San Francisco Giants doing homework on David Price

The San Francisco Giants are reportedly among the teams “going through background preparation” on free agent starter David Price, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney. The Giants have long been projected to be in the mix for top starters this winter, and Price seems to be a logical starting point.

Price headlines a crop of free agent pitchers that also includes Zack Greinke, Johnny Cueto, Jordan Zimmermann and others. With Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain struggling in recent years, the notorious Giants pitching staff has taken a step back from what it once was, and pairing Price at the top with Madison Bumgarner would go a long way towards reestablishing San Francisco as one of the top pitching teams in the National League.

While his postseason numbers are less impressive, Price’s regular season performance speaks for itself. In 32 starts between Detroit and Toronto in 2015, the left-hander went 18-5 with an American League-leading 2.45 ERA in 220.1 innings. Price also posted an outstanding 1.076 WHIP, a 9.2 K/9 rate, and a sub-2.00 BB/9 rate for the fifth straight season, and is considered a strong candidate for the American League Cy Young Award.

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With some turnover expected in Los Angeles with the potential departures of Greinke, Howie Kendrick, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins, this offseason presents a prime opportunity for the Giants to reassert themselves as the top club in the National League West. Whether that’s through signing Price, stealing away Greinke or via other moves, it appears Brian Sabean and his team are gearing up to make this offseason an eventful one in San Francisco.