San Francisco Giants Seen as ‘Realistic’ Landing Spot for Cy Young Ace

The San Francisco Giants still need a veteran starter and this three-time Cy Young winner could fit the bill — for one year at least.

Jul 30, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the second inning at Busch Stadium. / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants haven’t been in a hurry to try and find a veteran free-agent starter since they swung and missed on Corbin Burnes.

San Francisco did make an offer, but the Giants were not able to beat the six-year, $210 million he got from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Right now, San Francisco would enter the season with a rotation that included Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Hayden Birdsong and Kyle Harrison. That fifth spot in the rotation would be up for grabs.

The Giants have some solid young pitchers they could look at, including Landon Roupp, Mason Black and Keaton Winn.

But is a veteran fifth starter a realistic option for the Giants? And if, so, who?

MLB.com recently asked each of its beat writers to provide one realistic free agent target at their team’s biggest area of need.

San Francisco’s beat writer addressed that last spot in the rotation with Max Scherzer.

He is coming off an awful 2024 in which he made just nine starts, going 2-4 for a 3.95 ERA. He helped the Rangers win the World Series in 2023 as a deadline trade acquisition, but he injured his neck late in the season, only to return for the World Series.

During his only appearance in the World Series he left with a re-aggravation of the injury — or at least that’s what was believed. Turns out he needed surgery for a herniated disc and required the offseason to rehab.

After he was poised to return, he had a setback, which turned out to be a nerve issue that Scherzer said he’s dealt with before. To be able to pitch late in the season, he actually changed his arm slot to work around the discomfort. But he ended the season on the injured list.

The medicals would be critical for a signing like Scherzer, even on a one-year deal. Because he would still command a hefty salary on that type of contract.

Scherzer is a three-time Cy Young winner, a two-time World Series champion (also with the 2019 Washington Nationals) and an eight-time All-Star.

Before the injury, in 2023, he was 13-6 with a  3.77 ERA. He has a career record of 216-112 with a 3.16 ERA and 3,407 strikeouts, as he is one of only 19 pitchers to strike out at least 3,000 hitters.  

Is that worth a one-year deal to the Giants? On the surface, it sounds realistic.