The San Francisco Giants have signed left-handed starter Derek Holland to a minor-league deal, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. He will likely compete for a rotation spot in spring training*.
* Holland, not Grant.
Holland had a rough season for the White Sox last year, throwing 135 innings with a 6.20 ERA. His ERA+ was 69, and I’m pretty sure he did that part on purpose, but he was worth almost two wins below what would have been expected from a replacement-leve starter. That’s bad.
On the other hand, Holland is just 31, and he was excellent until the injury gremlins brought him down in 2013. His career ERA+ is 95, which is almost exactly what the Giants should expect from a minor-league free agent if he becomes something of a best-case scenario. Last year was the first of Holland’s career since his rookie season in which he wasn’t worth at least a win, so there’s some logic here. He was absolutely dreadful last year, but the price is right. If he looks like the 2017 version throughout March, there’s no commitment to buy.
Holland ranked 12th on my list of free agent starters I was hoping the Giants might explore:
12. Derek Holland
Pro: Former rotation mainstay who provided positive value for every team he pitched for before last season. Has a Twitter handle that doubles as a fart joke.
Con: Was truly awful last year, with a huge spike in walks allowed. Often hurt.
But I can get into that first sentence in the pro column, though. He was valuable, at least a little, in every season before last year. A minor-league deal is perfect for a pitcher like that. If he can’t find the strike zone in the Cactus League, go with Ty Blach, Tyler Beede, or Andrew Suarez. If he looks a lot closer to the pitcher he was with the Rangers, give him a shot. He was throwing in the mid-90s for a while, and it wouldn’t be front-page news if he were able to do it again.
The last time Holland pitched at AT&T Park, it was probably the worst night of his professional career. But there were a lot of ways for the Giants to fiddle around with a fifth starter option that didn’t come with any upside. That’s not the case here.
It’ll be up to Holland to impress Curt Young and the rest of the Giants’ staff, and he will certainly get a fair look. There aren’t going to be a ton of roster battles in spring training, but it looks like the fifth starter’s gig will be the best one around.