SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- In the end, signing with the Giants wasn’t too difficult of a decision for new reliever José Álvarez. The 31-year-old veteran was offered several Minor League contracts this offseason, but the Giants were the first club to extend a Major League deal, which ultimately sold Álvarez on coming to San Francisco.

“I was waiting for the best opportunity to come up, and I think the best opportunity, for sure, was coming here,” Álvarez said prior to the Giants’ 2-2 tie against the D-backs on Monday at Scottsdale Stadium. “When they offered me [the deal], I didn’t even think about going to another place. I just signed here.”

Álvarez’s free agency stretched into the first couple of weeks of Spring Training before the Giants finally finalized a one-year, $1.15 million deal with the Venezuelan left-hander on Saturday. Despite his late arrival to camp, Álvarez said he feels like he still has plenty of time to ramp up and be ready by Opening Day on April 1.

“I will be ready,” Álvarez said. “I was working out at home. I know it’s not the same intensity as working at Spring Training, but it was important to me. I was playing catch every day, running, facing hitters, throwing bullpens, so I don’t think I’ll need too much time to get back into games.”

Álvarez has a 3.59 ERA over eight Major League seasons with the Tigers, Angels and Phillies, where he pitched under manager Gabe Kapler in 2019. He posted a 1.42 ERA over eight appearances in 2020, but he was struck in the groin by a 105.3 mph comebacker on Aug. 20, which required season-ending surgery.

“It’s tough to describe the pain in that moment,” Álvarez said. “As a pitcher, I’d never worn a cup before, and then I got hit right there. Pretty weird and painful. I have to wear a cup now.”

Webb’s day

Logan Webb fired two scoreless innings against the D-backs in his second start of the spring on Monday. The 24-year-old right-hander struck out three batters using his changeup, which the Giants believe will be a huge secondary weapon for him moving forward.

“A lot of the credit, in my opinion, goes to Buster [Posey] here,” Kapler added. “He recognized early on that Logan’s changeup was working well, and he kept getting after it. It’s a pitch we want him to get very, very comfortable throwing.”

In addition to focusing on locating his offspeed pitches for strikes, Webb has spent some time getting reacquainted with his swing this spring. Now that the designated hitter isn’t expected to return to the National League this year, Webb and the rest of the Giants starters have begun picking up bats and working on bunting drills to get ready to hit again in 2021.

Webb admitted that he was a bit disappointed by the development, as he had been hoping to end his hitting career on a high note.

“I always thought hitting would be a lot of fun, and then I got to Double-A and I saw these guys were throwing a little harder than the guys in high school were,” Webb said. “It’s still fun to go up there. It’s cool to pick up a bat, but a little part of me wanted the DH forever because my last at-bat in '19 was a base hit. I was hoping to finish my career of hitting with a base hit.”

Worth noting

• Evan Longoria made his second start at designated hitter and launched his first home run of the spring to put the Giants on the board in the seventh. Longoria has yet to appear at third base due to plantar fasciitis, and Kapler reiterated that the Giants feel no need to rush his progress on defense.

• Catching prospect Patrick Bailey, the Giants’ 2020 first-round Draft pick, led off the bottom of the ninth with a single to collect his first hit of the spring. Bailey was subsequently replaced by pinch-runner Marco Luciano, who represented the game-winning run for the Giants. Luciano advanced to third, but he was thrown out at home while trying to score on a one-hopper by Jason Vosler.

“I don’t think it’s any secret that Patty Bailey is not a burner,” Kapler said. “Luciano is definitely a fast runner and one that we feel like that can help us win a game like that. It gives them both experience in the game. Bailey gets the knock, Luciano gets to run the bases for him. It kind of shows these guys how a team works.”

• Veteran starters Kevin Gausman and Scott Kazmir have yet to make their Cactus League debuts, but they each threw live batting-practice sessions on the backfield at Scottsdale Stadium on Monday.

“Both guys came out throwing a lot of strikes and also threw their secondary pitches for strikes,” Kapler said. “Gausman had a nice changeup working. The command was really strong as you’d expect. And then Kaz really ripped his changeup well also. That’s a pitch we’re all really familiar with him throwing over the years. It looked like vintage Kaz.”

Reyes Moronta, who is coming off shoulder surgery, also threw live BP, though Kapler’s assessment was not as encouraging.

“Reyes still has some work to do,” he said. “Especially with the command. We want to see him be a little bit more in the strike zone with his secondary offering and then also with his heater.”

Up next

Left-hander Alex Wood will make his second start of the spring as the Giants head to American Family Fields of Phoenix to face the Brewers on Tuesday at 12:10 p.m. PT. Right-hander Adrian Houser is scheduled to pitch for Milwaukee.