SF Giants can bolster rotation by signing George Kittle's brother-in-law

The SF Giants will be looking to add pitching this offseason. They have been connected to the Japanese pitching market, but maybe they could land a pitcher who has recaptured his form overseas in Cody Ponce.

Most of the attention to international free agent pitchers will be paid to Tatsuya Imai who the Giants have been linked to. However, he will have a lot of suitors and seems likely to command a nine-figure contract which is the exact kind of contract that Giants chairman Greg Johnson does not seem eager to dole out.

SF Giants could make a play for starting pitcher Cody Ponce

Maybe Ponce is a pitcher who would be more in San Francisco's price range. The 31-year-old was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2015 and was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019.

He made his MLB debut in 2020 and over the course of 20 appearances he made with the Pirates in 2020 and 2021 he had a 1-7 record with a 5.86 ERA in 55 and 1/3 innings pitched.

However, since his brief MLB showing he has gone overseas and turned himself into a different pitcher. Here is what Grant Brisbee of The Athletic had to say about Ponce in a recent article:

"The other pitcher in that section, Cody Ponce, is a former big leaguer and 2015 second-round pick of the Brewers who added a splitter and extra velocity in the KBO, and it allowed him to dominate. He’s a large lad (6-foot-6) with mid-rotation potential, possibly at a price that allows the Giants to spend on other positions."

Last season in the KBO Ponce had a 1.89 ERA in 29 starts with a whopping 252 strikeouts in 180 and 2/3 innings pitched. The level of competition in the KBO is not what it is in MLB, but he could still be a guy that the Giants sign thinking he could be a fourth or fifth starter in the rotation.

If they did, he already has some connections to the Bay Area in that he is the brother-in-law of San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle as he is married to Kittle's sister Emma.

That would be a pretty cool connection and it would make everyone happy to see Kittle in the stands at Oracle Park cheering on his brother-in-law.

The Giants know how important pitching depth is after how 2025 ended so Ponce would be an intriguing and affordable addition who potentially has a lot of upside for the Giants.