UPDATE #2: Terms of the deal, per Ken Rosenthal:

Pomeranz with #SFGiants: One year, $1.5M. Plus: $250K each for 25ip; 50ip $125K each for 2gs; 4gs; 6gs; 8gs $100K each for 10gs; 14gs; 16gs; 18gs; 20gs; 24gs; 27gs; 30gs $200K for 32gs Plus: $500K if on OD active roster $250K each for 90, 120 days on active roster: $500K for 150. — Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 23, 2019

Yeah, that’s some fun contracting. We’ll do an analysis later.

Also, the next Max Muncy, Mike Gerber, has been designated for assignment in order to clear space for Pomeranz on the 40-man roster. Gerber might very well clear waivers and be assigned to the minor leagues. If that happens, note that he still has two minor league options remaining. Also note that the original Max Muncy, Max Muncy, played all of 2017 in the Dodgers’ minor leagues before having his breakout 2018.

UPDATE: The deal has been confirmed by Jeff Passan in this tweet:

Drew Pomeranz has a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the San Francisco Giants, league source tells ESPN. Remember, in 2016, the Red Sox traded top prospect Anderson Espinoza for him. Clearly Giants see upside after an awful tenure in Boston. @sportslarryknbr had the deal first. — Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 23, 2019

Chris Cotillo adds:

Pomeranz deal can reach $5 million if incentives are reached. Base is $1.5M, per reports. https://t.co/HNevzZpWpv — Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) January 23, 2019

and in a subsequent tweet mentions “Pomeranz’s incentives described to me as ‘complicated.’”

So, there’s that.

Pomeranz can start and relieve, just like Derek Holland and Ty Blach, although it’s clear he’s better than Blach which would seemingly make Ty the odd man out. Tough to know how the rotation and bullpen will sort out, but it’s clear that Pomeranz is a better option overall than Ty Blach and even Andrew Suarez in the short term.

In any case, the Giants have a lot of left-handed pitching options at their disposal.

ORIGINAL:

The Giants are on the verge of adding depth to their starting rotation, according to this from KNBR:

Sources are telling @sportslarryknbr that the #SFGiants will sign starting pitcher Drew Pomeranz later today



Details: https://t.co/mgk75F1ZaJ pic.twitter.com/lj7VxUbSBf — KNBR (@KNBR) January 23, 2019

Larry Krueger is the source who was told by another source about this potential deal, and due to the lack of any other news, I feel that there’s no other choice but to report on this report. Who is Drew Pomeranz? He was the Red Sox’s big trade deadline acquisition in 2016, after the lefty posted a 161 ERA+ and 10.1 K/9 in 102 innings with the Padres in the first half of the season.

That 2016 followed a 2-year run in Oakland where the #5 pick in the 2010 draft reestablished value as a quality pitcher (146 strikeouts in 155 innings with a 3.08 ERA/3.69 FIP) after his stock had fallen over four years with the Rockies.

His numbers in Boston over the rest of 2016 weren’t great — he was over a run and a half worse by ERA and FIP and his K/9 dropped to around 9, but he managed to put up a solid 2017 (174 strikeouts in 173.2 IP with a 3.32/3.84 ERA/FIP).

But, oooooh baby, was he ever bad this past season. He missed nearly two months with biceps tendinitis and posted a 6.08 ERA in the 74 innings he did pitch, losing his rotation spot shortly after his return from the disabled list.

He just turned 30 in November and we don’t know any terms of the deal, but for a team trying to find value on the margins, it fits with Zaidi’s preferred M.O. As I said last month about the potential of signing him:

Why it won’t happen: He was really bad last year and out of five pitches, none of them broke 90 mph. Movement will only get you so far, and players seemed to be able to hit all his offerings pretty hard.

He’s just a year removed from putting up a somewhat better version of Derek Holland’s 2018, and if Derek Holland’s 2018 is his ceiling, that’s a perfectly decent move to add to a leaky rotation. We’ll know more later, of course, including who gets booted off the 40-man roster (which has been full since Holland was re-signed) to make room.