San Francisco Giants looking for pitching depth
The San Francisco Giants are looking around for pitching depth in the wake of their injuries. The New York Mets would seem to be a logical trade partner, although they are reluctant to make a deal.
It has been a rough few days for the San Francisco Giants. Staff ace Madison Bumgarner has suffered a fractured pinky on his throwing hand, and will begin the season on the disabled list. There, he will join Jeff Samardzija, who has a strained pectoral muscle. With two of their top three starters on the shelf for the first few weeks, it is understandable that the Giants would be looking for pitching depth.
If there is any team in the game with a good amount of pitching depth, it would seemingly be the New York Mets. Even with the injuries to Jason Vargas and Rafael Montero, the Mets still have quite a few arms that could slot into the rotation. However, at this point, there is no indication that the Mets are considering such a move.
With #SFGiants losing Bumgarner and Samardzija to injury, would not be surprised if they try to engage #Mets in trade talks for a starting pitcher, but I am told #Mets remain unlikely to make any such move. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) March 24, 2018
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That lack of interest in a trade makes sense for the Mets. Even with their pitching depth, the starting rotation has problems with fragility. Jacob deGrom was the only member of the rotation to make more than 25 starts last season, and he has battled injury issues in the past. Pitchers like Steven Matz and Matt Harvey are major question marks, and Zack Wheeler is slated to start in the minors after pitching himself out of a spot in the rotation.
The Mets may have eight or nine pitchers that could help in a starting capacity, but they may well need that depth. They certainly did last season, when 12 different pitchers started a game for them. As the injury bug has already started to make itself felt in the rotation, that depth has already become important.
Likewise, it is understandable as to why the Giants are looking for help in the rotation. Given their postseason aspirations, the loss of Bumgarner and Samardzija are devastating, even if it is only for a month or so. The Giants now have to rely upon pitchers like Chris Stratton and potentially Derek Holland to survive those first few weeks. An upgrade is certainly needed.
The San Francisco Giants need help in the rotation, and the New York Mets have plenty of depth. However, such a trade does not seem likely, at least for now.