The San Francisco Giants have Jake Peavy and Matt Cain nearing their returns from the disabled list and the team has scouted Cincinnati Reds' pitchers Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake recently. Throw in a couple more rumors and the Giants' rotation sounds like one big puzzle.
Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum, Tim Hudson, Ryan Vogelsong and Chris Heston make up the current cast of starters. Vogelsong and Heston were originally the odd men out during spring training when it appeared Peavy and Cain would be ready for the season, but their injuries created vacancies in the rotation.
At this point, it appears Heston and Madison Bumgarner will remain starters while Lincecum, Hudson and Vogelsong could be candidates to be moved to the bullpen. There are apparently no plans for a six-man rotation, which means two current starters could get bumped.
"Not now. We've got an off day coming up," manager Bruce Bochy told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle when asked about the idea. "Now you're talking (pitching) every seventh day. That could throw guys out of sync.
"We've been talking about [rotation options]," he added. "It's not just Jake, but (Matt) Cain isn't too far away. We're going to figure this out."
Lincecum (3.31 ERA), Hudson (4.65 ERA) and Vogelsong (4.81 ERA) have not been too impressive as of late and have failed to pitch deep into games, which has put a strain on the bullpen. However, the decision gets tougher because at this point it's a mystery if Peavy (back) and Cain (elbow) will have enough stamina to give lengthy outings in the rotation.
"One point: you don't want to average one Madison Bumgarner start a week. Another: six starters means carrying one fewer reliever, and the bullpen is getting stretched as it stands," writes Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News.
"The extra 'pen guy is pretty important right now, I think," Bochy said.
But the plot thickens even further. Rumors recently suggested the Giants scouted Reds' starters Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake over the weekend, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. Additionally, ESPN Senior Writer Jayson Stark thinks there's a shot the Giants land White Sox starter Jeff Samardzija before the trade deadline because Chicago continues to lose and San Fran had interest in the right-hander this offseason.
Bochy might have even more on his plate between now and July 31.