Giants give definitive answer about solving biggest position holes

The San Francisco Giants are prioritising pitching as they try to recover from a 97-loss season, but president of baseball operations Buster Posey cannot say whether they will secure signings before a possible MLB lockout. The uncertainty matters because the current collective bargaining agreement expires on 2 December, and a lockout could halt major-league transactions and contact with players.

The Giants’ 4.34 team ERA ranked 23rd among 30 clubs, and their strikeout-to-walk ratio was among the league’s four worst. Posey expects the club to pursue at least one starting pitcher and would prefer to add more than one high-leverage reliever; Logan Webb, Landen Roupp and Adrian Houser are currently in the rotation picture. The Giants may avoid free agents who received qualifying offers, since signing them would cost a draft pick, narrowing options such as relievers Adrian Morejon and David Bednar.