SF Giants likely done with rotation after reported uninspiring addition

Well, if you were hoping for an offseason of sugary sweets like Tatsuya Imai and Framber Valdez, you instead got a spoonful of vegetables from SF Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey and the front office.

So far, the two additions to the rotation have been Adrian Houser, and now it has been reported by Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle that the Giants are nearing a deal with starting pitcher Tyler Mahle.

SF Giants likely done adding to rotation after reported Mahle signing

The 31-year-old Mahle is coming off a solid year with the Texas Rangers. In 16 starts he had a 6-4 record with a 2.18 ERA in 86 and 2/3 innings pitched. He struck out 66 batters and walked 29 on the season. He faced the Giants once and pitched well, allowing two earned runs in five innings of work at Oracle Park in late April.

Mahle missed several months with a rotator cuff strain but was able to return in September. He looked solid in his return, allowing just one run in 9 and 2/3 innings of work so the hope is there will not be any lingering effects from his injury next season.

Earlier in his career, Mahle spent a number of years with the Cincinnati Reds. His best season came in 2021 when he made 33 starts and pitched 180 innings with a 3.75 ERA. His ERA at home with Cincinnati was 5.02 but was a much more respectable 3.42 on the road.

Pitching half his games at Oracle Park should help, but the biggest concern may be his durability. That 2021 season was the most starts he has made in a season while his next highest mark is 25. He has dealt with lots on injuries in his career so one hopes he can stay relatively healthy.

While it is not a shock that the Giants are likely done adding to the rotation after two modest signings, considering early in the offseason Giants chairman Greg Johnson made clear the team's reluctance to give a starter a huge contract, it is still disappointing.

The Giants are coming off four straight seasons of abject mediocrity and adding Houser and Mahle to the mix does not exactly scream contention for the playoffs.

Maybe these signings will prove wise and all the high-priced starters will flame out, but these seem like moves from a team that is not fully serious about doing everything it takes to win.