Giants nearing two-year deal with Alex Wood, per report

The Giants took two major steps toward building a rotation for 2022 on Monday, first bringing back right-hander Anthony DeSclafani on a three-year, $36 million deal, then bringing back lefty Alex Wood on a two-year deal that is expected to pay him eight figures per season, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan:

Wood, who spent three seasons with Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi in Los Angeles when Zaidi was the Dodgers’ GM, reunited with his old boss last winter on a one-year, $3 million deal. He enjoyed a stellar bounce-back season in 2021, posting a 107 ERA+ that was his best since he made the NL All-Star team and earned Cy Young votes in 207. Over 26 starts, Wood had a 3.83 ERA, 152 strikeouts, and just 39 walks in 138.2 innings.

Wood, who refused to publicly disclose his vaccination status, contracted COVID-19 in late August, and his absence forced the Giants to extensively use their bullpen in order to cover innings over the first three weeks of September. He pitched very well upon his return, though, allowing just two earned runs over his final 13 regular-season innings and throwing 4.2 scoreless innings in Game 3 of the NLDS.

With Logan Webb, DeSclafani, and Wood, the Giants now have three-fifths of their 2021 rotation intact for next year. Johnny Cueto had his club option declined and is unlikely to return, while the Giants may be unwilling to spend the money required to re-sign Kevin Gausman to a long-term deal. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser reported on Monday that the Giants were in talks with free agent righty Alex Cobb, which would fill another rotation vacancy. San Francisco is likely to fill up its initial starting five with proven veterans as it looks to win a second straight NL West title, though Tyler Beede, Sean Hjelle, and Sammy Long are among the internal depth options who could factor into the Giants’ 2022 plans.