Projecting SF Giants starting rotation after shock Justin Verlander deal

The SF Giants had been very quiet since signing shortstop Willy Adames to the largest contract in franchise history last month. Now, they made a shock move by reportedly signing veteran pitcher Justin Verlander to a one-year deal. What does this mean for the rotation?

Verlander has struggled with injuries the past few years, but he is only one year removed from having a 3.22 ERA in 162 and 1/3 innings pitched as a member of the New York Mets and Houston Astros in 2023. Last year was less pretty as he had a 5.48 ERA in 90 and 1/3 innings but he did also deal with an injury.

Let's take a look at what the SF Giants rotation could look like now that they have the veteran and future member of the Hall of Fame.

Projecting SF Giants rotation after Justin Verlander signing

1. Logan Webb

No surprises here. The Giants are not going to bump staff ace Logan Webb from the top spot in the rotation after signing Verlander. A guy like Webb, even as accomplished as he is, will certainly love to pick the brain of a great pitcher like Verlander so he could benefit from this move.

2. Robbie Ray

Robbie Ray still does figure to have the number two spot in the rotation. Having a righty/lefty punch from him and Webb is a good strategy to keep opposing lineups on their toes. Webb is a right-handed sinker-baller who induces a lot of ground balls and Ray at his best is a left-hander who strikes a lot of guys out and induces a lot of fly balls so it makes sense to have two total opposites as your top two members in the rotation.

3. Justin Verlander

Verlander seems like a strong candidate for the third spot in the rotation. He can be the bridge between two established veterans like Webb and Ray to the back end of the rotation which will have younger arms. While many may assume he is washed up, as mentioned before he is not too far removed from being an effective big league pitcher. If the guy can stay healthy, and that is a big if when talking about a pitcher about to turn 42, he still has the brain to figure out how to get hitters out. He will also take pressure off the younger pitchers in the rotation.

4. Kyle Harrison

It makes sense to put a lefty like Kyle Harrison right after the right-handed Verlander. Harrison had some growing pains in 2024, but he had an ultimately average year with a record of 7-7 and a 4.56 ERA in 24 starts and 124 and 1/3 innings pitched. He had a heavy workload last season, so maybe in 2025 his arm will be more used to the rigors of a full season.

5. Jordan Hicks

President of baseball operations Buster Posey has said that Jordan Hicks will return to the rotation in 2025. Hicks looked strong in the rotation to start 2024 after primarily being areliever in his career, but he clearly ran out of gas in the summer and was back in the bullpen by the end of the year. As a guy who is trying to learn how to be a starter, he and Harrison definitely seem like guys who will benefit a great deal from having Verlander around.

There are still plenty of question marks with this rotation and it is sure to see a lot of upheaval throughout the 2025 season. But the Verlander signing does provide some much-needed stability to the rotation. It also means pitchers like Hayden Birdson, Landen Roupp, and Keaton Winn will now most likely be on the outside looking in at the rotation, but we are still likely to see all of those guys start games at some point given injuries and fatigue.

It is not a great rotation, but it is an interesting one which will at least make for fascinating viewing in the 2025 season.