[Giants]

RHP Sam Delaplane, LHP Joe Palumbo and RF Luis Gonzalez elected free agency.  RHP John Brebbia, LHP Jarlin Garcia and Austin Slater agreed to 1-year contracts. Contracts tendered to Yastrzemski, Ruf, Casali and Leone. Wood, Cobb, DeSclafani, Webb & maybe Brebbia fill out the rotation.

Brebbia is not a starter. Zaidi will pick up a least one more. Probably through a trade.  Or maybe waiver wire pick ups.  Hjelle Beede and Long willl also have opportunities.  For Beede probably his last chance.  Harrison a couple years away.  Would Giants trade him for Montas, Bassit or Manea?

I would expect at least a couple more pitchers will be added to the roster. I hesitate to use the word “starters” after reading that Zaidi is looking for enough pitching to get through a 162 game season (in 2021, SF used eight different starters, excl. openers).  His focus is on bulk as we inexorably move towards “rotations” of 7-8 guys.  

I think of it as MLB becoming more the NBA.  In the days of yore, the starting five would play 40+ minutes each, with some playing all 48.  Now, the top players are on the floor for 38 minutes, give or take. Instead of a starting five, you have 8-9 guys who rotate throughout the game.  

In baseball today, for the most part, the starters are going 6-7 innings.  The notion of a complete game is fading into past. The next step will be a lengthening of the starting five to a rotation of 6-7 guys.  While it may sound crazy, I think Zaidi’s signings this fall have demonstrated his desire to lead this movement. I look for SF to have a small army of interchangeable pitchers whose responsibilities can be altered quickly to meet the needs of the moment. 

Why spend $130 million on one guy when you can spend a lot less on a handful of guys who can get the job done equally as effectively and more frequently…..

[Giants]

RHP Sam Delaplane, LHP Joe Palumbo and RF Luis Gonzalez elected free agency.  RHP John Brebbia, LHP Jarlin Garcia and Austin Slater agreed to 1-year contracts. Contracts tendered to Yastrzemski, Ruf, Casali and Leone. Wood, Cobb, DeSclafani, Webb & maybe Brebbia fill out the rotation.

Brebbia is not a starter. Zaidi will pick up a least one more. Probably through a trade.  Or maybe waiver wire pick ups.  Hjelle Beede and Long willl also have opportunities.  For Beede probably his last chance.  Harrison a couple years away.  Would Giants trade him for Montas, Bassit or Manea?

I would expect at least a couple more pitchers will be added to the roster. I hesitate to use the word “starters” after reading that Zaidi is looking for enough pitching to get through a 162 game season (in 2021, SF used eight different starters, excl. openers).  His focus is on bulk as we inexorably move towards “rotations” of 7-8 guys.  

I think of it as MLB becoming more the NBA.  In the days of yore, the starting five would play 40+ minutes each, with some playing all 48.  Now, the top players are on the floor for 38 minutes, give or take. Instead of a starting five, you have 8-9 guys who rotate throughout the game.  

In baseball today, for the most part, the starters are going 6-7 innings.  The notion of a complete game is fading into past. The next step will be a lengthening of the starting five to a rotation of 6-7 guys.  While it may sound crazy, I think Zaidi’s signings this fall have demonstrated his desire to lead this movement. I look for SF to have a small army of interchangeable pitchers whose responsibilities can be altered quickly to meet the needs of the moment. 

Why spend $130 million on one guy when you can spend a lot less on a handful of guys who can get the job done equally as effectively and more frequently…..