3 mid-rotation options the SF Giants should target after Robbie Ray trade

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A lot of the reporting after the SF Giants traded for Robbie Ray has suggested that Farhan Zaidi is not going after top level arms. Even though Ray will be pitching for the Giants at mid season at the earliest, the thinking seems to go that the Giants may have enough pitching to get them to that mid season mark.

3 mid-rotation options the SF Giants should target after Robbie Ray trade

Most fans are disappointed by this and it is easy to understand why. Both Ray and Alex Cobb are not going to be healthy until sometime in the summer. That leaves Logan Webb and a whole lot of question marks after him. As things stand, here is what the Giants rotation would be if the season started today:

1. Logan Webb
2. Ross Stripling
3. Kyle Harrison
4. Tristan Beck
5. Keaton Winn

That does not exactly inspire a lot of confidence. Stripling struggled mightily last year, and the other three pitchers are all young and showed promise last season, but to have them consisting more than half of your rotation is just premature at this point.

While the Giants may be turning away from top of the market arms, that does not rule out some mid level starters that they could pursue in free agency.

Just one additional starter with solid credentials to slot in at number 2 after Webb would go a long way towards stabilizing the rotation. Here are three mid level starters that would solidify the rotation.

Colorado Rockies v Chicago Cubs / Quinn Harris/GettyImages

3 mid level rotation options for SF Giants after Robbie Ray trade

1. Marcus Stroman

The SF Giants have been connected to Marcus Stroman for a while now. Going back a few offseasons when he heaped praise on the Giants organization, it would make a lot of sense if he decided to sign with the Giants now that he is a free agent again.

While Stroman is coming off a season where he was an All-Star level pitcher in the first half and struggled mightily thanks to injuries in the second half, he still has a lot of upside as a reliable starter in a rotation.

He also fits the Giants model of a guy who gets a lot of ground balls and can pitch fairly deep into games. This will be important for the Giants so they are not eating into their bullpen too much in the first half while Cobb and Ray are on the mend.

It is reported that Stroman is receiving interest from the Giants, Red Sox, and Orioles at this time. It is unclear what a deal may look like for Stroman, but it would likely be similar to Sonny Gray’s three-year, $75 million deal.

Keep in mind, Stroman opted out of a $21 million option to stay with the Cubs so he is likely going to want more than that in a deal.

I think if the Giants sign Stroman to a 3 year, $70-75 million contract that would be a great move. Imagine when everyone is healthy a Giants rotation of:

1. Webb
2. Ray
3. Stroman
4. Cobb
5. Harrison

That would be a pretty formidable rotation. Now onto two other mid-rotation options for the Giants. And, adding someone like Stroman would go hand in hand with signing Matt Chapman to bolster the defense. The need for a solid defense should be independent of whoever is in the rotation, but the need for a solid defensive option at third base becomes more evident if a rotation consists of groundball-heavy pitchers like Stroman, Webb, and Cobb.

Los Angeles Dodgers v Cleveland Guardians / Jason Miller/GettyImages

3 mid level rotation options for SF Giants after Robbie Ray trade

2. Noah Syndergaard

Syndergaard has had a pretty steep fall from his days with the New York Mets. He was one of the most electric, exciting pitchers to watch at that time in his career.

But over his last few seasons he has struggled mightily. Last season with the Dodgers and Guardians he posted a 6.50 ERA with a low strikeout rate of 4.9 per nine innings.

That does not necessarily inspire a ton of confidence in Syndergaard going forward. But the Giants have shown that they are capable of taking guys coming off of struggles and turning them into really solid starters again. Perhaps they can do the same with Syndergaard.

Boston Red Sox v Kansas City Royals / Kyle Rivas/GettyImages

3. James Paxton

James Paxton is coming off a pretty solid year for the Red Sox in 2023. He had a 7-5 record with a 4.50 ERA in 19 games started. This includes a 2.73 ERA in 10 starts in the first half of the season. The southpaw pitcher is not the same pitcher that he was when he was with the Seattle Mariners, but he still has something left in the tank.

Like Marcus Stroman, his second half was a far cry from his first half as he had an ERA over 7.00 after the trade deadline. He also dealt with injuries last season and will be entering his age-35 season. The big difference between the two pitchers is that Stroman will command a multi-year deal, whereas Paxton could be an option on a one-year deal with a team option for a second season.

But he showed enough last year that the Giants could take a chance on him on a one-year deal. If he has a solid first half like last year they could even use him as a trade chip depending on their needs and how the season is going.

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