The San Francisco Giants picked up an intriguing new bullpen option on Friday, but they’ll have to wait to experience his impact on the roster.
According to the transactions log and an official team announcement, the Giants signed right-handed pitcher Rowan Wick to a guaranteed one-year contract with a club option for next year. Wick, who is returning to the U.S. after an excellent two-year tenure with the Yokohama Bay Stars of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, is currently rehabbing after Tommy John surgery.
Wick, 33, has five partial seasons of major league experience, four of which came with the Chicago Cubs. He last pitched for the Cubs in 2022, then signed with the Bay Stars after a season in Triple-A with the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays organizations in 2023.
With the Bay Stars, Wick posted a 3.09 ERA in 59 1/3 innings in 2024, then a 1.17 ERA in 47 2/3 innings last year. He likely would have been a popular candidate to join many teams’ major league bullpens this year, but Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reported Friday that he is expected to miss the entire upcoming season.
In 146 games of major league action, Wick owns a 3.82 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, and 160 strikeouts in 146 innings. He picked up at least four saves for the Cubs in every season from 2020 to 2022.
The Giants have plenty of bullpen questions to answer this year before they’ll have to worry about the decision on Wicks’ club option. But it’s good to have flexibility this far in advance when it comes to building out the bullpen for next year.
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