Giants GM says team is looking for starting pitchers, more offense

Share

The Giants have yet to make a splash this offseason, however, that doesn't mean they have been quiet. General manager Scott Harris is making it clear San Francisco still is looking to upgrade its roster. 

"Farhan [Zaidi] and I are just trying to acquire talent via any acquisition method possible," Harris recently said on MLB Network Radio. "I think so far this winter you've seen us pull off the Will Wilson trade, we've also been very active in minor league free agency and Rule 5 Draft." 

While stars like Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg and Anthony Rendon signed lucrative long-term deals at the Winter Meetings, the Giants were busy adding to their roster in the short term and looking at the future.

San Francisco signed starting pitcher Kevin Gausman to a one-year, $9 million contract on Dec. 10. That same day, the Giants acquired infielder Zack Cozart from the Los Angeles Angels. In reality, the move was a salary dump in order to include Will Wilson, the No. 15 pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. 

Cozart was designated for assignment Monday to make room for pitcher Jake Jewell. Harris did mention that he hopes to still get Cozart in a Giants jersey, though. 

"He was a guy that we've been targeting for a few months now," Harris said regarding Jewell, who had a 6.84 ERA for the Angels in 26 1/3 innings last season. "We think he's an interesting change-of-scenery guy if we can get him out of LA, bring him to San Francisco and put him in our pitching structure." 

Moves like Jewell and Gausman won't wow fans by any means. Perhaps a bigger move is on the way. 

"We're focusing on trying to upgrade our roster in a variety of different ways right now," Harris said. "We're actively trying to add another starter to our rotation, as well as find a way to bolster our offense, both in the infield and in the outfield." 

[RELATED: Giants projected to see win total drop by six games in 2020]

Aside from Gausman, the Giants also have Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija, Logan Webb, Tyler Beede and multiple other options they could use in their rotation. They also signed Drew Smyly on Thursday. Farhan Zaidi always has preferred rotation depth and clearly wants more on the Giants. 

The offense is where it gets interesting. The Giants have been linked to slugger Nicholas Castellanos, but those rumors have gone quiet in recent weeks.

Are there louder talks behind closed doors? We soon might find out. 

Contact Us