Club faces decisions on pitchers now free agents
Four San Francisco Giants pitchers became free agents on Wednesday, joining veteran starter Jeff Samardzija, who was designated for assignment with two days left on his contract with the team.
Trevor Cahill, Kevin Gausman, Drew Smyly and Tony Watson are officially free to have discussions with other clubs, but the Giants will maintain exclusive negotiating rights with each player for the next five days.
Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and general manager Scott Harris also have five days to determine whether to tender any of the freeagent pitchers a qualifying offer, but the front office has had weeks to mull possible decisions and it’s unlikely any of the pitchers receive one.
R i g ht- ha nder K ev i n Gausman would be the leading candidate to receive a qualifying offer from the Giants, but giving Gasuman an opportunity to sign a one-year contract that would potentially pay him upward of $18 million for the 2021 season would be a risky bet for the Giants. If the starter turned it down and signed elsewhere, San Francisco would receive a compensatory selection in the 2021 amateur draft like the ones that came from Madison Bumgarner and Will Smith turning down qualifying offers. But if Gausman accepted, it would reduce the organization’s payroll flexibility and likely limit the resources Zaidi could devote to reshaping the team’s starting rotation.
Zaidi and manager Gabe Kapler have openly discussed the team’s desire to have Gausman and Smyly return to the starting rotation next season, but Zaidi has acknowledged the competition on the free-agent market will dictate whether or not each pitcher appears in a Giants uniform in 2021.
The Giants have prioritized adding another lefthanded bat and a veteran reliever or two to their bullpen this offseason, but the top objective for the front office is clearly rebuilding a starting rotation that was already filled with question marks before Gausman and Smyly became free agents.
Veteran Johnny Cueto and rookie right- hander Logan Webb are the only starters guaranteed to return next season, although it seems like a good bet the Giants will tender arbitration- eligible left- hander Tyler Anderson a contract. The organization is also eager to welcome Tyler Beede back into the starting mix after the former first-round draft pick underwent Tommy John surgery in March.
Beede is progressing well in his throwing program, but the Giants are focused on adding quality depth and creating more competition in their rotation so they aren’t reliant on inexperienced arms and pitchers returning from injury.
The loss of four pitchers to free agency clears spots on the team’s 40-man roster, but the club must add players from the 60- day injured list back to the 40man roster within the next five days. Beede and righthanded reliever Reyes Moronta are essentially assured of being added back, but it’s less likely catcher Aramis Garcia and outfielder Joey Rickard will rejoin the roster in the coming days as they could be released.
In Garcia’s case, the Giants may choose to release him and re-sign him to a minor-league deal, which is what the club did with Rickard last year.
The Giants must also add catcher Buster Posey and right-handed pitcher Jordan Humphreys back from the restricted list within the next five days, so the 40-man roster may fill up quickly. Posey elected to sit out the 2020 season after he and his wife Kristen adopted twin girls while Humphreys was placed on the restricted list for what the team termed “family reasons,” after being acquired in a trade with the New York Mets.
By Nov. 20, the Giants must also add minor league players to the 40-man roster who the team wants to protect from the Dec. 10 Rule 5 draft. Right-handed reliever Camilo Doval, who was a candidate to make his major league debut during the final week of the season, is the most obvious candidate to be added, but there are a handful of other prospects who the Giants may look to create spots for on the roster.