Ranking the top 3 priorities for the SF Giants this offseason

Ranking the top 3 priorities for the SF Giants this offseason

2. Starting rotation

I have gone back and forth about whether this is a need or a want. On paper, the Giants have a skeleton of a rotation with Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison, and Hayden Birdsong. Plus, Landen Roupp could find his way into the mix after a strong finish to the season.

The 2024 season was a disappointment in a lot of respects, but the performance of the starting rotation was arguably the biggest disappointment. That unit pitched to a 4.22 ERA last season, which was 18th in baseball. That is not terrible, but not good enough for an area of the roster that needed to be a strength for the team to compete.

Of course, those numbers are also inflated by Blake Snell's stellar second half of the year in which he was arguably the best pitcher in baseball. With the lefty ace opting out, the rotation looks worse on paper now than when the season ended.

How the front office decides to address the rotation could be an indicator of how they view the team's chances of competing for a playoff spot next season. If they do add a frontline starter, it is a sign that they plan to compete next season.

However, if they go with the status quo or tweak the rotation by adding a mid-rotation arm, it could be a sign of a team that expects a soft reset or retool. Of course, the Giants do not like using those words but this could be the litmus test for that.

Retaining Snell should be a priority. There will be plenty of connections to Corbin Burnes as well given that he grew up in California and attended Saint Mary's College. Outside of those options, Nick Pivetta, Nick Martinez, or even reuniting with Alex Cobb make sense as mid-rotation candidates.