Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Giants pitchers and catchers reported to Scottsdale on Tuesday ahead of their first workout Wednesday, but there will be one extra pitcher than expected in attendance.
The Giants signed veteran righty Nick Tropeano to a minor league deal with a major league invite and added depth to a pitching staff that needs it.
The 30-year-old can be a swing man and help both in bursts perhaps out of the rotation and in the bullpen if he looks good in camp (or can help down the road and pitch in Sacramento). He came up with Houston and started 35 games from 2015-19 with the Angels — though none in 2017, when he was recovering from Tommy John surgery — but posted his best numbers in the truncated 2020 season out of the bullpen with the Pirates.
In seven games and 15 2/3 innings, he allowed just two runs (1.15 ERA) with 19 strikeouts and four walks, pitching as much as four innings and as little as a single frame — a flexibility that Farhan Zaidi, Scott Harris and Gabe Kapler will like. He did so with a good mix of a fastball that averaged 91 mph, a curveball, changeup and splitter, all of which he mixed in, which is encouraging for a pitcher who may be needed out of the rotation, too.
The Giants have just five legitimate starters, which includes injury risks in Anthony DeSclafani and Alex Wood and productivity risks in Johnny Cueto and Logan Webb. The next best option — at least until Tyler Beede returns from Tommy John — has been Conner Menez, who pitched well out of the bullpen last year but is not established. Tropeano immediately becomes an option, and it’s expected he will be stretched out in camp.
But it will be difficult to make the staff out of camp. They have five in-house starters — a group that includes Webb, who is “in the driver’s seat” for the last spot — but the Giants’ bullpen is deep. A couple 2020 finds like Caleb Baragar, Sam Selman and Wandy Peralta may begin the season in Sacramento because of a logjam that the Giants are pleased with, having signed more veteran options in Matt Wisler and Jake McGee as well as welcoming Reyes Moronta back.
They now add Tropeano, a New York native, to the mix, who already is among the best bulk options out of the pen in a role Trevor Cahill and Tyler Anderson (who reportedly agreed to a deal with the Pirates on Tuesday) filled last season.