SAN FRANCISCO — Moments after agreeing to terms with Anthony DeSclafani on a three-year, $36 million deal to keep the veteran starter in San Francisco, the Giants’ front office turned its attention to another pitcher who enjoyed a strong season with the club.
According to a report from FanSided’s Robert Murray, left-hander Alex Wood is also close to a deal that would bring him back to a Giants team that’s eager to fill out its starting rotation behind ace Logan Webb. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Wood is nearing a two-year contract that would be worth upward of $10 million per season.
At the end of the 2021 season, Webb was the only member of the Giants’ rotation to remain under contract for next season as DeSclafani, Wood, Kevin Gausman and Johnny Cueto all became free agents.
President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and general manager Scott Harris publicly expressed interest in re-signing several of the team’s high-profile free agents and spoke about the value of roster continuity, and it appears the front office duo is well on its way to keeping its word.
Less than a week after first baseman Brandon Belt accepted a one-year, $18.4 million qualifying offer to stay with the Giants, DeSclafani signed the largest free agent contract Zaidi has handed out during his three-plus-year tenure in San Francisco while the team may soon announce an agreement with Wood.
Wood made 26 starts for the Giants in 2021 and posted a 3.83 ERA while finishing the season with a 3.90 strikeout-to-walk ratio, which represented his best mark since the left-hander was an All-Star with the Dodgers in 2017.
Even with DeSclafani back in the fold and Wood potentially set to re-sign with the Giants, the front office is expected to continue its search for starting pitching depth as the club would like to have a minimum of six-to-seven candidates to pitch out of its rotation heading into spring training.
Prospect Sean Hjelle, who was added to the 40-man roster last week, will be in the mix to start games for the Giants in 2021, but the 2018 second-round draft pick will likely start next season at Triple-A.
Aside from the free agent market, the Giants are expected to pursue additional starting pitchers via trades.
Source: www.mercurynews.com