© Kyle Terada | 2020 Sep 27
The Giants nailed priority number one of the offseason in re-signing Kevin Gausman. The other pleasant surprise of the 2020 rotation is going elsewhere, however.
Drew Smyly signed with the Atlanta Braves on Monday, the team announced. It’s a nice payday for Smyly, who was a free agent, turning last year’s $4 million deal with the Giants into a one-year, $11 million deal with the Braves.
Smyly, 31, was able to nearly triple his earnings thanks to a string of impressive performances with the Giants in 2020. Though he was relegated to just seven appearances (five starts) due to injury, Smyly showed nasty swing-and-miss stuff, his 14.4 strikeouts per nine innings a career high.
The left-hander fanned 42 batters in 26 and 1/3 innings, at times flashing a dominant curveball. Smyly posted a 3.42 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP, his best marks since 2015 and 2013 respectively.
With Smyly gone, the Giants rotation looks even more sparse. Johnny Cueto and Gausman are the only locks, while Tyler Anderson and Logan Webb would slot into the three and four spots if the season started today. Them still be in that spot come the start of next season is less likely, as the Giants are expected to make a number of signings in the coming months to fill out that group.