Projecting what SF Giants' starting rotation will look like after the trade deadline

There’s a pretty good chance that the SF Giants will trade away two members of their starting rotation in the next few weeks. Robbie Ray and Tyler Mahle are both going to be free agents after the year so the Giants may as well get something for them while they can.

If they do trade them, that will leave the rotation looking a little bit different. Here’s a projection of what the five starters will look like after the trade deadline.

Giants’ rotation will probably look quite different after trade deadline

1. Logan Webb

The Giants have said they do not plan on listening to offers for Logan Webb. If we take Buster Posey at his word then Webb will continue to be the team’s ace in the second half. He’s had a rough couple of starts in a row with some strange social media behavior thrown in, but he is the ace of the staff until he gets dealt which is unlikely to happen unless San Francisco is blown away by an offer.

2. Landen Roupp

While Landen Roupp has had a very uneven season, he will probably be the second-best starter in the rotation when Ray gets traded. Roupp looked great in his last start so maybe he can build off that and look more like the guy he was last season before injuries derailed him.

3. Carson Whisenhunt 

Both of Carson Whisenhunt’s starts this season have been good. He pitched well in Atlanta last month and had another really good start on Thursday night against the Colorado Rockies. He deserves a long look in the rotation in the second half and he may be the only lefty in the rotation after Ray is gone.

4. Adrian Houser

This one is a bit controversial because the Giants will probably be better off trading Houser for whatever they can get for him, but manager Tony Vitello suggested Houser could return to the rotation soon after Trevor McDonald had yet another bad start.

If Houser was a free agent after this season a team would probably take a chance on him but the Giants signed him to a two-year deal and it may be tough to find a taker for a guy with a 4.95 ERA and low strikeout numbers who is set to make $11 million next season. The Giants may decide to give him one more chance at a rotation spot to see if he’s worth keeping around next year.

5. Blade Tidwell

The Giants should give Tidwell a shot in the rotation. He got a look earlier this season as a bullpen arm and did quite well with a 3.00 ERA in 12 innings. In Triple-A Sacramento he has a 4.40 ERA on the year which is not bat in the pitcher-friendly Pacific Coast League so he deserves a look in the rotation.

There are some other possibilities as well like Carson Seymour, McDonald, or Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson who could join the rotation especially if the Giants want to be safe with guys like Roupp who may have an innings limit.

There’s also the chance that the Giants trade for some big league-ready arms at the deadline and give them a chance in the rotation. No matter what, expect the rotation to look quite different in August.

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