SF Giants agree to one-year, $2.8 million deal with RHP Jakob Junis

As teams around the league avoid arbitration with several players, the SF Giants agreed to a one-year, $2.8 million deal with Jakob Junis.

Marc Delucchi | Jan 13, 2023

SF Giants agree to one-year, $2.8 million deal with RHP Jakob Junis /

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants avoided arbitration with right-handed pitcher Jakob Junis, agreeing to a one-year, $2.8 million deal. The deal was first reported by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The Giants signed Junis to a one-year, $1.75 million contract last offseason after he was non-tendered by the Kansas City Royals. Junis went on to have a resurgent 2022 campaign.

SF Giants pitcher Jakob Junis pitches in against the Rockies. (2022) — SF Giants swingman Jakob Junis throws a pitch. (2022) / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Players are subjected to several years of arbitration as part of the collective bargaining agreement between MLB and MLBPA before they reach free agency. If a team does not reach an agreement with an arbitration-eligible player, both sides will make a case for a specific salary number for an arbitrator, who will rule in one side's favor. There are obvious reasons for teams to try and avoid going to arbitration. Several players have openly discussed being hurt by arbitration proceedings, where teams are incentivized to make a case that a player is worse and deserves a lower salary.

Junis was a mainstay in the Royals starting rotation from 2017-2020, before falling out of favor with the team in 2021. Over his Kansas City tenure, Junis was a below-average pitcher, recording a 4.82 ERA (4.74 FIP) in 515.1 innings pitched with 468 strikeouts and 144 walks.

Injuries pushed Junis into the Giants rotation this past season. He posted a 4.42 ERA (3.65 FIP) in 23 appearances (17 starts), amassing 98 strikeouts in 112 innings pitched. However, he was clearly at his best as a long reliever out of San Francisco's bullpen. Entering this offseason, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi acknowledged that the team planned to utilize Junis in a swingman role.

The SF Giants have added several arms to their rotation, signing Sean Manaea and Ross Stripling. With Anthony DeSclafani expected to be back from injury in 2023, the Giants are currently slated to have six proven starters ahead of Jakob Junis on the depth chart.

Published Jan 13, 2023

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).