How Tony Vitello could help SF Giants add a big name to the starting rotation

With the World Series matchup now set in stone, 28 teams have shifted their focus to the offseason which is now only two weeks away. For the SF Giants, most of the focus so far has been on who will be their new dugout leader. Pretty much every major news outlet has already linked the team to the head coach of the University of Tennessee’s program, Tony Vitello.

It’s apparently taking some time to iron out the logistics of a deal, which makes sense seeing as Vitello is commanding a hefty $3 million salary from the Vols. Since it’s already also been reported that first choice candidate Nick Hundley turned down the job, it will be a bit of an embarrassment if their fallback option also rebuffs them, but the odds are still good that Vitello will sit in the captain’s chair come Opening Day.

Vitello could help SF Giants land a big free agent pitcher

Even if Vitello does agree to come to the Giants, the hire will be a risky one. Hiring a manager from the college level with no professional coaching experience would be unprecedented, and there’s the risk that his coaching style won’t translate to a clubhouse filled with veteran millionaires. To ease Vitello into the job and help hype the team up for their new leader, there’s one addition in particular that the Giants will probably eye should the hire come to pass.

With Justin Verlander concluding a possible one-and-done deal with the Giants, there’s a spot open for a forty-something future Hall of Famer in the rotation. Enter Max Scherzer. Scherzer is very good friends with Vitello and has a long history with him – Vitello originally recruited Scherzer to play for the University of Missouri back in the day, and the two have been great friends for decades since. Not to mention Scherzer is a bulldog whose "give-me-the-ball" mentality is exactly what Buster Posey covets from his players.

Scherzer’s leadership would fit the clubhouse like a glove. He’d make sure the vibes are good for the team acclimation to Vitello’s gregarious style, and he’d probably come a few million cheaper than the departing Verlander would. Of course, signing Scherzer wouldn’t necessarily preclude a Verlander reunion since the Giants are likely looking to add two starters this offseason, but two forty-somethings would probably be one too many. One of the two, as well as a younger option who would be controllable beyond 2026, would be a preferable path to trod.

Aside from potentially helping to sell the team to Scherzer, there are a couple of former Volunteers already in the organization that are plenty familiar with Vitello. Recent acquisitions Drew Gilbert and Blake Tidwell were both drafted out of Tennessee, as was the Giants’ most recent first-round pick, Gavin Kilen. Posey and Minasian appear to have an affinity for how that program is run, and that love affair would presumably only deepen if Vitello joins the fold.