Giants add Trevor Cahill to intriguing mix of veteran starters

Tyson Ross

In seven starts last season for the Detroit Tigers, Tyson Ross did little to prove that he is capable of claiming the No. 5 starter spot for the Giants.

However, he does have a strong track record of success at the MLB level.

In his seven starts with the Tigers, Ross went 1-5 with a 6.11 ERA and 1.67 WHIP in 35.1 innings.

That performance doesn’t inspire much confidence, but it’s worth nothing that he may have been dealing with an injury that eventually ended his season in May.

If Ross is healthy, he should fare better than he did last season, and like Cahill and Gausman, he has experience pitching out of the bullpen. In 2018, he had a 2.73 ERA in 27 innings with the St. Louis Cardinals, with most of them coming in relief.

While he is certainly in the mix for the No. 5 starter job, he could begin the year in a long relief role while he shake off the rust. With a weak rotation, there are bound to be some short starts, so it would not hurt to have an emergency reliever who can come in and eat up innings.

It is worth remembering that these veterans are not only competing with each other, but also with young starters like Tyler Beede and Logan Webb for the final spot in the rotation.

The Giants have several veteran pitchers who can help them in the rotation as well as in the bullpen. None of them are Gerrit Cole, but perhaps they can provide a little help to a Giants pitching staff that is bound to need it.