Buster Posey's last 2 SF Giants trade deadlines will be put to the test after losing yet another young pitcher

Well, pretty much the worst has been confirmed with SF Giants pitcher Blade Tidwell as it was reported that he has been recommended to undergo surgery after spraining his UCL which caused him to leave his start prematurely on Monday night.

We’ve already gone over how this is now the fourth young Giants starter who has to have Tommy John surgery this year which is pretty troubling and should make the Giants question whether there is anything they can do to prevent these injuries even if they may just be the price of pitching in the modern game.

More importantly though, the Giants are now going to have their two most recent trade deadlines put to the test because these injuries are going to force San Francisco to see just how good the pitching talent they’ve acquired under president of baseball operations Buster Posey really is.

While it may seem like the team’s rotation depth is pretty much toast for 2027, the Giants actually have quite a few young arms already on the roster and some who could conceivably get called up from the minors next year if the team needs more starters.

The guys they’re using right now like Cesar Perdomo, Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson, Anthony Molina, and Yunior Marte have all shown promise and while the Giants would be wise to add at least two or three starters in the offseason, they at least that have that quartet to fall back on if they need them.

Marte was acquired in the Mike Yastrzemski trade last year and while his 4.66 ERA isn’t super inspiring, he has had some strong outings like the five scoreless innings he delivered against the San Diego Padres earlier this month.

Molina was acquired in exchange for Tyler Mahle at the deadline this year and he’s had some solid outings as well. The most encouraging thing with him is how he pounds the strike zone, something the Giants have struggled with all year. He’s only walked seven batters in 34 innings with San Francisco which by the standards of the Giants is pretty great. He’s also had a respectable 3.97 ERA.

But beyond them, the Giants may see debuts from other pitchers they’ve acquired the last two deadlines. Trystan Vrieling came to San Francisco in the Camilo Doval trade last year, a deal that just keeps on looking better from the perspective of the Giants.

The 25-year-old Vrieling had a 5.01 ERA on the season between his time in Richmond and Sacramento. He had a respectable 4.23 ERA in 23 starts with the Flying Squirrels but an alarming 9.68 ERA in four starts with the River Cats. That’s a small sample size though so if he starts next year in Sacramento and shows improvement, he is a guy the Giants can turn to if they lose more starters to injury. 

Giants have options, but it's unclear if they are quality ones

Then there are the young starters acquired at the deadline this season. Ramon Marquez came over in the Luis Arraez trade and he only made two starts with the Eugene Emeralds, but his overall 2.22 ERA on the season is not too shabby and he's considered one of the best young arms in the organization. Miguel Mendez came from the San Diego Padres in the Robbie Ray deal and he struggled in Richmond to the tune of a 8.44 ERA in four starts. Henry Lalane was acquired from the New York Yankees in the Heliot Ramos trade and he had a 4.57 ERA with the Emeralds.

There’s a good chance Richmond’s 2027 rotation consists of Marquez, Mendez, Lalane, and Jackson Flora which will be a pretty good test of how the Buster Posey regime has done in acquiring young pitching talent either via trade or through the draft.

All of these injuries to young starters are brutal and it’s tough to see these guys be robbed of a chance to prove themselves and earn a spot in the rotation, but now the next wave of young arms in the organization has the spotlight on them and how they fare will show a lot about this front office’s ability to acquire talent. 

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