The San Francisco Giants are hanging around in the National League Wild Card race, but a trip to the postseason in 2024 looks unlikely.
To make matters worse, left-hander and reigning NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell is very likely to opt out of his contract, which leaves the Giants with a hole to fill at the top of their starting rotation.
Fortunately, there are options available, and Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently linked them to New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, who is now expected to opt out of his contract.
"After San Francisco game up short on each of Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto is recent winters, could this be when the Giants finally land a big fish on a long-term deal?" Miller wrote. "A big three of Cole, Logan Webb, and Kyle Harrison for the next four-plus seasons would be quite the foundation.
Cole began the 2024 season on the injured list and did not return until June. The 33-year-old has been effective this season but hasn't been a Cy Young-caliber pitcher.
In 12 starts, he is 5-3 with a 3.86 ERA. Still, if he opts out of his deal with the Yankees and the Giants lose Snell, San Francisco could steal him away.
Again, it's likely that Snell opts out, and if he does, the Giants will need a top-level starting pitcher to bolster their rotation. Cole is somebody that has great postseason experience and could help get the Giants back to where they were last decade.
His recent injury history is something to keep an eye on, but when he's right, he can still be one of the most dominant starting pitchers in all of Major League Baseball.
His market will be quite competitive this offseason, but it will be interesting to see if the Giants ultimately pursue him and can find a spot for him.
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