San Francisco Giants right-hander 2023 All-Star Alex Cobb will undergo surgery to "address his labrum and ongoing impingement issues" in his left hip this week, the team announced Monday (per MLB.com). The Giants say the procedure comes with a six-month recovery, indicating Cobb will miss spring training and the start of the 2024 season.
Cobb dealt with a nagging hip issue during the second half this year and the Giants eventually shut him down after he was tagged for five runs in two innings on Sept. 19. He spent the last several weeks attempting to rehab the injury and he received multiple types of treatment. Ultimately, surgery was recommended, and Cobb will go under the knife this week.
Despite the surgery, the Giants are likely to exercise the $10 club option in Cobb's contract and keep him next season. The option comes with a $2 million buyout, so it is an $8 million decision, and $8 million for even a partial season of an All-Star caliber starter is a bargain. That especially true given the upcoming free agent market, which is rather thin.
With Cobb sidelined the only lock for San Francisco's 2024 rotation is ace Logan Webb. Veterans Anthony DeSclafani, Sean Manaea, and Ross Stripling are all signed through next season, though they all spent time working out of the bullpen and/or injured in 2023. Top prospect Kyle Harrison is a rotation candidate as well. The Giants seem likely to add at least one starter this offseason.
Cobb, now 36, pitched to a 3.86 ERA with a stellar 57.6% ground ball rate in 151 1/3 innings this season. That ground ball rate was the second highest among the 127 pitchers to throw at least 100 innings, trailing only Webb's 62.1%. Cobb had a 2.91 ERA in 89 2/3 innings in the first half, before his hip began to give him trouble.
The Giants went 79-83 this season, including 9-19 in September as they fell out of the postseason race. Manager Gabe Kapler was fired during the regular season's final week and replaced by Bob Melvin earlier this month.
