San Francisco Giants: Is Zack Godley worth a waiver claim?

The San Francisco Giants could use some starting pitching depth and an intriguing arm has recently become available on the waiver wire.

Even after holding onto Madison Bumgarner at the trade deadline, the San Francisco Giants are still in need of starting pitching help.

They turned to Dereck Rodriguez to fill the No. 5 spot in the rotation last time around, and he was shelled for eight hits and seven runs (four earned) in just three innings of work. The 2018 breakout star now has a 5.32 ERA in 64.1 innings of work in the majors this year.

The team could now turn to rookie Conner Menez when they need a fifth starter again on Tuesday.

Regardless, there’s a clear need for more starting pitching depth, and an interesting option has become available on the waiver wire:

Richard Morin of the Arizona Republic later confirmed that Zack Godley had in fact been designated for assignment.

So should the San Francisco Giants place a claim?

It’s been a trying season for the 29-year-old who has a 6.39 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 76 innings spanning nine starts and 18 relief appearances.

His 5.28 FIP paints a slightly more encouraging picture of his performance, though it still makes him a below-average option.

Still, the right-hander’s track record makes him an appealing buy-low candidate.

In his first full season in the Arizona Diamondbacks rotation in 2017, Godley posted a 3.37 ERA and 1.14 WHIP with 165 strikeouts in 155 innings. His 4.2 WAR ranked eighth among NL pitchers that season, and he looked like a cornerstone rotation piece.

However, his ERA spiked to 4.74 last year when he led the NL in wild pitches (17) and hit batters (12), though he still threw a career-high 178.1 innings.

Despite his middling numbers this season, Godley had shown some signs of turning things around of late with a 2.70 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, and a .121 opponents’ batting average in 10 innings over his last seven appearances before allowing four hits and three earned runs in 2.2 innings on Saturday to trigger his DFA.

There’s also reason to think a move to Oracle Park could help him further right the ship.

In six career appearances in San Francisco, Godley has a 3.13 ERA and 0.74 WHIP with 22 strikeouts and three walks in 23 innings. That includes five scoreless innings over three relief appearances in 2019.

He’s under team control through 2022 and still making the league-minimum salary, so if the Giants are willing to free up a roster spot, he could potentially be a contributor beyond this season.

As the San Francisco Giants continue their playoff push, it will be worth keeping an eye on what happens with recently designated starter Zack Godley.