{"id":270595,"date":"2025-11-08T08:04:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T08:04:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/270595\/"},"modified":"2025-11-08T08:04:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T08:04:12","slug":"free-agent-predictions-for-the-giants-mlb-trade-rumors-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/270595\/","title":{"rendered":"Free agent predictions for the Giants \u2014 MLB Trade Rumors Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Last night, MLB Trade Rumors <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlbtraderumors.com\/2025\/11\/2025-26-top-50-mlb-free-agents-with-predictions.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">put out their predictions<\/a> for the this offseason\u2019s top 50 free agents (as they see it). It was mainly a chance to project the free agent contract, but they also voted on each player\u2019s next team. I think you should go read the full post, but for our purposes, I\u2019m going to write about all the players they projected to land on the Giants.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">I admit that writing about the Farhan Zaidi era was considerably easier than the Buster Posey one has been, mainly because his version of roster management was based on a fairly public set of sabermetric principles. So, not only was it easier to sit down and analyze a transaction, it was fairly straightforward when it came to predicting future ones. Offseason moves had a shape to them. But, maybe I\u2019m overthinking it and that\u2019s still the case even with Buster Posey running the organization?<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Last offseason, the Giants needed a shortstop and a starting pitcher and Buster Posey went out and got both. Is it really that simple, despite <a href=\"https:\/\/sfstandard.com\/2025\/11\/01\/greg-johnson-sf-giants-payroll-salary\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Greg Johnson throwing water on the notion that the Giants will increase payroll to keep pace with the competition<\/a>? I\u2019m not convinced. The Giants need either a center fielder or a right fielder, two starting pitchers, and at least a couple of relievers with track records. They almost certainly don\u2019t have the budget for all that and certainly not enough to entice Kyle Tucker to come to the team and serve as a panacea.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Doesn\u2019t mean Buster Posey, Zack Minasian, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mccoveychronicles.com\/san-francisco-giants-news\/101808\/will-san-francisco-giants-trade-for-former-players-tony-vitello-coach-mlb-arkansas-razorbacks-tennessee-volunteers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tony Vitello can\u2019t get creative<\/a>, but it won\u2019t be easy. To that point, MLB Trade Rumors has them landing only two from the top 50 to shore up the pitching staff. The article offers a three-dude panel for selecting the free agent\u2019s final destination and only Zac Gallen and Ranger Suarez to the Giants got 2 votes. 10 others received Giants votes, and I\u2019ll discuss them in a moment. But \u201cGiants\u201d appears 45 times in the post, so they do what we do and consider that the Giants are likely in on a lot of players \u2014 they just predicted the Giants getting some mix of this bunch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">They could be right. Their offseason predictions are mainly spot on when it comes to arbitration salaries, but there are a lot more variables in free agency, maybe to the point that our guess is as good as theirs. I wouldn\u2019t argue that, but I do think I can offer a bit more insight into how a player might work on the roster. So, let\u2019s take a look, starting with the two the panel felt most comfortable pencilling in as San Francisco Giants for 2026.<\/p>\n<p>SP Zac Gallen \u2014 MLBTR Rank: #15, Projection: 4 yr\/$80 million<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Pros: A steady right handed starter with a great track record against NL West opponents thanks to being Arizona\u2019s ace for four seasons, the one-time All-Star (2022) has received Cy Young votes in 3 of his 7 seasons and has thrown 1,007.1 innings of 3.58 ERA ball (3.65 FIP). He\u2019s a rare six-pitch pitcher (four-seamer, knucklecurve, changeup, slider, cutter, sinker) who tends to lean on his fastball, curve, and change the most, and that\u2019s because they have been his most productive pitches. You can stick him into the rotation right behind Logan Webb and ahead of Robbie Ray and feel pretty good about your rotation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Cons: Well, maybe he\u2019s not such a slam dunk. He\u2019s coming off the worst season of his career (4.83 ERA \/ 4.50 FIP in 192 IP) and will be pitching in his age-30 season in 2026. He\u2019s in what could be a post-peak decline phase.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">2022-2023: 394 IP, 9.4 K\/9, 2.2 BB\/9, 0.85 HR\/9, 3.04 ERA, 3.41 xFIP, +9.3 fWAR (6th in MLB for SP)<br \/>2024-2025: 340 IP, 8.8 K\/9, 3.2 BB\/9, 1.16 HR\/9, 4.31 ERA, 3.90 xFIP, +3.9 fWAR (29th in MLB for SP)<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">In 2022 &amp; 2023, he was as valuable as Logan Webb. For the past two seasons, he\u2019s been about as valuable as Zack Littell and Patrick Corbin. That\u2019s not a situation that should compel an organization to surrender a draft pick to acquire him. Gallen received the Qualifying Offer yesterday and it\u2019s likely he\u2019ll reject it for a multi-year deal. The Giants have given up a lot of draft picks in recent years chasing that third Wild Card, but given the available data and historical context for a pitcher, Gallen\u2019s not the safest bet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Final judgment: The only thing I could say in his defense is that Arizona had a new pitching coach this season (Brian Kaplan) that got off to a rocky start when their big offseason acquisition of Corbin Burnes <a href=\"https:\/\/go.skimresources.com\/?id=1025X1734621&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fnews%2Fcorbin-burnes-routine-puts-him-no-5-in-diamondbacks-rotation\" rel=\"sponsored nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">challenged their pitching plan for him as it conflicted with his own preparation<\/a>. At the time, the story didn\u2019t turn into \u201cCorbin Burnes is a prima donna\u201d because a lot of industryheads correctly recognized that pitching plans and a pitcher\u2019s comfort\/routine was under the purview of the pitching coach and that any scheduling issue that emerged and had to be dealt with by a manager was a failure of said pitching coach.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Does that mean Brian Kaplan flipped Zac Gallen\u2019s switch from good to bad? Probably not. But with a fresh new manager coming in with a fresh new staff, it\u2019s maybe not the best idea to commit to a player whose status going forward is on shaky ground. 4 years and a $20 million AAV for a starting pitcher<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlbtraderumors.com\/2025\/11\/giants-rumors-starting-pitchers-short-term-deals.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> should not raise ownership\u2019s hackles<\/a>, but that draft pick and the obvious decline are reason enough to want something better for the Giants.<\/p>\n<p>SP Ranger Suarez \u2014 Rank: #10, Projection: 5 yr\/$115 million<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Pros: He\u2019s been a remarkably consistent lefty starter the past four seasons, averaging around 150 innings when not injured. He strikes out about 8.5 per 9 and walks around 3 per 9. He has a great track record against NL West opponents, and he\u2019s more efficient than the other lefty in the rotation (Robbie Ray), getting into the 90-100 pitch zone consistenly while still averaging 6 innings per start.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Cons: He has a recurring back problem that knocks him out for 6-7 starts every season and would seem to have also contributed to elbow probems from time to time, too, and I don\u2019t expect that to improve with age, especially if <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mccoveychronicles.com\/san-francisco-giants-news\/101906\/giants-tom-murphy-option-free-agency-buyout\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tom Murphy\u2019s accusations<\/a> about the Giants\u2019 medical staff and their dealings with back injuries have even 10% truth to them. There\u2019s also the matter of losing a draft pick and international bonus pool money to sign him, as the Phillies have offered him the Qualifying Offer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">He\u2019s the modern crafty lefty, with a 90 mph sinker and sharp change off of that. He\u2019s not Cristopher Sanchez, though \u2014 that other left-handed Phillie who put the Giants to shame twice in 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Final judgment: Offering him the deal Kevin Gausman got from Toronto in 2022 would absolutely trigger Greg Johnson\u2019s alarm and so I think given that and the negatives above, this is just a little too much of a lift for the Giants to consider, because, like Gallen, it probably impedes their ability to improve elsewhere and, certainly, long-term on the player development side.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Now let\u2019s look at the other 10 players who received 1 vote from the three man panel. I need to mention that, like the two players above, any of these players would help the Giants in 2026, but some more than others and some not beyond the upcoming season. And none of this is to suggest that the only way the team can improve is by signing a handful of Top 50 free agents. That\u2019s not how the game has ever worked.<\/p>\n<p>RF Kyle Tucker \u2014 Rank: #1, Projection: 11 yr\/$400 million<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Pros: He has been the 10th most valuable player (23.4 fWAR) over the past 5 seasons, rounding out a list that goes Aaron Judge (42.8), Shohei Ohtani (31.6), Juan Soto (30.7), Francisco Lindor (29.8), Jose Ramirez (29.8), Trea Turner (28.2), Freddie Freeman (27.0), Bobby Witt Jr. (26.7), and then Mookie Betts (25.2). So, he\u2019s one of the greats playing the game right now. He\u2019s a slugger (.237 ISO) who doesn\u2019t strikeout (15 K%). He keeeee-rushes fastballs. According to Statcast, he has one of the highest run values against the pitch year after year. Injury limited his final line in that measure, but he\u2019s right there with Willy Adames and Rafel Devers. He\u2019d be a critical third heat to a lineup that gets cold too quickly and too often.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Cons: Defensively, he would not be a great fit in Oracle Park unless he moved to left field. That would have a weird knock-on effect where Tony Vitello would have to figure out if Heliot Ramos\u2019s defense could be fixed well enough to make him run around in Triples Alley.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">The past two seasons have been injury marred, with a shin contusion limiting him to just 78 games in 2024 and a calf strain causing him to miss three weeks in September.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">More alarming is what happened to him starting July 1st. Through June 30th he was slashing .291\/.395\/.537 (.931 OPS), but hit just .225\/.348\/.342 (.690 OPS) over the season\u2019s final 3 months (53 G 227 PA).<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Then, of course, there\u2019s the money involved on top of losing a draft pick and bonus money for a player who will play his age-29 season in 2026.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Final judgment: You\u2019ll note that the Giants didn\u2019t really go after any of those players above who are in Tucker\u2019s cohort \u2014 at least, in the cases where they could. The Judge and Ohtani check-ins were more for marketing purposes than anything else. They knew both those guys were committed elsewhere. The Giants would probably need to offer more than MLB Trade Rumors\u2019 projection to entice Tucker, too. He\u2019d be a good fit on the team, even with Oracle Park\u2019s demonic energy towards left-handed hitters, but this is a Juan Soto situation where the Giants won\u2019t even bother to check in. I shouldn\u2019t have even written this much about the player, but I don\u2019t expect to be writing about him again this offseason.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Okay, now for some editorializing. The rest of this list will go in my order of preference, which skews heavily towards what I think is probable.<\/p>\n<p>SP Justin Verlander &#8211; Rank: #38, Projection: 1 yr\/$22 million<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Pros: That was a really good second half of the season (2.99 ERA in 75.1 IP) and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mccoveychronicles.com\/2025\/7\/7\/24432762\/san-francisco-giants-justin-verlander-concerns\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> I\u2019m still burping up that crow he made dimwads like me eat<\/a>. The first ballot Hall of Famer still has that fire and something to prove and on a 1-year deal there\u2019s not a lot of downside.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Cons: But there is some. I\u2019m not sure MLBTR\u2019s got the financial number right, but more than the $15 million he got this past season does start to eat into the team\u2019s financial flexibility to fix all the holes that still need to be patched if they\u2019re to win more games in 2026, both for the franchise and for Justin Verlander. And even though a 43-year old doesn\u2019t seem old to me, a very slightly older man, it\u2019s still unusual and alarming to put that much of a workload and importance on a player of that age.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Final judgment: I hear the Max Scherzer connection to Tony Vitello and I accept it\u2019s very likely to happen. Verlander and Scherzer <a href=\"https:\/\/go.skimresources.com\/?id=1025X1734621&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dmax%2Bscherzer%2Bjustin%2Bverlander%2Bfeud%26rlz%3D1C1GCEA_enUS846US846%26oq%3Dmax%2Bscherzer%2Bjustin%2Bverlander%2Bfeud%26gs_lcrp%3DEgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRiPAjIHCAUQIRiPAtIBCDM3MTBqMGo3qAIAsAIA%26sourceid%3Dchrome%26ie%3DUTF-8\" rel=\"sponsored nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">aren\u2019t sympatico<\/a>, but I have to believe that Buster Posey\u2019s loyalty at the moment is towards Verlander. If\/when Verlander turns down the Giants \u2014 to pitch for an actual winner, to pitch closer to home, to get away from the Scherzer rumors \u2014 then I think Posey makes the pivot, but I think this has to be a straightforward, \u201cHey, JV, we loved having you on the team, we\u2019d love to have you back again, are you interested?\u201d and if he\u2019s in, then they go from there.<\/p>\n<p>SP Cody Ponce &#8211; Rank: #39, Projection: 2 yrs\/$22 million<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Pros: The 6\u20196\u201d, 255 lb. righty reinveented himself overseas pitching in the KBO. His average fastball velocity is in the 95-96 range and he has a cutter, changeup, and curveball to go along with that. MLBTR makes a comparison to Erick Fedde, who left MLB after 6 seasons after a 5.41 ERA in 454.1 IP and similarly reinvented himself in the KBO. He has a 4.27 ERA in 318.1 IP since returning. It\u2019s not a 1:1 comp as Ponce offers more upside, theoretially, but it\u2019s a proof of concept. Ponce hasn\u2019t pitched in MLB since 2021, and before dominating the KBO this season (1.89 ERA in 180.2 IP with 12.6 K\/9, 2.0 BB\/9, 0.5 HR\/9, 0.935 WHIP),he clunked his way through the Japan\u2019s NPB as a reliever (4.54 ERA in 202 IP).<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">So, this is a massive transformation, and it\u2019s plausible that the Giants scouts who followed Jung Hoo Lee kept tabs on Cody Ponce or became aware of him. I\u2019m not sure MLBTR\u2019s projection will wind up being the final number, but the Giants are already at the deep end of risk this offseason and adding him theoretically fills a need in the rotation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Cons: He\u2019s from Pomona, so, if the Dodgers want him, they\u2019ve got him. On top of that, it\u2019s just as likely that nothing he did in the KBO sticks when coming back to the states. Jung Hoo Lee has had a tough adjustment and Ponce\u2019s general familiarity notwithstanding, MLB hitters are better overall. I think risk aversion for a tough to project arm is actually pretty healthy and his age (he\u2019ll be 32 in 2026) also adds injury risk.If you\u2019re thinking there\u2019s a connection to the Giants because he was drafted by the Brewers in 2015, when Zack Minasian worked there, forget it: Minasian was the Director of Pro Scouting. He didn\u2019t have a hand in acquiring him then.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Final judgment: Yes, I\u2019m saying that he should be the next Giants\u2019 target after Justin Verlander. Would be a fun story for the Giants this season. A resurrected player resurrecting a dead team. That said, the risk prevents me from saying, \u201cYeah, Verlander and Ponce satisfies the biggest offseason needs go get \u2018em.\u201d That\u2019s a lot of risk combined. If Buster Posey disciplines himself to avoid 1-2 big moves (and I\u2019d label re-signing Verlander a big move), adding Ponce might give the team flexibility to make 4 or 5 medium moves.<\/p>\n<p>SP Max Scherzer &#8211; Rank: #48, Projection: 1 yr\/$15 million<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Pros: Getting a madman like Scherzer into the Giants\u2019 clubhouse would be entertaining as hell, and pairing him with his buddy, Tony Vitello, seems like a team up that would sustain us through rough times in 2026. He\u2019s another Hall of Famer to pass through Oracle Park, too, and as he demonstrated during this most recent postseason, he\u2019s still got something left in the tank.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Cons: It\u2019s not a lot left in his tank, though. He has not aged like Justin Verlander. And he\u2019s a massive villain \u2014 at least, he ought to be! He did NOT strike out Wilmer Flores to end the 2021 NLDS.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">But anyway, since that humiliation, he\u2019s had one great season (2022 with the Mets \u2014 4.5 fWAR in 145.1 IP), one good one (2.2 fWAR in 152.2 IP in 2023) and two bad ones. He\u2019s totaled just 128.1 IP and 26 starts the past two seasons combined and been worth 1 win above replacement. A 4.77 ERA and 4.72 FIP for a career 3.22 \/ 3.23 guy. <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.fangraphs.com\/2026-top-50-mlb-free-agents\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">He didn\u2019t even make it on FanGraphs\u2019 ranking list<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Final judgment: I think it was Roger Munter &amp; Kerry Crowley\u2019s KROG podcast where it was suggested that Scherzer could simply sign around May and prepare to be ready late in the season, and that\u2019s probably the best case scenario. Grant Brisbee labeled a signing like this (and Verlander this past season) as The Farhan Zaidi Legacy Tier, but I\u2019m not of the belief that Scherzer is here. It feels as though he already had his \u201cI\u2019ve got something to prove\u201d comeback season and this is just a fiery guy who still wants to pitch. If it\u2019s Ponce + Scherzer, it\u2019s probably an offseason of 4 or 5 medium moves, so I guess I should consider that there\u2019s utility to the move, even if it seems destined for failure.<\/p>\n<p>SP Framber Valdez &#8211; Rank: #6, Projection: 5 yrs\/$150 million<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Pros: To pull another line from Grant Brisbee, he\u2019s \u201cthe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6780801\/2025\/11\/06\/sf-giants-offseason-preview\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">closest thing to a left-handed Logan Webb that exists.<\/a>\u201d The innings totals aren\u2019t as sexy, but his 767.2 IP over the past 4 seasons (plus 41.1 postseason innings) are second only to Webb and 33.2 more than 3rd on the list, the aforementioned Zac Gallen. His 16.5 fWAR rounds out a top 5 of Zack Wheeler (19.5), Webb (19.1), Tarik Skubal (18.8), and Kevin Gausman (17.9 \u2014 and, lol). After laughing at the Giants for being pennywise and pound foolish re: Gausman, consider that Valdez would be exactly what the Giants need to stabilize their pitching staff. Having two Webb-types really makes a bullpen look good, don\u2019t you think?<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Cons: The Qualifying Offer is significant, but he might be the guy you make an exception for; of course, there\u2019s no chance the Giants will go to that number of years and dollars for a pitcher. It\u2019s the exact sort of deal Greg Johnson &amp; co. want to avoid. Also, he\u2019s going to get more than that. Grant also mentioned <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6593992\/2025\/09\/03\/astros-framber-valdez-cesar-salazar-issue\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">this incident between Valdez and his catcher<\/a>, which might put him off Buster Posey\u2019s radar. Blake Snell was blacklisted for less.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Final judgment: There are a lot of soft-tossing lefties on the market this winter, both in the rotation and in relief, and he\u2019s the best of the bunch. One of the best in the sport. But like Kyle Tucker, it\u2019s so not going to happen that this should be the last time you think about him until the Giants have to face him in a game.<\/p>\n<p>CF Harrison Bader &#8211; Rank: #31, Projection: 2 yrs\/$26 million<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Pros: The Giants need a good-to-great centerfielder. Badly. Jung Hoo Lee is fine. Sometimes. Bader is nearly as good as it gets for the position.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Cons: He\u2019s not a total loss at the plate, and in 2 of the last 5 seasons he\u2019s actually been better than league average in a significant chunk of playing time: 108 wRC+ in 401 PA (2021) and 122 wRC+ in 501 PA last season. In between, an 80 wRC+ across 3 seasons and 1,094 plate appearances; so, you know, could go either way.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Along with being a ball magnet (8 HBP in 2024, 11 in 2025), he\u2019s a bit of an injury magnet. The past two seasons have featured 0 IL days, but hear me out: in 2023, a right hamstring strain and a right groin strain sent him there on two separate occasions. That was after starting the season on the IL with an oblique strain. The year before that he missed half the season with plantar fascitis. A hamstring strain in 2019. It\u2019s the result of being such an all-out defender at a tough position, I\u2019m sure, but after two spotless years and his age-32 season upcoming, I\u2019m enough on guard to believe he ought not to be the team\u2019s #1 offseason priority.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Final judgment: He\u2019d help the Giants an awful lot and, personality-wise, seems like a Tony Vitello kind of player. I think it\u2019s a good fit, but if he\u2019s the main add this offseason then the Giants are in trouble. And if they\u2019re not connected to him at all \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mccoveychronicles.com\/2023\/12\/7\/18122573\/report-jon-morosi-san-francisco-giants-interested-in-harrison-bader-for-cf-jung-hoo-lee-also-in-mix\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">they have been in the past<\/a> \u2014 it\u2019d be a huge surprise and a headscratcher.<\/p>\n<p>RP Raisel Iglesias \u2014 Rank: #32, Projection: 2 yrs\/$26 million<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Pros: The Giants do need help in the bullpen and he has proven himself to be extremely reliable. He has spent the majority of his career (9.5 of 11 seasons) pitching in two of the most notorious hitters\u2019 parks: The Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati and Truist Park in Atlanta. In Cincy, he posted a 3.15 ERA (3.44 FIP) in 411.2 IP (274 appearances). The past three and a half seasons in Atlanta: 2.58 ERA (2.91 FIP) in 254.1 IP (261 appearances). He\u2019s losing that strikeout stuff (9.3 K\/9 the past two seasons; career: 10.6) but he doesn\u2019t walk batters or many hits in general. He\u2019s had a sub-1 WHIP the past two seasons. He\u2019s a fastball-changeup guy like Devin Williams, so there\u2019s a case to be made that these are very similar players.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Cons: He\u2019ll be 36 next season and that\u2019s a big enough red flag that I\u2019m not sure the Giants should shoulder such risk for a closer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Final judgment: Okay, if it\u2019s down to Iglesias or Devin Williams, I think it\u2019s Iglesias, because the years plus the lower AAV do matter. If he\u2019s part of a \u201cspreading the money around\u201d strategy, then he could be a very sweet cherry atop a surprisingly tasty sundae.<\/p>\n<p>RP Devin Williams \u2014 Rank: #16, Projection: 4 yrs\/$68 million<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Pros: If you only follow Yankees games via social media then you\u2019d have thought that Devin Williams had been kicking Yankees fans in the teeth all season long. At the end of the day, his ugly 4.79 ERA might be a better indicator for the Yankees\u2019 defense, pitching plan\/sequencing, and managerial skill. It\u2019s the worst showing of his career by far, as is the 2.68 FIP and 2.95 xFIP, but that\u2019s just it \u2014 the expected numbers were still very much, \u201cHey, this is Devin Williams.\u201d The pitch velocity and other metrics were similar, too. He struck out 90 and walked 25 in 62 innings. On paper, he looks like a real catch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Cons: So, the Giants do need a closer, they have a great pitchers park for closers, but $17 million a year for one is not going to happen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Final judgment: If the Giants were willing to spend to the first luxury tax threshold ($244 million), then yes, he should be on the shopping list. But they\u2019ve got to spread the money around and spending money on the bullpen is closer to luxury than necessity.<\/p>\n<p>RP Edwin Diaz \u2014 Rank: #13, Projection: 4 yr\/$82 million<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Pros: He is quite good, possibly an elite closer, and has racked up 253 saves in 9 seasons. His 6-year Mets career was phenomenal: a 2.56 FIP (2.93 ERA) in 328.1 IP (144 saves, 255 games finished) is a cut above the typical \u201cgood\u201d reliever.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Cons: Qualifying offer (he should take it, btw) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/2007\/05\/26\/giants-benitez-is-not-interested-in-taking-blame-after-loss\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">I don\u2019t ever need to see the Giants sign a former Mets closer again. <\/a>Never forget this key image in McCovey Chronicles history:<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"_1eezmj01\" href=\"https:\/\/platform.mccoveychronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/105\/2025\/11\/mandoo1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0,5.5555555555556,100,88.888888888889\" data-pswp-height=\"341.3333333333333\" data-pswp-width=\"512\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\"><img alt=\"\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"w91vxg0\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' %3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'\/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'\/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'\/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'\/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3C\/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mN8+R8AAtcB6oaHtZcAAAAASUVORK5CYII='\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E&quot;)\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/mandoo1.jpg\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Final judgment: No reason to go this route if a closer is such a big deal. There\u2019s Devin Williams or even somebody like Pete Fairbanks, whose option was just declined by the Rays.<\/p>\n<p>SP Lucas Giolito \u2014 Rank: #27, Projection: 2 yrs\/$32 million<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Pros: The Giants do need starting pitching, and he recovered nicely in 2025 from an internal brace procedure that knocked him out of 2024. His 145 innings of 3.41 ERA ball is pretty danged good for pitching in the AL East.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Cons: Still, his expected numbers (5.01 xERA, 4.59 xFIP) continued a worrying trend that started in 2022. Also, on a personal note, I\u2019m not a fan of his delivery.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Final judgment: This wouldn\u2019t be a Ross Stripling-level disaster because he\u2019s got a good fastball and a solid track record. Oracle Park might help him out, too, and if that projected deal is what it would take to sign him, then he\u2019d be a good fallback option.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">This is just one panel\u2019s thoughts on how the Giants\u2019 offseason will go. What do you think?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Last night, MLB Trade Rumors put out their predictions for the this offseason\u2019s top 50 free agents (as&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":270596,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[558],"tags":[64,63,1325,591,44,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-270595","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-general","11":"tag-mlb","12":"tag-news","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=270595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270595\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/270596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=270595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=270595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=270595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}