San Francisco Giants: Five under-the-radar starting pitching targets
LHP Drew Smyly
Lefty Drew Smyly is another name that might be familiar to San Francisco Giants fans from the team’s postseason runs. He was in his rookie season with the Detroit Tigers in 2012 when the Giants swept them in four games in the World Series.
He’s bounced around a bit since leaving Detroit, and he spent last season with the Texas Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies.
After missing the entire 2017 and 2018 seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery, he returned with a thud in Texas, struggling to an 8.42 ERA in 51.1 innings before he was released on June 25.
After a brief pit-stop with the Milwaukee Brewers, he landed in Philadelphia where he went 3-2 with a respectable 4.45 ERA and 9.8 K/9 in 62.2 innings over 12 starts.
That included a terrific outing against the Giants on July 30 when he tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing just four hits and one walk while striking out five.
The Giants have not been afraid to take chances on guys who have had Tommy John in the past, so that won’t be a barrier if they’re interested. Smyly being a lefty is also an added benefit if Zaidi wants to balance out a righty-heavy rotation.
If his strong finish to the season with the Phillies is any indication, Smyly is on his way to being a solid back-of-the-rotation option in 2020, and the Giants saw first hand how effective he can be when things are clicking.
Next. Who needs to be added to the 40-man roster?
So there you have it, five under-the-radar starters that the San Francisco Giants could pursue this offseason. These guys won’t break the bank and they will add some needed depth to a rotation in flux.