SF Giants: Three Potential Left-Handed Pitching Targets

The SF Giants are still in the market to rebuild their rotation even after Kevin Gausman accepted his $18.9 million qualifying offer.

The SF Giants front office likes to have balance in their rotation between left-handed and right-handed arms.

As currently constructed, they have Tyler Anderson as the only southpaw projected to be in next year’s rotation if they tender him a contract.

On top of this, San Francisco has interest in bringing back Drew Smyly after a strong season in 2020. Outside of these two names, who are some free agent arms who throw with their left arm and could conceivably be a target for the Giants?

Three Left-Handed Pitching Targets for the SF Giants

1. Rich Hill

Few pitchers in baseball history have had careers quite like Rich Hill. Before his age-35 season, the veteran southpaw struggled to stay healthy while bouncing around the major league circuit.

In that time, he only had 471 career innings with a 4.72 ERA under his belt. Then he really burst onto the scene with an impressive 1.55 ERA across 29 frames with the Boston Red Sox in 2015. It was a small sample, but it caught a lot of attention.

Since then, he has been awesome. and quietly one of the better arms in baseball. Across 476 innings, he has posted a 3.01 ERA (3.55 FIP) with a 28.3 strikeout rate over the last five seasons with the Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Minnesota Twins.

In 2020, he continued to put up solid numbers. In 38.2 innings, he produced a 3.03 ERA (3.99 FIP) with a 19.9 percent strikeout rate against a 10.9 percent walk rate.

It could be small sample shenanigans, but the fact that there was such a sharp drop in his strikeout rate compared to what we have seen in recent seasons could alarm some teams. These concerns are compounded by the fact that his walk rate saw a noticeable spike as well.

While the 41-year-old continues to put up strong numbers, durability remains a question as he has battled blister issues for the past several years.

So, if the Giants did sign the veteran hurler, they would need depth behind Hill in case an injury arises. That said, Hill gives you quality innings when he can make it to the mound.

Three Left-Handed Pitching Targets for the SF Giants
3. Jose Quintana

In his nine-year career, Jose Quintana has never pitched in a home ballpark outside of Chicago. The left-handed hurler is a free agent for the first time in his career and might be in the market for a one-year, pillow deal.

Quintana was traded from the Chicago White Sox to the Chicago Cubs before the 2017 trade deadline in a blockbuster move that netted the White Sox prized outfielder Eloy Jimenez.

Quintana proved to be a serviceable arm with a 4.24 ERA with the Cubs, but similar to when the Giants traded for Matt Moore in 2016, this is likely one move they wish they could take back.

Since he debuted way back in 2012, Quintana has registered an 83-77 record with a 3.73 ERA (3.64 FIP) and a 21 percent strikeout rate against a 6.8 percent walk rate.

If you are a believer in FIP, then you may see Quintana as a hidden gem. His ERA has frequently underperformed his FIP, so a change of scenery could be exactly what the veteran southpaw needs.

Quintana missed much of the 2020 season after battling a pair of unrelated injuries, but when he was healthy, he generated a 4.50 ERA in just ten innings of work.

There is not much information evaluators can take away from Quintana’s 2020 season given that it was such a small body of work.

That said, Quintana has proven to be a consistent and durable arm throughout his career, and the market will see him as this. Regardless, he has registered a 4.28 ERA since the start of 2017, so that is the type of pitcher you would be getting.

Similar to Mike Minor, the SF Giants need more depth and arms who can soak up innings. Quintana has proven to be an innings-eater in his career, and will likely fall within the Giants comfort level of spending.

After spending so many years in Chicago, a change to the pitcher-friendly confines of Oracle Park may be exactly what the left-handed hurler needs.