SF Giants general manager leaves door open for filling final rotation spot with internal option

SF Giants general manager Zack Minasian told Justice delos Santos of The Mercury News that they will continue to look externally to bolster the rotation. However, he believes that they do not necessarily need to make another addition, and could fill it with an internal option.

SF Giants general manager leaves door open for filling final rotation spot with internal option

For what it is worth, Minasian likely does not want to show his cards if they are looking externally. Plus, this conveys confidence in the handful of young pitchers they have on the roster.

They have expressed a desire to add at least two starting pitchers this offseason, and there are still plenty of options to check that box off. It would be hard to look at this iteration of the rotation and believe that not only can they make 162 starts, but also compete for a roster spot. 

Plus, the Giants have invested over $500 million into Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, and Rafael Devers over the last 15 months. Are they not going to do more to upgrade the rotation, which they have said again and again needs to be a strength? That would be a curious decision.

There are still quite a few moderately-priced options that give the Giants volume and some upside. Chris Bassitt and Zac Gallen offer a combination of both. The Giants have checked in on Gallen, but he rejected a qualifying offer earlier in the offseason, and that could be enough to look elsewhere.

Zack Littell, Zach Eflin, and Lucas Giolito all offer reliable volume. Giolito missed the 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but has generally handled a heavy workload.

They need both upside and volume, but the latter feels especially pertinent given that the rotation has generally fallen apart by the end of the year in recent seasons.

If the Giants do not make another external addition, it would create an opportunity for one of their young pitchers. Trevor McDonald, Blade Tidwell, Hayden Birdsong, and Carson Whisenhunt could all compete for a rotation spot.

McDonald had a strong finish to the year, and should enter next spring with an advantage. His limited showing also highlighted a questionable decision by the Giants to not give him a more extended look last season.

Birdsong pitched briefly out of the rotation last year, but struggled in that role and finished the year in Triple-A. He flashed swing-and-miss stuff in 2024, but that did not translate in 2025. Regardless, the Giants are still intrigued by his upside.

Tidwell had a handful of impressive starts following the Tyler Rogers trade. Whisenhunt struggled in his brief time with San Francisco. They are both looking up in that completion.