Rotation coming together for Giants

Deals reportedly near for Wood, ex-Angel Cobb

One by one, players who would look good in a 2022 Giants uniform have committed elsewhere, and that includes their former ace, Kevin Gausman, who will pitch at the front of the Blue Jays’ rotation next season.

Max Scherzer will be a Met, Robbie Ray a Mariner.

All are getting nine-digit contracts. As in, more than $100 million per pitcher. The Giants so far are giving out nothing close to that and are a far cry from the Mets, Rangers and other teams indulging a wild spending frenzy on the eve of a possible lockout on Wednesday.

If the Giants want to add a big-name starting pitcher or right-handed power bat before the industry shuts down, they’re on the clock. The current collective bargaining agreement expires at 8:59 p.m. PST Wednesday, after which the owners could lock out the players and put a halt to all free-agent and trade activity.

It’s why so many teams are rushing to get their rosters in order, racing to beat the clock before their business is put on hold for an unspecified amount of time.

After entering the offseason with four open rotation spots, the Giants have re-signed Anthony DeSclafani for three years and $36 million and closed in on deals for Alex Wood, a Giant in 2021, and former Angel Alex Cobb, which would leave room for one more frontline starter.

Wood, who turns 31 in January, was 10-4 with a 3.83 ERA for the Giants in 26 starts while averaging 9.9 strikeouts and just 2.5 walks per nine innings. After signing for $3 million, Wood opened the season on the injured list following minor back surgery and missed three weeks down the stretch

after testing positive for the coronavirus. He returned Sept. 18 and gave up two runs in 13 innings over his final three regular-season starts and pitched 42⁄3 scoreless innings in his Division Series start.

Cobb, 34, was 8-3 with a 3.76 ERA in 18 starts for the Angels. He was limited in the second half with a right wrist injury, but the Giants like what they saw in his 931⁄3 innings, including his average of 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings. The Chronicle’s Susan Slusser and Matt Kawahara reported last week the Giants were making a strong push for Cobb, and ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted Monday the deal could be for two years between $18 million and $22 million with an option.

Will that be enough to offset the loss of Gausman? The right-hander turned his career around in San Francisco and was the Giants’ best starter in 2020 and much of 2021, at least until Logan Webb became the rotation kingpin down the stretch. Gausman was an All-Star for the first time in 2021 and finished sixth in Cy Young Award voting. He’s now an ex-Giant, crossing the border to pitch in Toronto for five years and $110 million.

The Giants’ brass hope to continue to get production from DeSclafani and Wood and keep an effective Cobb on the field (he has made just 31 starts the past three years). Their model worked well enough in 2021 to win 107 games, but it was a significant boost that Gausman was available every fifth day to pitch into the late innings.

Will the Giants spend big for their final rotation piece? A few big-name starters remain available, including Marcus Stroman, Carlos Rodón and, egad, Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw suiting up as a Giant would be as odd as Juan Marichal, Brett Butler, Jeff Kent or Brian Wilson suiting up as Dodgers. Oh, wait — all that happened, didn’t it?

Meantime, other elite starters continue to come off the board. Scherzer, 37, a threetime Cy Young Award winner who finished the season as a Dodger, is getting $130 million over three years from the Mets, whose owner, Steve Cohen, is eager to buy himself into the postseason.

The $43 million is the largest average annual value for a contract in MLB history. The Giants, who have plenty of financial resources, especially with Buster Posey off the books, had serious interest in Scherzer dating to the trade deadline. If they couldn’t sign him, they at least can be comforted he’s not returning to the Dodgers.

Ray, a lefty coming off a Cy Young season in Toronto, is signing with Seattle for five years and $115 million, according to an ESPN report. Ray received a qualifying offer, meaning the Mariners will lose a draft pick.

Also cross off Justin Verlander ($25 million, Astros), whose showcase the Giants attended, and Noah Syndergaard ($21 million, Angels), each receiving lucrative oneyear deals even though they’re coming off Tommy John surgeries.

Scratch as well any ideas of signing Eduardo Rodriguez (five years, $77 million, Tigers), Jon Gray (four years, $56 million, Rangers), Steven Matz (four years, $44 million, Cardinals) or Corey Kluber (one year, $8 million, Rays).

Farhan Zaidi, Scott Harris & Co. always are on the prowl for the next Gausman or next DeSclafani or next Wood or even the next Drew Smyly, all of whom joined the Giants on one-year deals, developed under their pitching coaches and improved their free-agent value with bounce-back years.

There’s a laundry list of lower-tier options, including Zack Greinke, who’s familiar with the National League West and would come relatively inexpensively. Alphabetically, here’s more of a sampling: Brett Anderson, Dylan Bundy, Danny Duffy, Zach Davies, Rich Hill, Yusei Kikuchi and Michael Pineda.

The trade market is another option for the Giants, who needn’t look further than across the Bay, where the A’s have three prominent starters available: Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea and Chris Bassitt.

Like the A’s, the Reds are expected to slash payroll and also have starters to dangle, including former Giants prospect Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray and Tyler Mahle.

The Giants also are in the market for right-handed pop. Marcus Semien, who has plenty of Bay Area roots and would have fit in nicely as Brandon Crawford’s doubleplay partner at second base, is heading to the Rangers for seven years and $175 million — which seems to pale in comparison to the Rangers’ latest addition, shortstop Corey Seager, who’s getting $325 million over 10 years, according to ESPN.

Speaking of right-handed pop, two former A’s outfielders are Mets-bound: Starling Marte (four years, $78 million) and Mark Canha (two years, $26.5 million).