Giants Sign Logan Webb to Long-term Contract Extension
The Giant's locked down their young superstar, ensuring he'll pitch in a Giants uniform long-term
After months of speculation, and being unable to get an extension done in the offseason, the Giants finally agreed to terms with young ace Logan Webb on a five-year contract extension worth $90 million.
Webb’s extension will begin in the 2024 season and run through the 2028 season, paying him $8 million in 2024, $12 million in 2025, $23 million in 2026, $23 million in 2027, and $24 million in 2028.
While it wasn’t critical to sign Webb, 26, to an extension right now, the Giants brass got the deal done. Webb wouldn’t have been a free agent until 2025, and long-term contracts for pitchers on the wrong side of thirty often don’t work out.
The Giants’ brass gave Webb a full vote of confidence with this extension, showing they think Webb is worth the risk of a long-term extension.
While Webb had a downtick in velocity last season, he still showed he was made of ace-caliber stuff, posting career-highs in innings pitched (192 ⅓), ERA (2.90), and strikeouts (163). With the market for starting pitchers thin in the upcoming years, the Giants wanted to make sure they had a rotation mainstay.
Last season, among National League pitchers with at least 150 IP, Webb ranked 8th in ERA, 7th in innings pitched, 17th in strikeouts, 7th in FIP, and first in groundball rate
This is the first contract longer than three years the Giants have handed out to a starting pitcher, and giving it to their young ace is not only a good business move, but also sends a good signal to the fanbase.
A part of the fanbase has grown tired of the continuous roster turnover and wants a homegrown star to root for. The extension for Webb solidifies him as a roster presence for the next five seasons.
This extension is a full-confidence vote that Webb can continue to dominate at an ace level for the next five seasons, even with his unique skill set. Webb has a different repertoire than most elite pitchers, throwing a primarily sinker-slider combination. Even though Webb’s average velocity barely touches 93 MPH, he still generates much more movement than usual on his pitches. In 2022, Webb’s had the most vertical movement of all sinkers in baseball, and his changeup had the 7th most average vertical movement of all pitchers.
Often, skill sets like Webb’s, which rely on spin more than velocity, tend to work better for pitchers as they age.
With a new era of Giants baseball coming in, one that has almost no pieces tying back to the 2010-2014 dynasty years, the Giants believe that Webb can be the homegrown piece that leads them back into a period of contention.
After making his debut in 2019, Webb broke out and became a rotation mainstay in 2021. Webb was rewarded for his performance by being named the Opening Day starter in both 2022 and 2023 and ––with this extension –– he will be trotting out to the mound on Opening Day for years to come.