Which of these Giants will join the rotation?

Which of these Giants will join the rotation?

March 5th, 2020

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Giants’ starting rotation is largely set, with veterans , , and expected to account for four of the five available spots. entered Spring Training as the presumptive favorite to round out the staff, but the Giants were dealt a significant blow on Wednesday after an MRI exam revealed a sprained UCL and flexor tendon in the 26-year-old’s right elbow.

News of Beede’s injury will intensify the competition for the fifth rotation spot, creating another intriguing position battle to watch over the final three weeks of Spring Training. Here’s a look at seven candidates who will be in the mix to fill the void this spring:

On the 40-man roster
 
Ranked the club’s No. 12 prospect by MLB Pipeline, Webb recorded a 5.22 ERA over eight starts in his first look with the Giants last year. The 23-year-old spent the offseason training at the team facilities in Arizona and worked with coordinator of pitching sciences Matt Daniels and director of pitching Brian Bannister to tweak his repertoire, adding more sweep to his slider and learning to throw a cutter. Webb has the highest ceiling of the remaining candidates for the fifth rotation spot, but he is expected to be on an innings limit in 2020, so the Giants could opt to start him at Triple-A Sacramento to better monitor his workload at the beginning of the season.

 
Suárez broke into the Majors in 2018 and became a key contributor in the Giants’ rotation, logging a 4.49 ERA over 160 1/3 innings, but he took a step back last season, recording a 5.79 ERA while primarily pitching out of the bullpen. The 27-year-old left-hander has now ditched his two-seamer in favor of a four-seamer, an adjustment he hopes will make him more effective against right-handed batters this year. Suárez has quietly enjoyed a strong start to the spring, yielding two runs over 6 2/3 innings (2.70 ERA) and striking out nine over three Cactus League appearances.

 
Rodríguez was a revelation for the Giants in 2018, posting a 2.81 ERA over 118 1/3 innings in a breakout rookie campaign. The 27-year-old made the club’s Opening Day rotation last year, but he struggled to sustain his success, logging a 5.64 ERA over 99 innings while shuttling between Triple-A Sacramento and the Majors. Rodríguez spent the offseason in Puerto Rico working with his pitching guru to refine his mechanics, which he hopes will help him restore some velocity this spring. He averaged 90.7 mph on his fastball last season, down from 91.6 mph in 2018.


Anderson, 25, made 16 starts for the Giants last year, but he landed on the injured list with a blister on his right hand in August and was moved to the bullpen after returning to the Majors. Overall, he posted a 5.44 ERA over 96 innings as a rookie. The Giants are still in the process of deciding whether Anderson’s stuff plays best out of the rotation or the bullpen. He has been hit hard in his first two relief outings this spring, yielding nine runs over 2 2/3 innings, but he is scheduled to make his first Cactus League start on Saturday against the White Sox at Scottsdale Stadium.

The non-roster invitees
 
Cahill, 32, signed a one-year, $9 million deal with the Angels last year, but he logged a 6.92 ERA over his first 11 starts and spent the final four months of the season pitching out of the bullpen under former A’s teammate and new Giants pitching coach Andrew Bailey. Still, Cahill is only two years removed from a resurgent campaign with the A’s in 2018, when he recorded a 3.76 ERA over 110 innings in 21 appearances (20 starts).

 
Another former A’s pitcher, Ross was limited to only seven starts with the Tigers last year after developing ulnar neuritis in his right elbow and posted a 6.11 ERA over 35 1/3 innings. A Bay Area native and Cal product, Ross enjoyed a stellar stretch with the Cardinals in 2018, when he logged a 2.73 ERA over 26 1/3 innings, primarily in relief. Like Cahill, Ross has history with president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, who began his front-office career with Oakland.

 
The Giants claimed the 26-year-old Oaks off waivers from the Royals, though he was outrighted off the 40-man roster to clear a spot for left-hander Drew Smyly in January. A seventh-round MLB Draft pick of the Dodgers in 2014, Oaks has familiarity with both Zaidi and manager Gabe Kapler, who previously served as the Dodgers’ farm director. Oaks was dealt to the Royals in the Scott Alexander trade and reached the Majors in 2018, though he missed all of last season while recovering from hip surgery.