Giants sign SP Logan Webb to five-year, $90 million extension

The Giants entered 2023 without a ton of long-term money on the books, but the team locked in at least one building block for the future on Friday: Starting pitcher Logan Webb has agreed to a five-year, $90 million extension that will keep him in the Bay through at least 2028.

Webb has gotten off to a slow start through his first three outings this season, but that clearly didn’t dissuade the team from locking up one of the more reliable workhorse arms in the league over the last couple of years. From 2021-2022, the former fourth-round pick out of nearby Rocklin, California (near Sacramento) posted a 2.96 ERA over 340.2 innings, not including two memorable postseason performances against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2021 NLDS.

Webb represents a major development win for the Giants. He was a largely unheralded arm coming up through the Minors who struggled in his first two Major League seasons, pitching to a 5.36 ERA in 19 starts across 2019 and 2020. But a switch from a four-seam fastball to a sinker-heavy approach unlocked a new level for the righty, as did throwing his slider much more. He now boasts three rock-solid pitches in his arsenal that can work against both lefties and righties, and while his strikeout rate dipped last year, he’s punched out 22 hitters in 17 innings (11.6 K/9) so far in 2023.

With Webb sewn up and Sean Manaea (now sitting at 93 with his fastball!), Alex Cobb and Anthony DeSclafani under team control for at least one more year, plus lefty Kyle Harrison rocketing through the Minors, the Giants have the makings of a rock-solid rotation.