SF Giants may have lucked out by not landing offseason free agent pitcher

The SF Giants did not land a big free agent pitcher this offseason, but that may actually be a good thing. Corbin Burnes, one of the top pitchers on the market, signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks and is now going to undergo Tommy John surgery.

Burnes left his most recent start when his right elbow flared up and it only took a few days for doctors to determine that surgery would be necessary which means he is done for the rest of the season and will likely have to miss part of next season as well. In 11 starts on the year, Burnes had a 3-2 record and a 2.66 ERA in 64 and 1/3 innings pitched.

SF Giants may have lucked out by not signing Corbin Burnes

This is an absolute gut punch for Arizona after they signed him to a six-year, $210 million contract in the offseason. The Giants were rumored to have interest in Burnes, but it seems like their interest was lukewarm at best which was confirmed by Burnes who said San Francisco was not aggressive in pursuing him.

There was hope among some Giants fans that after the team signed shortstop Willy Adames to the largest contract in franchise history, they would follow that up by making a huge addition to their rotation with Burnes, a Bakersfield native with ties to the Bay Area.

Yet, president of baseball operations Buster Posey talked repeatedly this offseason about the trust he had in the crop of young starters in the organization. As a result, the Giants decided to sign veteran Justin Verlander to a much less costly one-year deal to serve as a mentor to those younger arms while simultaneously padding out the rotation.

Now, in light of Burnes' surgery, that decision by Posey and the front office to not aggressively pursue Burnes looks very prudent. With how good Landen Roupp, Hayden Birdsong, and Kyle Harrison have looked this season, it is not hard to get excited about a rotation next season where those three follow Logan Webb and Robbie Ray.

Burnes undergoing Tommy John surgery does not mean his career is toast by any means. The Giants are currently seeing Ray have a phenomenal year a few years removed from Tommy John surgery. However, it does make that large contract Arizona gave him a little more difficult to stomach.

Many Giants fans were frustrated when San Francisco did not sign Burnes while he went to a division rival, but now it seems like the Giants may have actually dodged a major bullet.