The San Francisco Giants came into the offseason with just one starting pitcher under contract, Logan Webb. On Monday afternoon, that changed as the club signed Anthony DeSclafani to a three-year deal for $36 million, and Alex Wood to a two-year $20 million contract.
DeSclafani is coming off a career-best season, where he finished 13-7 with a 3.17 ERA and 152 strikeouts. He also notched two shutouts, which tied for the National League lead. DeSclafani signed with the Giants last season for one year, $6 million, and was seen as a bottom-of-the-line starter. Instead, he more than exceeded expectations. The Giants were 21-10 in games that DeSclafani started.
“Obviously, he had a really nice year for us. Beyond his individual stats, we were 21-10 in games that he started, so the team had a lot of success when he took the ball, which is of the ultimate importance” said Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi.
Before his time with the Giants, DeSclafani spent five seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and the Miami Marlins. In seven years, DeSclafani has a record 156 and 145 with a 4.06 ERA.
Wood pitched well for the Giants, going 10-4 with a 3.83 ERA. He was signed for $3 million last offseason meaning he’ll be getting a significant raise moving forward. The left-hander pitched 138 2/3 innings across 26 starts, taking on his heaviest workload since 2018. Wood pitched admirably this past season but did miss time due to injury, something not altogether unfamiliar to him throughout his career.
Wood is capable of posting All-Star caliber numbers, earning an All-Star game nod with the Dodgers in 2017, while his 152 1/3 innings of 2.72 ERA garnered some Cy Young votes as well. If Wood can remain healthy, he will be a quality pitcher for the Giants.
San Francisco’s number 1 offseason priority was starting pitching and they brought back two arms that pitched well for them last year. But there remain some questions around their rotation. DeSclanfani pitched well, but $12 million a year for a pitcher that can’t beat the Los Angeles Dodgers could be a problem next year.
The right-hander was 0-3 against the Dodgers with a 7.33 ERA. DeSclafani gave up 22 runs in 27 innings pitched, and his struggles continued in the playoffs against Los Angeles. Next season he needs to step up his game against the division rivals.
Wood, on the other hand, must remain healthy; when healthy, he posts good numbers. With a current rotation of Webb, DeSclafani, and Wood the Giants have two more open spots in the rotation and money to spend. San Francisco could make some noise with a top-of-the-line starter. Max Scherzer, Robbie Ray, Kevin Gausman, and Marcus Stroman are all available but will command big paydays. San Francisco is also rumored to be interested in starting pitcher Alex Cobb.
Whatever direction they choose to go in, the Giants still have some work to do to fill out their starting 5.
-LaMarr Fields
Twitter: @raiderway83