SF Giants recently attended workout for top remaining pitcher on the market

Even though Opening Day is less than two weeks away, the SF Giants continue to survey the free-agent market. They attended a workout for two-time Cy Young Winner Blake Snell on Friday, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.Com.

SF Giants recently attended workout for top remaining pitcher on the market

Feinsand reports that the Houston Astros were also said to be in attendance. The Astros were not one of the known suitors for Snell for much of this winter, but they have intensified their pursuit in recent days.

That could be directly attributed to the rash of pitching injuries they have experienced. Justin Verlander (shoulder), Luis Garcia (Tommy John surgery), and Lance McCullers Jr. (forearm surgery) are all expected to begin the season on the injured list. That problem was exacerbated on Friday when another starter, José Urquidy, removed himself from the game after experiencing elbow soreness.

Given this, the addition of Snell would go a long way in alleviating those concerns. Though, the Giants have also sustained some injuries, stretching their already-thin pitching depth even thinner.

Injuries have not impacted the Giants on the same level as the Astros. However, Tristan Beck (aneurysm in his right arm), Alex Cobb (hip), and Robbie Ray (Tommy John surgery) will all begin the season on the injured list. Plus, both Keaton Winn and Sean Hjelle have experienced elbow soreness this spring. The Giants remain hopeful that Winn can build up enough arm strength to begin the year in the rotation, but the season does start less than two weeks from now.

The Giants knew that Cobb and Ray would begin the year on the injured list. Those injuries likely would not influence the club's pursuit of Snell in the same way that it could for Houston. However, they will be leaning on a young and inexperienced pitching staff. Adding a more predictable track record would help them out quite a bit.

Snell is coming off of a fantastic 2023 campaign in which he tallied a 2.25 ERA, 3.44 FIP, 1.18 WHIP, 11.7 K/9, and a 2.36 SO/W ratio in 32 appearances. He did lead baseball with 99 walks and averaged less than six innings per start, reaffirming that he still is more of a low-volume starter than a true workhorse. In fairness, the workhorse pitcher is becoming less and less common in today's game and the fact that he threw 180 innings in 2023 is a considerable workload.

The Giants could use that as they continue to survey his market. More than likely, they hope that their young pitchers can bridge the gap until the veteran starters return from injury. They still could use more pitching, but it likely will not be at Snell's level of the market.