San Francisco Giants Linked to Non-Blake Snell Ace in Free Agency

The San Francisco Giants need to bring in a leader for the rotation whether it is Blake Snell or another arm.

Oct 2, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Max Fried (54) throws during the first inning of game two in the Wildcard round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. / Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants are fighting to bring Blake Snell back in free agency, but also need to consider other options should that fall through.

If Buster Posey and company really intend to compete early into his tenure, they'll have to do it with their pockets. The team has lacked star power for a while and cannot afford to not bring in another elite pitcher if Snell walks.

CBS Sports' R.J. Anderson listed them as the top landing spot for another one of the best southpaws in baseball, former Atlanta Braves ace Max Fried.

"Blame Fried's sustained excellence on his ability to manage contact. He ranked in the 95th percentile in average exit velocity last season, and he did it while generating nearly 60% ground balls for a second consecutive year," said Anderson. "The biggest knock on Fried is his innings count, as he's cleared the 180-threshold just once in his career. Given the league's direction over the past decade, we're not inclined to think that'll hurt him."

When Fried has been on the mound, he's been one baseball's best pitchers over the past few years. His problem has been that he can't really be counted out to be a workhouse every night.

The good news is that his injury issues and innings count have been much better than Snell's track record so the Giants likely won't be swayed away by that fact.

Fried was one of the stars of the pandemic-shortened season, which was the campaign that kicked off his impressive stretch.

Since then, he's posted an 2.81 ERA over 112 starts. That is an absurd level of consistent elite production and should be exactly what San Francisco should be looking for in a pitcher.

Not bringing in another ace would mean that Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and Kyle Harrison would lead the rotation.

While that would likely suffice for the regular season, given they stay healthy this time, it still lacks an oomph that is needed in the postseason.

Fried is a World Series winner from back in 2021. He has had mixed results in the postseason, though, which is the biggest knock on his resume.

The southpaw has allowed four earned runs or more in four of his last six playoff starts since 2021.

He is still a proven talented pitcher though, so that should be looked at as bad luck rather than an indictment on his skill.