Cleveland Guardians activate former SF Giants All-Star ahead of ALDS

It was an unpopular move in the SF Giants clubhouse when veteran hurler Alex Cobb was shipped to the Cleveland Guardians. However, it did give the 2023 NL All-Star a chance to compete in the playoffs as the Guardians activated him ahead of the NLDS according to a team announcement.

Cleveland Guardians activate former SF Giants All-Star ahead of ALDS

Cobb had been one of the more steady Giants pitchers over the past couple of seasons. However, he did not make an appearance with the club this season after undergoing offseason hip surgery followed by a couple of setbacks.

As the righty pitcher was inching closer to a return, he was shipped to the Guardians in a three-player deal. The Giants received young pitching prospect Jacob Bresnahan and middle infielder Nate Furman in the deal.

The Giants also made this move to open up space in the rotation for Hayden Birdsong. Birdsong piled up some valuable experience this year due in part to being able to finish the season in the rotation. He posted a 4.75 ERA with 88 strikeouts against 43 walks in 72 innings with San Francisco. This included a promising final outing in which he yielded three earned runs on 11 strikeouts and three walks in 4.1 frames against the St. Louis Cardinals.

On the other hand, Cobb only made three starts with the Guardians before finishing the year on the injured list with a blister. During that time, he registered a 2.76 ERA in 16.1 innings.

It is easy to say in hindsight that the Giants would not have benefitted much by keeping him on the roster. However, it was a move that was not received well by the clubhouse as the Giants' trade deadline strategy signaled no clear direction to the team.

Instead, the Giants fell out of the playoff race shortly thereafter and the lack of activity or picking a defined path reflected poorly on the front office.

Interestingly, the Giants will have at least one rotation void to fill this winter. They already have sizable commitments in Logan Webb and Robbie Ray, so if they are looking more for a mid-rotation arm, reuniting with Cobb could be an option.