Giants sign Jakob Junis and Carlos Martínez

The San Francisco Giants splashy post-lockout pitcher signing came on Friday, with the addition of Carlos Rodón. It was a great signing, and one worth getting excited about.

But they weren’t done making moves in the pitcher market. The team added two other successful veteran arms over the last few days, first signing Carlos Martínez to a Minor League contract, and then Jakob Junis to a Major League deal.

Martínez, a 30-year old righty, is a typical Giants signing. He has loads of talent in his arm, as evidenced by making the All-Star team in both 2015 and 2017. But he’s struggled mightily lately, and in the last two seasons posted a 6.95 ERA and 5.18 FIP, with just 74 strikeouts to 46 walks in 102.1 innings. Those struggles allowed the Giants to buy low on Martínez with a relatively risk-free Minor League contract that could pay him nicely if he turns back the clock a little.

Martínez has a little relief experience but has primarily worked as a starter in his career. The Giants have a clear-cut starting five, but four of those five have notable injury histories, so adding some starting depth is pretty important.

Speaking of which ... Junis! The 29-year old righty will probably play a hybrid role in which he works out of the bullpen when the team is healthy, and hops on the mound for the first inning when they’re down a starter or two. That’s how he’s been over the last two years, in which he has an equal number of appearances as a starter and as a reliever.

His numbers aren’t eye-popping — he has a 4.82 ERA, a 4.74 FIP, and a 1.353 WHIP in his five-year career — but he’s been brilliant at limiting walks, issuing just 2.51 per nine innings. It’ll be fun to see what the Giants can do with his arm, and it’s worth noting that he still has an option, thus giving the Giants some flexibility. And he’s still in arbitration, so the Giants can keep him around next year if they’d like.

San Francisco also had to clear two 40-man roster spots — one for Junis and one for Rodón — and did so by designating for assignment two pitchers: 2016 ninth-round pick Caleb Baragar, who spent time on the MLB roster in each of the last two years, and Hunter Harvey, a recent waiver claim.