SF Giants exec hints trade market for top starting pitchers has cooled

The SF Giants want to add a top starting pitcher, but Farhan Zaidi hinted to reporters that no top pitchers are close to being traded.

The SF Giants are clearly prioritizing adding another top starting pitcher to pair with Logan Webb atop the team's rotation this offseason. Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi acknowledged earlier this week that the team sees "several avenues" to adding a starter during a conversation with reporters following center fielder Jung-Hoo Lee's introductory press conference. However, when asked about potentially landing a top starter via trade, Zaidi's answer seemed to illuminate the current state of the trade market.

White Sox ace Dylan Cease pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. (2023) / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

“It is, but we’re not sort of close or really engaged on trade candidates," Zaidi said. "I know there are some names out there, but, a lot of times, the names that you hear about are not quite on the cusp of being moved as one would expect.”

While the Dodgers have already acquired Tyler Glasnow in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, there have been several other premium names swirling through trade rumors. Most notably, Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease, Cleveland Guardians ace Shane Bieber, and Milwaukee Brewers ace Corbin Burnes. All three would be ideal fits on nearly every team in the league, including the Giants.

Speculation surrounding Burnes and Bieber centers around the two righty's current contract situations. They are both entering their final season of team control via arbitration before they likely hit free agency next offseason. Given the Brewers and Guardians' history of cheapness, few expect them to retain their aces beyond 2024. Hence the speculation that they could be trade candidates.

The White Sox have two remaining seasons of team control over Cease via arbitration. However, coming off a 101-loss season, the White Sox have once again found themselves in the center of a potential rebuild, leading to speculation that Cease could be on the move. The Dodgers reportedly made an effort to acquire Cease before targeting Glasnow. However, recent reports suggested the White Sox took Cease off the market, waiting for the top remaining free-agent starting pitchers to sign.

Given the Giants' current situation, Bieber and Burnes seem like more obvious targets. For one, they will require a less valuable prospect package in return compared to Cease because of their respective contract situations. While far from as important, both Burnes and Bieber are from California, likely creating an easier path to convincing either one to sign a long-term extension than Cease who grew up in Milton, Georgia as well.

Still, there have been even fewer reports about trade talks surrounding Burnes and Bieber than Cease. It seems reasonable to speculate that Zaidi is referring to that duo when he said "a lot of times, the names that you hear about are not quite on the cusp of being moved as one would expect."

Cease has a 3.83 career ERA with 792 strikeouts and 294 walks in 658 innings pitched (123 starts). Bieber is coming off the least productive season of his MLB career and still posted a 3.80 ERA in 128 innings pitched (21 starts). Burnes, the oldest of the trio, has also easily been the best in recent seasons. In 2023, he recorded a 3.39 ERA (3.40 xERA) with 200 strikeouts and 66 walks in 193.1 innings pitched.

At least at the moment, it seems like SF Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi suggested on Friday that top starting pitchers like Dylan Cease, Shane Bieber, and Corbin Burnes are not close to being traded. However, there is plenty of offseason remaining. If San Francisco falls short in its pursuit of Yoshinobu Yamamoto (#2-ranked free agent) in free agency, it's easy to envision them trying to make an aggressive push to add a premium starter via trade.