The San Francisco Giants have been mentioned in talks to acquire a top-flight starting pitcher this offseason to pair with postseason hero Madison Bumgarner, and free agent James Shields would fit the bill. The Giants appear to be going in another direction, however, with reports surfacing of serious talks with Ryan Vogelsong.
Sources: Vogelsong shifts course. No deal with #Astros. In serious discussions with #SFGiants.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 22, 2015
The 37-year-old Vogelsong appeared close to signing with the Houston Astros, with ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweeting that a deal was in it's final stages. The competition for Vogelsong is somewhat surprising, as he has posted back-to-back subpar seasons in San Francisco.
#Astros and Ryan Vogelsong are hopeful for a deal and working through some final steps, says a BB source. — Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) January 20, 2015
Last year he pitched 184.2 innings, going 8-13 with a 4.00 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. His FIP, considered by some to be a better indicator of future performance than ERA, was slightly kinder to him, checking in at 3.85.
2013 was a rougher campaign; Vogelsong went 4-6 with a 5.73 ERA in 103 innings with no such saving grace via advanced stats.
The Giants rotation seems set, although Vogelsong may compete with Tim Lincecum for the fifth spot in the rotation. While there are no studs behind Bumgarner, this veteran depth may be why the front office is reluctant to spend big bucks and lose their No. 1 pick by signing Shields off the free agent market.
Shields would offer the Giants consistency that they might not be able to rely on from their current group though. Lincecum has experienced violent ups and downs over the past few seasons, Jake Peavy is an injury risk, and Matt Cain has posted ERAs of 4.00 or worse in each of the last two seasons that were accompanied by spiking home run rates.
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