft, playing collegiately at Vanderbilt. Since the Giants drafted Beede, he has become arguably the most intriguing prospect in the organization. He is currently the number one ranked prospect in the organization, overtaking Christian Arroyo’s spot prior to this season.

The 23-year-old right hander has been everything as advertised since being drafted. After the 2014 draft, he reported to the Arizona Fall League and ultimately finished the year in Short Season Salem-Keizer. Beede finished his first season as a professional with a combined 0-1 record with a 2.93 ERA in 15.1 innings, spanning across six starts.

After an impressive rookie showing, Beede began the 2015 season in Class-A Advanced San Jose, where he dominated. In nine starts, Beede went 2-2 with a 2.24 ERA and only nine walks in 52.1 innings — earning him a promotion to Double-A Richmond.

Things quickly went south for Beede in Double-A Richmond as he proceeded to go 3-8 with a 5.23 ERA in 13 starts. His main problem was his control — he walked 35 batters in 72.1 innings — a stark contrast to his numbers in San Jose.

Beede worked on mechanical issues in the offseason and began throwing a two-seam fastball in comparison to the mid-to-high 90’s four seam fastball he usually threw, in hopes to develop more as a pitcher. He also worked on locating his secondary pitches, which showed throughout the 2016 season.

After a drop in velocity the year before, Beede was able to regain his velocity during his second stint in Double-A Richmond. In 24 starts he went 8-7 with a 2.81 ERA and only walked 53 batters in 147.1 innings.

Beede was invited to spring training as a non-roster invitee in 2017 where he shined. In six games he made two starts going 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA in 13.1 innings.

As expected though, Beede was sent to Triple-A Sacramento where he is currently the ace of the staff. So far in 2017, in three starts, he is 1-0 with a 3.78 ERA in 16.2 innings. My only concern with him is that he has already walked seven batters on the year.

Beede’s biggest knock as a professional has been his location. There is no doubt that he is talented and has the potential to be a solid starter in the MLB, he will just have to be able to locate his pitches.

I would not be shocked if he is called up during Bumgarner’s absence. It would make sense if Blach struggles, or someone like Cain struggles like he has over the past couple seasons, and the team is in need of an arm.

Plus, Beede is on the same schedule as Bumgarner, which makes a whole lot of sense.

1. Trade Targets

The Giants finding an arm outside of the organization to replace Bumgarner in the rotation is unlikely, but still could happen if he ends up being out longer than 6-8 weeks.

I could not find anyone who is on the trading block as of yet since it is still early in the season. In order to make this option possible I looked at some veteran pitchers on teams looking to rebuild that are currently on the final year of their contract.

Like I said, this is an unlikely scenario, but still could happen if it is desperately needed. Without further ado, here are trade targets the Giants could pursue.

Jeremy Hellickson (Phillies) — Hellickson is currently on a one year deal worth $7 million, which makes him inexpensive. The veteran righty is 30-years-old, meaning he should be in the prime of his career.

After posting ERA’s of 5.17, 4.52, and 4.62 from 2013-2015, Hellickson has seemed to figure it out in Philadelphia. In 2016, he went 12-10 with a 3.71 ERA, while tying his career high of 189 innings. His success in 2016 was a bright spot in an otherwise rough year for a young Phillies team.

San Francisco Giants

So far in 2017 he has been lights out, going 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA and a WHIP of 0.82 in his three starts.

It is unclear if the Phillies are looking to trade him, especially if he continues pitching this successfully. It appears the Phillies were not fully set on Hellickson as a long-term option, since they only brought him back on a one year deal.

The only question is what the asking price for Hellickson will be if the Phillies think he will not sign with the team last year and are looking to find prospects to fill his void.

Jaime Garcia (Braves) — Garcia is currently in the final season of a six-year contract he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was traded to the Braves during the offseason and has struggled so far in the 2017 season. In three starts Garcia is 0-1 with a 4.67 ERA in 17.1 innings.

The main knock on Garcia has always been his durability. Last year was only the second time in his major league career that he crossed the 30 start threshold, going 10-13 with a 4.67 ERA in exactly 30 starts.

This may not be the most exciting option, but if the Giants feel they desperately need an arm, they can get Garcia cheap, given his injury history. The Braves are not contenders and could use some more prospects to build for the future.

Next: Madison Bumgarner to DL Comes at the Worst Time

When healthy, Garcia has been a solid pitcher overall, posting a career record of 62-46 with a 3.59 ERA. Plus, he would give the Giants another left-handed arm in the rotation. This scenario may come to fruition if Bumgarner is out longer than expected.