San Francisco Giants Newest Ace Could Be Due For Massive Comeback Season

The San Francisco Giants signed a star with something to prove.

Michael Brauner | Feb 17, 2025

Feb 13, 2025; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Justin Verlander (35) watches players work out in the bullpen during spring training camp / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

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San Francisco Giants

Whether or not the San Francisco Giants made enough moves this winter to address the starting rotation likely won't be answered until the middle of the season, but the most significant acquisition will go a long way towards determining what the unit looks like.

After losing Blake Snell - perhaps not to many broken hearts in the Bay Area - to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Giants had a clear need at the top of the rotation in order to have any hope of righting the wrongs of the better part of the last decade.

In Buster Posey's first offseason at the helm of the organization as president of baseball operations, he landed one big fish in a new shortstop, Willy Adames, from the Milwaukee Brewers and looked to be on the cusp of upgrading from Snell by stealing Corbin Burnes from the Baltimore Orioles.

Instead, Burnes wound up with another division rival, signing a lucrative deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks and becoming the second team in the division to make a major pitching move at the expense of San Francisco.

Having to go back to the drawing board, Posey instead brought in a veteran right-hander over a decade older than Burnes who just so happens to be arguably the best pitcher of the generation in Justin Verlander.

Unsurprisingly, it was a one-year agreement between the Giants and Verlander which could have extremely high upside for both.

For San Francisco, the need is obvious.

A solid season for Verlander takes a shaky staff and gives them a dominant one-two punch at the top between the three-time Cy Young winner and Logan Webb. Not to mention outside of Webb and Robbie Ray, the rotation is largely young and inexperienced, potentially set to benefit from the guidance of a future Hall of Famer.

For Verlander, a strong performance would be satisfying both professionally and personally.

The star has battled through injuries throughout his career but always has come back stronger, though this time in 2024 with the Houston Astros felt different.

The team Verlander helped win two championships essentially cast him aside, showcasing their belief that he wasn't capable of having another quality year by deciding not to pursue a reunion.

He may not outwardly say it, but there's no question proving the doubters wrong is a motivating factor.

Verlander suffered through several freak injuries in 2024 and simply could never fully ramp up and perform at full health. This was coming off a 2023 season in which he was effective and a 2022 showing in which he was flat-out dominant.

At the age of 39, Verlander posted one of the best seasons of his career coming off a 2021 campaign in which he didn't pitch due to injury.

Now about to turn 42, he will attempt to do it once again, this time in the fourth new uniform in his legendary 20-year big league career.

If Verlander has more left in the tank as he has indicated he believes, San Francisco could wind up having made one of the highest value moves of the entire offseason.

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