San Francisco Giants: Five under-the-radar starting pitching targets

The San Francisco Giants head into the offseason with questions surrounding the future of their starting rotation. Will another under-the-radar signing be part of their plans?

Will Madison Bumgarner be a member of the San Francisco Giants next year? Can young arms like Logan Webb and Tyler Beede hold down rotation spots? Will Johnny Cueto return to his pre-injury form?

With so many question marks surrounding the starting rotation, the front office will be looking for starting pitching help, even if that doesn’t mean run at signing a big name like Gerrit Cole.

Instead, think something along the lines of last offseason’s addition of Drew Pomeranz on a one-year, $1.5 million deal. And before you decry how bad Pomeranz was for most of his time with the team, remember that his resurgence as a reliever resulted in the acquisition of Mauricio Dubon.

Acquiring a Pomeranz-like starter on the cheap could be a smart way to add rotation depth while not breaking the bank, allowing the front office to focus on other areas of need.

It’s also worth mentioning that it has historically been difficult for the Giants to sign big-name starting pitchers in free agency, with targets like Jon Lester or Zack Greinke memorably signing elsewhere.

A cheaper starting pitcher would not be the splashiest signing. However, Farhan Zaidi has proven that he is comfortable with slow offseasons and not caving to a demanding fan base, instead opting to make signings and moves during the season to bolster the team.

If the opportunity presents itself, then he will surely pursue bigger arms, but he wants to make moves that will benefit the team in the long run, not sugar rush deals that will look bad in a few years.

So who are some of the cheaper starters that the San Francisco Giants could pursue?

Ahead we’ve highlighted five under-the-radar starting pitchers who could be a fit this offseason.