Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Maybe the Giants are thinking about their 2021 stretch run already. They have acquired more relief help, just not immediately.
On Monday, the Giants took on a different kind of project — choosing a bounce-back candidate from surgery rather than from underperformance, which they’ve mined often — in signing righty John Brebbia to a one-year, major league deal worth $800,000 following June Tommy John surgery.
The 30-year-old would not be ready by the start of the season, which is assuming the season starts on time. There is a chance MLB and the Players Association agree on a later start to allow more time for the coronavirus vaccine to disperse, giving fans a better chance to return to ballparks.
Most early estimates following the elbow surgery involve a full year of rehab, so perhaps Brebbia could be a factor for the Giants by June or July.
Brebbia, who has pitched since 2017 with the Cardinals, should start the 2020 campaign on the 60-day injured list and will occupy a 40-man roster spot until February. He’ll have plenty of time to regrow his fabulous beard from 2019, pictured in all its beauty at the top of this page.
The righty had been a quality setup man for St. Louis, posting a career 3.14 ERA with 198 strikeouts in 175 innings. He did not pitch at all in 2020.
His velocity had been down a bit in 2019, a 93.5-mph fastball after averaging 94.6 mph the previous season, but he was still effective in part thanks to a quality spin rate and an excellent slider that opponents batted .169 against. Between Brebbia and Matt Wisler, perhaps the Giants are trying to out-slider all their opponents.
In the Giants’ announcement, they said he is “progressing well” from surgery. Brebbia’s inclusion maxes out the 40-man roster before players can be placed on the 60-day IL, so the Giants will have to clear space before any more signings. If Andrew Suarez indeed goes to the KBO, one roster space would be opened.
The Giants targeted righty relief as a need this offseason, after adding not just Wisler from Minnesota and Brebbia but selecting Dedniel Nunez in the Rule 5 draft. Reyes Moronta should be returning, another option to augment holdovers like Tyler Rogers, Trevor Gott and Sam Coonrod from the right side. The Giants are more set with southpaws, including Jarlin Garcia, Caleb Baragar, Wandy Peralta and Sam Selman.