Recently, I suggested a savvy option for the Giants to upgrade their starting rotation. Thankfully, they went in a different direction and landed the reigning National League Cy Young award winner Blake Snell. In fairness to my position, at the time of my writing, I still thought Snell would be a good signing. Here’s how I ended that post:
I would certainly be happy with the Giants signing either Snell or Montgomery–heck, go for both–but I also understand the constraints. The bottom line is that the Giants need a starter, and Michael Lorenzen would be a good fit to fill that need.
– Me (two weeks ago)
But I was also well aware that the Giants have had their struggles landing the big name free agents lately. Last winter included the major disappointments of Aaron Judge resigning with the Yankees and the mega deal for Carlos Correa disintegrating overnight. This winter appeared to be going the same direction with both Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto agreeing to deals with the rival Dodgers (although, with Yamamoto getting shelled in his debut and the gambling drama surrounding Ohtani, neither seem like huge losses for the moment).
Even as the Giants and Snell remained a speculative pairing, the prospect became dimmer as the offseason wore on. The Giants had quietly made some moves on both sides of the ball and appeared to have assembled a rotation the team was comfortable rolling with to start the season. Or at the very least, they were comfortable selling it to the fan base–Snell is completely absent from a “Building the Giants Pitching Rotation” propaganda video that was released two days after he officially donned the orange and black.
All but a few sands in the Spring Training hour glass had fallen and other teams were also still in the mix. Until they weren’t. And Blake Snell was a Giant!
Even if Snell isn’t quite ready for Opening Day, his addition is a huge boost to a rotation that, in my opinion, was sporting more question marks than answers. According to MLB.com, having Snell in the fold merits ranking the Giants at number five in its rotations rankings–I think they should be higher.
Just a short time ago, the projected rotation looked much different. One projection penciled in the five spots this way:
- Logan Webb
- Ross Stripling
- Kyle Harrison
- Tristan Beck
- Keaton Winn
Between injuries and roster moves, including the Blake Snell addition, it’ll be a much different look (at least on paper, the placements might be off to start the season while guys get settled in).
- Logan Webb
- Blake Snell
- Jordan Hicks
- Kyle Harrison
- Keaton Winn
Things will look even different when/if everyone comes back healthy and the pitching staff is at full strength. Alex Cobb is reportedly ahead of schedule and Robbie Ray is still expected back in the second half. Having an All Star and Cy Young winner waiting in the wings gives the Giants an even more formidable rotation and plenty of depth.
I am always optimistic heading into a new baseball season, but I’m especially excited thanks to the pitching and defensive moves the front office made. The old adage, defense wins championships, is true. Pithing and defense were at the core of the 2010, 2012, and 2014 World Series Championships. That should be the model. Especially with the Giants playing half of their games at Oracle Park. Between the pitching upgrades and a left side of the infield sporting multiple Gold Gloves, the Giants could be on their way to competing for another Fall Classic.
Trevor Carlsen 