SF Giants: Three Left-Handed Starting Pitcher Targets

Three SF Giants Left-Handed Starting Pitcher Targets:
1. James Paxton

James Paxton is a tall, nasty lefty who has spent his entire career in the American League. He spent his first six seasons with the Seattle Mariners before he was traded to the New York Yankees, where he spent the last two seasons.

Paxton has a fastball that has previously touched the upper-90s in mph with a cutter and a sharp-breaking knuckle-curve. His velocity has dropped quite a bit over the years, but his secondary pitches have remained strong enough to be dominant anyway. His deadly repertoire gets a lot of strikeouts and would bolster the Giants’ rotation.

Looking at some of his statistics before 2020, he has been downright impressive. In 2019 with the Yankees, he had a 15-6 with a 3.82 ERA in 29 starts. He also recorded a filthy 186 strikeouts in just 150.2 innings pitched, demonstrating that he is very skilled at getting batters to swing and miss with his electric stuff.

He was excellent in his last two seasons with Seattle as well. In 2017 he went 12-5 with a 2.98 ERA, and 156 strikeouts in 136 innings pitched. In 2018, he went 11-6 with a 3.76 ERA, and 208 strikeouts in 160 innings pitched.

However, 2020 was a struggle for Paxton. He only made five starts for the Yankees before a flexor strain in his left forearm landed him on the IL for the rest of the season. Injuries have been a problem for him his whole career as he has never made a full 32 starts in a season. Even with his track-record of dominance, it’s difficult to commit too heavily to a pitcher with so many injury red flags.

MLB Trade Rumors predicts that Paxton will sign a one-year, $10 million deal with the Chicago White Sox. Paxton obviously comes with a fair deal of risks given his injury history, but the upside is very enticing for many teams if he is healthy and dealing.

Three SF Giants Left-Handed Starting Pitcher Targets:
2. Brett Anderson

Giants fans may remember Brett Anderson from his days as a member of the dreaded Los Angeles Dodgers. More recently, he has pitched for the Oakland Athletics and Milwaukee Brewers over the previous three seasons. If Paxton is known for his ability to strike guys out, Anderson is known for getting guys to hit the ball on the ground.

Anderson is a four-pitch guy-fastball, slider, curveball, changeup- and his fastball resides mainly in the low 90’s. Taking a look at his recent statistics, Anderson performed in his last season with the A’s. In 2019 he went 13-9 with a 3.89 ERA in 31 starts with 176 innings pitched. It was arguably his best season as a pro since he was with the Dodgers in 2015, in which he went 10-9 with a 3.69 ERA in 180 innings.

In 2019 Anderson recorded the lowest strikeout rate among eligible pitchers. This shows the beauty of baseball in that there are many ways to get the job done. Paxton throws heat and strikes guys out while Anderson keeps the infield busy, and they both recorded solid seasons in 2019.

Anderson’s solid 2019 earned him a $5 million contract with the Brewers in 2020. He made 10 starts for the Brewers last season, going 4-4 with a 4.21 ERA. Not as impressive as his 2019 numbers, but still respectable, and numbers like those would have been welcomed on the 2020 Giants team.

It’s hard to envision Anderson commanding a larger contract than what he received from the Brewers this season. While he may not be the reclamation project-type that Farhan Zaidi has seemed inclined to target, he would provide the Giants rotation with a solid left-handed veteran who puts the ball on the ground and keeps the team in the game. Without much consistency in the starting rotation, he could be a safer arm to help solidify the group.

Three SF Giants Left-Handed Starting Pitcher Targets:
3. Gio Gonzalez

The longtime veteran Gio Gonzalez has been in the league since 2008. Most recently, he was a member of the Chicago White Sox. Although he has bounced around a lot, most memorably, he was a member of the Washington Nationals in 2014 when the Giants beat them in the NLDS.

While he is not the same pitcher as he was earlier in his career, he is still a solid left-handed pitcher who would help the Giants out in 2021. In 2020 he was primarily a reliever, working in a long-reliever role. He recorded a 4.83 ERA in 12 appearances, striking out 34 batters in 31 innings pitched.

He is not as heavily skewed towards ground balls, like Anderson, or strikeouts, like Paxton, much like the third bowl of porridge in Goldilocks and the Three Bears, he is just right, with a slightly above-average strikeout rate over the course of his career. Recently turning 35-years old, though, the question is how much longer he can sustain it.

His market seems unlikely to be too competitive, and he might even end up settling for a minor-league contract. While the Giants could give him a chance to compete for the fifth spot in the rotation, Gonzalez could be a prime candidate to fill the role Trevor Cahill did for the team in 2020.

The SF Giants may not pursue any of these three left-handed starting pitchers in free agency, but it seems hard to envision them entering next year without adding another proven arm. Without a proven left-handed arm, it seems like they would be inclined to go shopping for a southpaw. James Paxton would obviously come with the most upside. Brett Anderson could be a safer alternative, and Gio Gonzalez would probably cost the least if they are looking to give younger players a chance to compete.