Top 3 SF Giants starting pitching targets by HR/9 ratio

Top 3 SF Giants starting pitching targets by HR/9 ratio

2. Martín Pérez - 0.50 HR/9

Martín Pérez is in a similar position as José Quintana in that both have been pretty solid performaners throughout their respective careers, but both had career years in 2022. However, there is a pretty big difference between how each player will be viewed in free agency this winter.

The Texas Rangers issued a $19.65 million qualifying offer to Pérez, whereas Quintana is free from that designation. This means that if Pérez rejects the qualifying offer and signs elsewhere, then the team that signed him will lose a draft pick.

This probably does not carry a ton of meaning for players like Aaron Judge as teams will happily sacrifice a draft pick if it means that they can land the power-hitting outfielder. However, it might mean more for a player like Pérez, who will not have the same type of market as Judge.

It is possible that the veteran starter accepts the qualifying offer and I think that is what Texas hopes he does. The 31-year-old pitcher was superb in 2022, recording a 2.89 ERA, 3.26 FIP, 7.7 K/9, and a 2.45 SO/W ratio in 32 starts while earning an AL All-Star nod.

This includes a 0.50 HR/9 ratio, which was the fourth-best mark among starting pitchers with a minimum of 100 innings pitched. Logan Webb (0.51 HR/9) and Alex Cobb (0.54 HR/9) finished fifth and sixth, respectively.

Pérez has tallied a 4.43 ERA in 11 seasons, so it is fair to wonder if some teams might question whether his 2022 season was an outlier. It likely was but that is not going to stop his agents from pushing for a multi-year deal if he does not accept the qualifying offer.

The veteran starter fits the Giants in terms of home run prevention but Pérez has recorded a 1.1 HR/9 ratio since the start of 2018. That is not necessarily a bad rate, but it is probably closer to who Pérez is than his outstanding 0.5 HR/9 rate in 2022.