San Francisco Giants Must Rebuild Starting Rotation Before 2015 Season
By John Shea
@real_johnshea
Getty Images
Most of the post-euphoric World Series buzz surrounding the San Francisco Giants involves free agent Pablo Sandoval, who has reportedly been offered five-year deals from both the Giants and Boston Red Sox. But regardless of how crucial the “Kung Fu Panda” is to the Giants’ success — especially in October — Sandoval is not the Giants’ backbone.
The Giants won the 2014 Fall Classic despite flaunting a relatively mediocre starting rotation that just so happened to be headlined by perhaps the best left-handed pitcher in all of baseball. Madison Bumgarner‘s dominance fueled the Giants’ most recent title run, but San Francisco cannot merely rely on once-in-a-lifetime postseason performances if they plan to win a fourth title in six years.
Tim Hudson, a 16-year veteran who currently leads all big league pitchers in wins (214), recently revealed that 2015 will likely be the final season of his distinguished career. Hudson’s eventual departure after next season will dwindle the Giants’ rotation down to Bumgarner and Matt Cain in 2016.
The front end of San Francisco’s starting five serves as a solid foundation for general manager Brian Sabean moving forward, but the rebuilding process needs to begin now. Both Hudson, by his own admission, and Tim Lincecum are unlikely to return after the 2015 season, soon leaving open three rotation spots for Sabean and Co. to fill.
The Giants would ideally like top prospect Kyle Crick to slide into the rotation by Opening Day in 2016, but the club’s brain trust has also said they don’t plan to rush Crick’s development. Even if Crick is ready and able to perform at a big league level after 2015, the Giants would still face the challenge of replacing two starters.
The Giants aren’t expected to break the bank on an out-of-house, front-line starting pitcher at any point within the next few offseasons, considering that an eventual long-term extension to Bumgarner is essentially imminent — given the way the Giants do business — and the possibility of future long-term deals also being handed down to both Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford.
Rather than re-signing both Jake Peavy and Ryan Vogelsong, Sabean needs to consider venturing into the trade front to improve the club’s starting five. Former American League Rookie of the Year Jeremy Hellickson was a solid option before being recently traded from the Tampa Bay Rays to the Arizona Diamondbacks because he remains under club control through the 2017 season. It’s unknown whether the Giants had any interest, but that’s the type of deal they need to explore.
San Francisco’s once vaunted starting rotation is now about one man, and that’s Bumgarner. The Giants were able to cap another magical October run with a title in 2014, but their thinned-out starting five likely won’t net future championships unless something changes in a hurry.
John Shea is an MLB writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @real_johnshea. Like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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