SF Giants may actually have four open rotation spots to fill for next season

The pitching staff has largely been a mess this season for the SF Giants. Both the starters and the bullpen have lacked consistency and it’s one of the biggest reasons the team is staring one of the worst records in franchise history squarely in the face.

For a while it has seemed like the Giants could pretty safely write Logan Webb and Landen Roupp into next year’s starting rotation. Adrian Houser might be another guy in the mix since he’s under contract next year but the fact that he got moved to the bullpen briefly is a bit of a red flag.

Roupp’s latest performance should make the Giants reevaluate whether he deserves a guaranteed spot in next year’s rotation, though. On Friday night Roupp went 5 and 2/3 innings allowing four earned runs while walking three batters and striking out five.

His ERA on the season is now 4.31 in 24 starts. He has pitched 129 innings which is a career high and he has walked 60 batters while striking out 128 on the year.

The raw stuff is there and when Roupp is on he definitely looks like he is good enough to be a No. 3 or No. 4 starter in the rotation. He just hasn’t been anywhere near consistent enough to warrant a guaranteed spot in the rotation next year.

Giants need to revamp pitching staff for next season

That’s why the Giants should go into 2027 feeling like they have four rotation spots to fill. That doesn’t mean they necessarily need to sign four free agents. We know how much Greg Johnson hates to spend on pitching so asking for four free agent pitchers feels like beyond wishful thinking unless we’re talking about guys like Taijuan Walker or David Peterson.

Maybe they sign one or two free agents and then leave the remaining spots up for grabs. Have a competition between the younger arms for those final spots, including Houser and Roupp. They should have to earn their spot just like anyone else and if Blade Tidwell or Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson beats them out then so be it.

No one should feel all that secure after a season like this. Everyone has to feel like they need to earn their spot on the team and that includes Roupp. Maybe telling him he has to earn his spot will light a fire under him and get the best out of him. He probably needs some sort of wake-up call after the way he showed up his manager in his second-to-last start.

Pretty much every spot on the pitching staff should be up for grabs other than Logan Webb’s next year. The way the Giants managed the pitching staff this year was obviously not good enough so maybe instilling some competition into the mix is the best way to bring about some better results. Or they could spend a little more money on the pitching staff, but let’s not hold our breath on that one.

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