Former Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles Stud Pitcher Could Hit Open Market This Offseason Because of Serious Injury

Former Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Angels and Baltimore Orioles pitcher and current San Francisco Giants pitcher Alex Cobb is undergoing hip surgery on Tuesday which will keep him out about six months. It could also impact his contract status and his future employer.

Former Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Angels - and current San Francisco Giants pitcher - Alex Cobb is set to undergo a surgical procedure on Tuesday which will impact him in several ways in 2024.

Per Janie McCauley of AP Sports on social media:

Giants: RHP Alex Cobb will undergo left hip surgery tomorrow in Vail, Colorado, performed by Dr. Marc Philippon and will be back to pitching in about 6 months. Cobb spent a month trying to rehab his labrum and impingement issues and had a follow-up with Philippon = surgery best.

Giants: RHP Alex Cobb will undergo left hip surgery tomorrow in Vail, Colorado, performed by Dr. Marc Philippon and will be back to pitching in about 6 months. Cobb spent a month trying to rehab his labrum and impingement issues and had a follow-up with Philippon = surgery best.

— Janie McCauley (@JanieMcCAP) October 31, 2023

So there's a few things at play here:

1) This is a disappointing development for the Giants. Cobb was the team's Opening Day pitcher in 2023 and made his first ever All-Star team. He finished the year at 7-7 with a 3.87 ERA, tossing 151.1 innings. As new manager Bob Melvin looks to reshape the roster and compete in 2024, not having access to Cobb for at least the first month of the season is not a great start.

2) It could also impact Cobb financially. The Giants have a club option on him for $10 million. Given the nature of the injury, they could decline the option. This would mean Cobb would only get the $2 million buyout and would lose out on $8 million. The Giants could attempt to re-sign him at a lower number, but he'd still lose several million dollars. 

He also could end up back on the free agent market and could be a fit for two of his former teams if that happens. The Rays could use pitching help given the serious injuries to Drew Rasmussen, Jeffrey Springs and Shane McClanahan. The O's, who were bounced in the ALDS, could use more pitching depth as well.

Lifetime, Cobb is 77-75 over 12 years with the Rays, Orioles, Angels and Giants. He pitched six years for Tampa Bay, three for Baltimore, one for the Angels and has spent two in San Francisco.

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