SF Giants bolster roster with 2 key additions on Friday

The SF Giants made a couple of key additions on Friday morning, signing both veteran outfielder Michael Conforto and left-handed hurler Taylor Rogers. Conforto agreed to a two-year, $36 million pact with an opt-out after the first season, whereas Rogers was added on a three-year, $33 million deal.

SF Giants bolster roster with 2 key additions on Friday

These moves are both pending a physical, which is no sure thing given that Conforto missed the entire 2022 season after undergoing shoulder surgery last winter. Of course, I would be remiss in not mentioning that the Carlos Correa debacle stemmed for a medical issue that was flagged during a physical earlier this week.

The irony continues as the Giants essentially re-allocated Correa's projected $27 million cap to to Conforto ($18M AAV) and Rogers ($11M AAV) on deals that better align with the front office's risk appetite. The irony does not end there as Correa's medical issue stemmed from an injury sustained nearly a decade ago, whereas Conforto is nearly 12 months removed from major surgery.

Conforto was one of the best remaining options available. In his seven-year career, the left-handed bat has registered a .255/.356/.468 line (124 OPS+) with a 12.1 percent walk rate against a 23.8 percent strikeout rate.

The 29-year-old outfielder has eclipsed the 20-homer threshold three times in his career including a solid 2019 campaign in which he blasted 33 home runs. Do you remember the last Giants player to hit 30 home runs in a season? I will give you a hint.

On the other hand, Taylor Rogers joined his two brother, Tyler, in the Giants bullpen. Stylistically, they are very different relievers. Tyler Rogers has a submarine-style delivery from the right side and relies on the deception of it to record outs, whereas Taylor Rogers throws in the high-90's from the left side. Bullpens typically need a mix of both.

Taylor is coming off of a down season, recording a 4.76 ERA, 3.31 FIP, 1.18 WHIP, 11.8 K/9, and a 4.42 SO/W ratio in 66 appearances with the San Diego Padres and the Milwaukee Brewers. He was shipped from the Minnesota Twins to the Padres in exchange for Chris Paddack and Emilio Pagán right before the start of the 2022 season. Then, he was moved to the Brewers at the deadline in a trade that sent Josh Hader to San Diego.

Similar to what Sean Manaea went through, sometimes a trade that late in the offseason can really disrupt a player's performance as teams tend to have different philosophies to pitching. That could have been the case with Rogers.

It bears mentioning that Roger had a pretty large unfavorable variance between his ERA (4.76) and FIP (3.31) in 2022. This suggests the 32-year-old reliever was likely better than his ERA would indicate and the Giants are buying into that.

The hard-throwing lefty is just one year removed from being an AL All-Star. On the surface, both Conforto and Rogers have had solid careers. That said, the backdrop of the Carlos Correa debacle is a distracting force. Conforto, in particular, has good upside and is motivated to get at least one more payday in his career.