The San Francisco Giants' starting rotation plans have gone haywire in 2023, but Alex Cobb and Logan Webb have been rock solid and helped lead the Giants to a 47-40 record. The SF Giants have been averaging less than 2.5 runs per game over the last week-plus, but Cobb put the team on his back with six shutout innings, and he was followed up by Taylor and Tyler Rogers and then Camilo Doval in the Giants' shutout win over the Mariners. Starting pitching may be a need at the trade deadline, as Ross Stripling, Sean Manaea, Alex Wood, and Anthony DeSclafani have all had their struggles, but Cobb and Webb have provided much-needed stability all first half.

Speaking of starting pitching and the trade deadline, is the Tigers' Eduardo Rodriguez a possibility? He's having a very nice season for the Tigers, but comes with a lot of downside risk in the form of about $50 million in commitment beyond the season and an opt-out after 2023. So if Rodriguez gets hurt or regresses, his team would be on the hook for about 3/$50M. But if he excels, he would opt out. Those factors might make a trade difficult, but he's definitely a name to keep an eye on as the deadline approaches.

Another mailbag question: What other team currently in the league does this Giants team remind you of? Several different teams are discussed as comparisons, including the Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, and Boston Red Sox as perhaps the most comparable. But no teams are a perfect comparison as the Giants are a pretty unique team. And they're better than those three teams that are mentioned as comparable.

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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

Follow Ben Kaspick on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the San Francisco Giants and talking with fans.

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenKaspick

#SFGiants #FirstListen

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