Anthony DeSclafani, Giants Agree to Reported 1-Year, $6M Contract in Free Agency

The San Francisco Giants announced they have agreed to a one-year deal with pitcher Anthony DeSclafani.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the contract is expected to be in the range of $6 million. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle first reported the two sides were nearing a deal Wednesday.

The 30-year-old is coming off a miserable 2020 season in which he produced a 7.22 ERA in nine appearances for the Cincinnati Reds. He had 25 strikeouts with 16 walks in his 33.2 innings.

DeSclafani was much better in 2019 over a full season, finishing 9-9 with a 3.89 ERA and a career-high 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

The right-hander has a 4.29 career ERA and has been a reliable back-end starter, which could make him a sleeper in this class despite a disappointing last season.

R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports also noted the pitcher changed his slider last season with plenty of success, causing swings and misses on 36 percent of pitches while opponents hit just .190 against it.

If DeSclafani can get his fastball back on track, he could be set for a bounce-back season in 2021.

This could be a nice addition for a San Francisco team that has a lot of question marks about its pitching staff going into next season.

Johnny Cueto had just a 5.40 ERA last year, while Tyler Anderson and Trevor Cahill are both free agents. Logan Webb also hasn't proved he can handle a starting role in the majors. 

It leaves Kevin Gausman and a lot of unknowns for a 29-31 team seeking a return to the postseason after falling short in four straight seasons.