Alex Cobb will undergo surgery on his left hip labrum tomorrow, the Giants announced to reporters (including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). The surgery will also address the impingement issues that ended his 2023 season midway through September. The right-hander will need approximately six months to return to pitching, to say nothing of his readiness for the major leagues. That puts his earliest return at some point in May 2024.
The 36-year-old was a valuable contributor to the Giants’ rotation before his season came to an early end, making 28 starts with a 3.87 ERA. He pitched especially well in the first half, posting a 2.91 ERA through 16 starts and making the first All-Star Game of his 12-year career. Unfortunately, his performance was rather uneven in the second half; he threw a complete game gem on August 29, but he also failed to escape the fifth inning on three separate occasions. Presumably, the nagging issues in his hip were affecting his stuff down the stretch.
Cobb has a $10MM team option for next season, with a $2MM buyout. Before this latest update, it seemed like a no-brainer the Giants would pick up the option (Pavlovic notes they were indeed planning to do so), and it remains the most likely course of action. If Cobb returns in May and pitches like he has over his first two seasons with San Francisco, a net $8MM will be a small price for the Giants to pay.
Still, with Cobb on the shelf, the Giants’ need for starting pitching only intensifies. Logan Webb will be an anchor atop the rotation next season, but the team is lacking trustworthy options behind its ace. Alex Wood is a free agent. Sean Manaea, who pitched to a 4.44 ERA (but a 4.18 xERA and 3.83 SIERA) in 117 2/3 innings between the rotation and bullpen, can opt out of his contract after the World Series. Meanwhile, Ross Stripling has already said he doesn’t plan to exercise his opt-out clause, but that’s only because he pitched too poorly in 2023 to command a better deal on the open market. In 22 games (11 starts), the veteran righty posted a 5.36 ERA, a 5.58 xERA, and a 4.13 SIERA.
Anthony DeSclafani, 33, is under contract through next season. He made 19 appearances (18 starts) in 2023, pitching to a 4.88 ERA, a 5.16 xERA, and a 4.37 SIERA. On top of his mediocre results, he spent most of the second half on the injured list with a flexor strain, marking his second straight injury-plagued campaign. Barring a setback, he should be ready for spring training next year, but he hardly seems like a reliable option for a mid-rotation role.
The Giants also have some promising young arms, but none have proven themselves ready to play a major role in the big league rotation. Top prospect Kyle Harrison made his MLB debut in August, joining the starting staff for the final six weeks of the season. His 4.15 ERA was impressive for a 22-year-old rookie, but his 4.45 SIERA and 4.48 xERA suggest he still has plenty of room for improvement. Meanwhile, 25-year-old Keaton Winn struggled his way through five starts in his rookie season, posting a 6.04 ERA in 25 1/3 innings pitched. Tristan Beck could get a shot in the rotation, too, although he had success pitching out of the bullpen in 2023. Finally, prospects like Carson Whisenhunt, Landen Roupp, and Mason Black have yet to make their big league debuts.
Thus, the Giants should be active on the starting pitching market this winter. They have signed numerous starters to eight-figure deals over the past two offseasons, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they look to add multiple starters once again.
Alex Cobb is a right-handed pitcher. Third sentence, first paragraph says he’s a lefty.
Perhaps he plans to return as a lefty.
Maybe the writer looked at the picture and saw the ball on the left side of the picture and came up with left-handed. Either that or proofreading and editing are over-rated.
Oprah with the hip surgeries…
Real SF hipster
Yamamoto would be a huge signing. Sort of surprising he wasn’t mentioned
Ohtani won’t pitch til ‘25; that’s why he isn’t mentioned.
Ah yes, Yamamoto Ohtani.
He was “mentioned”. The old non-specific specific—
Thus, the Giants should be active on the starting pitching market this winter. They have signed numerous starters to eight-figure deals over the past two offseasons, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they look to add multiple starters once again.
That’s EXTREMELY vague though.
Yeah
They maybe kinda don’t have enough pitchers so they’re probably sort of looking to acquire some of those you know other pitchers.
I hope the Giants do not pick up his option. Pitchers in their mid-30s do not bounce back as fast as younger players. Time to move on. Back when Farhan was hired everyone was saying that the Giants would be competing by 2023. Now it is 2025. Do I hear 2027? The timeline just keeps getting extended. Time to take a risk and make some gutsy moves. Rangers and D’Backs are proving what happens when you take a risk. BTW, D’Backs had no problem eating MadBum’s contract. They got rid of an ineffective pitcher, replaced him and ended up in the World Series. Time for Giants to admit that some of their signings need to go.
True Giants Fan, Rangers and D’backs huh? Texas, while signing a bunch of expensive FAs, which didn’t work very well for SD, still has a solid home-grown core. They have only 3 winning records over the last 10 years, and finished last in their division 4 times.
AZ is almost all home-grown. But over the last 10 years they’ve also had just 3 winning seasons, finished last in their division 3 times, and lost 110 games 2 years ago,
Over those 10 years the D’backs averaged a 14th overall pick in the draft, and the Rangers a 10th overall pick. The D’backs also had 6 supplemental picks over those 10 years. Giants’ have averaged a 24th overall pick.
You can debate whether the Giants should have tanked to improve their draft position, and build a better home-grown core. Not sure fans would be happy with last place finishes, and 100+ games lost seasons. But regardless, the Giants aren’t comparable to the Rangers and D’backs.
In 2017, general consensus around Baltimore was to start trading away existing talent. That cool 5yr run of winning was over with. One issue. The owner, Peter Angelos, old and in failing health didn’t have time on his side to preside over a rebuild. So he pretty much kept the roster intact for 2018 PLUS signed Cobb to a free agent deal. DISASTER.
Alex had an injury riddled 2 plus years here with very little to show for it including a significant HIP injury. And to add insult to injury, the Angels got the far better end of the trade. (Jahmai Jones for Cobb plus millions of Cobbs contract absorbed by the Birds). Brutal
2nd hip injury, 36 yrs old … oof
There is no doubt in my mind SF SHOULD NOT pick up his option. Way to risky but they will!
I dunno. An $8M gamble on a pretty good pitcher seems reasonable for a Giants team that is going nowhere with Webb and Harrison as the only sure pieces.
Just because he comes cheap is no reason to keep him. This is his 2nd hip surgery and he is no spring chicken.
There are other reasons besides him being cheap. He’s been very good when healthy, and if the surgery was a success he should continue to be a decent mid-rotation arm. It’s a gamble, but so is every single FA signing. Since he is cheap, it’s a gamble worth taking. They could sign any of Yamamoto, Nola, Imanaga, or Montgomery, etc. and still pick up Cobb’s option.
You make some good points but still have not convinced me to pick up the option. Team needs to get younger and in my opinion the negatives out way the positives.
Nah. Pick it up. He is owed it. Outperformed his contract by plenty.
Well with this news the Giants better be in on all the top pitching free agents. Let’s go get Snell & Yamamoto. Won’t get my hopes up cuz then we’ll end up with Ty Blach.
At this point I think it’s imperative that the Giants sign Yamamaoto, even over Snell or Nola. They must have another ace to go with Webb. And I still believe Harrison is eventually going to be a #1 or #2.
So with Yamamoto in the rotation the Giants can see if Winn, Beck, Whisenhunt or Black can claim a spot.
I also see that if the Giants get Yamamoto they may be able to deal one of their young arms for a young position player. Orioles and Giants might make good trade partners.
I agree, but all Zaidi can do is make as good an offer as he can. Yamamoto may have preferences that don’t align with the Giants. I’m hoping the Giants can land him, but there will be strong competition for his services.
I have a gut feeling if Padres don’t resign Snell he’ll end up with Giants. I also think Manea opts to stay with the Giants. I would be ecstatic with Snell and glad to see Manea back. I think the Melvin signing will go a long way in Manea deciding to stay. I think he and some of the “regular” offense/defense platoon players really were unhappy with Kapler jacking them around. We shall see though.
The Giants can easily afford Cobb’s option, and as the article says it’s a no-brainer. I don’t expect him to be that effective when he’s cleared to pitch, but should provide some value towards the end of the season. But, I think having a veteran like Cobb on the roster with young pitchers like Harrison, et al, is an unseen benefit. It’s possible his presence can be credited for at least some of Logan Webb’s success, since those two are close.
Well said. Cobb turned out to be a pretty good teammate and once he’s healthy I think he can deliver some nice innings/games and be a soundboard for the rest of the staff. Sharing from his experiences over his career will help the younger pitchers. He seems like a really good dude.
Don’t know how many have seen Cobb’s first base pickoff move but I threw a hip out every time he threw over to first. He has a great pickoff move but the hip has to be jarred a lot. People that have seen it will know what I’m talking about.
“Too” should never have a comma before it. That’s an archaic rule.