San Francisco Giants: A way-too-early 2020 Opening Day roster prediction

San Francisco Giants starting rotation: What does life after Madison Bumgarner look like?

SP Jeff Samardzija: $19.8 million

After an injury-shortened 2018 season, Samardzija bounced back nicely with a 3.52 ERA in 181.1 innings. He’s owed $19.8 million in the final year of his contract, and while the Giants could shop him this offseason, he’ll likely be back in the orange and black.

SP Johnny Cueto: $21 million

Cueto returned from Tommy John surgery ahead of schedule to make four starts down the stretch in 2019, posting a 5.06 ERA in 16 innings of work. The 33-year-old was pitching well pre-injury in 2018, and a bounce-back season is certainly not out of the question.

SP Tanner Roark: $12 million (projected signing)

He’s not Gerrit Cole or Zack Wheeler, but Roark is a proven veteran workhorse and the perfect complementary starter to help take some pressure off the young arms. The 33-year-old has averaged 184 innings over the past four seasons while pitching to a 3.99 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. If he’s willing to take a higher AAV on a one-year deal, the Giants might have an edge in signing him over teams that might be willing to offer a lower contract over multiple years.

SP Danny Duffy (L): $15.25 million (projected trade)

Earlier this month, I wrote a piece detailing my idea for a Brandon Belt-for-Danny Duffy swap with the Kansas City Royals, so I’ll direct you to that article for my thoughts on this addition.

SP Tyler Beede: $560,000

Logan Webb pitched just 79 innings above the Double-A level before making his MLB debut, and he won’t turn 23 until Nov. 18, so sending him back to the minors for further seasoning makes a lot of sense. That leaves Beede as the front-runner for the No. 5 starter job, provided he can hold of Dereck Rodriguez, Andrew Suarez, and whoever the team brings in on a minor league deal.