SF Giants: 3 top pitchers to target if Carlos Rodon signs elsewhere

SF Giants: 3 top pitchers to target if Carlos Rodon signs elsewhere

Target #2: Sean Manaea

SF Giants fans may be familiar with Sean Manaea from his time with the cross-bay rival Oakland A's as well as his most recent stint with the San Diego Padres.

Manaea falls into a middle tier of pitchers that the Giants could target. Fans almost certainly would not be ecstatic with the team signing him, but he would fit more in an Alex Wood or Anthony DeSclafani role as a guy who has shown promise in the past looking for a rebound year.

Manaea makes sense for the Giants. He is coming off of a down year with the Padres in which he had a 4.96 ERA in 158 innings pitched. His walk rate was up and his strikeout rate was down and he allowed more home runs than he has in any other year in his career.

However, there is reason to believe that he pitched better than the numbers may suggest as his FIP was 4.53, a bit lower than his actual ERA.

If the Giants went after him, they would be betting on the fact that they could help him improve the way they have with other pitchers like Kevin Gausman. They may also believe that a return to the crisp air of the Bay Area is what he needs to get him back on track.