Where Giants’ rotation stands with Verlander

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If the Giants intend on making a playoff push this year, they’ll need to get more production out of their starting rotation, which covered the fewest innings in the National League in 2024.

San Francisco’s pitching staff took a hit after losing Blake Snell to the rival Dodgers, though it should receive a boost from the arrival of another former Cy Young winner, Justin Verlander, who reportedly agreed to a one-year, $15 million deal on Tuesday.

Here’s a look at how the rotation is shaping up heading into Spring Training:

The projected starting five

RHP Logan Webb: The Giants’ homegrown ace has been a paragon of durability over the last three seasons and recorded a 3.41 ERA over an NL-high 204 2/3 innings last year. Still, the 28-year-old right-hander wasn’t entirely satisfied with his performance and added a new cutter to his repertoire late in the season, which could help him take another step forward in 2025.

LHP Robbie Ray: Ray experienced some ups and downs after returning from Tommy John surgery last summer, but he’s a former Cy Young Award winner who logged a 3.71 ERA over 189 innings in his last full season for the Mariners in 2022. The Giants viewed Ray as the ideal complement to Webb when they traded for him last offseason, so they’ll be counting on him to deliver consistent results in his second season in San Francisco.

RHP Justin Verlander: The future Hall of Famer will be 42 on Opening Day and is coming off the worst season of his career, but the Giants believe he still has something left in the tank. Verlander posted a 5.48 ERA over 17 starts for the Astros last year and struggled with shoulder and neck injuries, but he’s only two seasons removed from winning his third Cy Young Award and could help mentor San Francisco’s promising crop of young starters.

RHP Jordan Hicks: Hicks ran out of gas after transitioning from the bullpen to the rotation last year, but the Giants expect to give him another chance to start in 2025. The 28-year-old said he planned to focus on strengthening his lower half to avoid fading down the stretch, but he could be a candidate to move back to the bullpen if the starting workload begins to take a toll again.

LHP Kyle Harrison: The 23-year-old Harrison enjoyed a quick rise through the Minors thanks to his dominant fastball, but he showed a concerning dip in velocity last year and ended the season with a 4.56 ERA over 24 starts. Harrison will likely have to find a way to regain his upper-90s velocity to truly hit his ceiling, but he still has the potential to develop into a valuable rotation piece for the Giants.

The next layer of depth

RHP Hayden Birdsong: The Giants’ breakout pitching prospect of 2024, Birdsong posted a 4.75 ERA with 88 strikeouts over 72 innings after making his Major League debut in June. The 23-year-old has electric stuff -- as evidenced by his 12-strikeout game at Coors Field -- but he’ll need to focus on filling up the strike zone to ensure he can pitch deep into games more consistently.

RHP Tristan Beck: Beck missed most of the 2024 campaign after undergoing surgery to repair an aneurysm in his upper right arm, but he returned to action in September and logged a 1.69 ERA over seven appearances. The 28-year-old Stanford alum has primarily pitched out of the bullpen in the Majors, but he came up as a starter and could serve as a potential swingman this year.

RHP Landen Roupp: Roupp wasn’t expected to see much action last spring, but he turned heads with his signature fastball-curveball combination and ended up snagging a spot in the Giants’ Opening Day bullpen. He was sent down to Triple-A Sacramento after recording a 6.06 ERA over his first 11 career appearances, but he looked like a different guy when he returned to the Majors in August, posting a 2.38 ERA over his final 12 outings.

RHP Keaton Winn: Winn struggled to a 7.16 ERA over 12 starts before undergoing season-ending right elbow surgery in July. He still mixes an upper 90s fastball with a wipeout splitter, which should make him tough on hitters if he can stay healthy.

Prospect to know

LHP Carson Whisenhunt: Whisenhunt is ranked the Giants’ No. 3 prospect and possesses one of the best changeups in the game, though he saw a few other young hurlers surpass him on the organizational depth chart after recording a 5.17 ERA over 27 starts for Triple-A Sacramento in 2024. Still, the 24-year-old southpaw should benefit from getting out of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League and seems like a solid bet to debut with the Giants at some point this year.

Other pitching prospects to keep an eye on include Mason Black (No. 8), Trevor McDonald (No. 12), Carson Seymour (No. 23) and Carson Ragsdale.