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After Buster Posey spent the first year of his tenure making big splashes, the Giants’ president of baseball operations appears to be taking a completely different approach in his second offseason on the job.
The Giants made two low-profile additions Tuesday, as the team announced a one-year deal with reliever Jason Foley and reportedly agreed to a two-year, $22 million pact with starter Adrian Houser.
Houser, 32, enjoyed the best season of his nine-year major league career in 2025 as he posted a 3.31 ERA in 21 starts. The right-hander split time between the rotation and bullpen with the Mets in a dismal 2024 season, but excelled as a full-time starter for the White Sox at the outset of 2025 as he recorded a 2.10 ERA in 11 starts.
The Rays acquired Houser in a midseason trade with the White Sox, and he struggled in his first two starts with Tampa Bay before completing at least six innings in five of his final seven outings.
Houser will likely pitch at the back of the Giants’ starting rotation as the veteran has a high groundball rate, but struggles to generate strikeouts. Houser’s whiff rate ranked in the fourth percentile of all major league pitchers last season.
The Giants are counting on Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, and Landen Roupp to return to their rotation and may seek additional help in the free agent and trade markets beyond Houser. Justin Verlander, who remains a free agent, made 29 starts for San Francisco this year while Houser has never made more than 26 starts in a season.
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Meanwhile, Foley, who saved 28 games for the Tigers in 2024 and underwent surgery in May, is the Giants’ other addition on Tuesday. The team did not disclose the terms of the contract, but Foley was not expected to command a significant salary after the Tigers designated him for assignment and non-tendered him in November.
In fact, it’s unlikely Foley will be ready to make his Giants debut until the summer, as most pitchers don’t return to the mound following shoulder surgery for at least 12 months.
Foley posted a 3.16 earned run average in 210 games for the Tigers over four seasons but was left off Detroit’s Opening Day roster in 2025 after a middling showing at spring training.
The decision stunned Foley, who was actually told ahead of a March exhibition game in San Francisco. In an interview with the Detroit Free-Press, Foley said (opens in new tab) he “would have thought that maybe the past three years of what I consider to be pretty darn good big-league pitching would have outweighed a moderately shaky spring.”
Foley didn’t return to the big leagues, instead undergoing surgery in May to repair his anterior capsule. The right-hander is a candidate to be placed on the 60-day injured list, which would allow the Giants to create an additional space on their 40-man roster in the spring.
The bargain additions of Houser and Foley come on the heels of an active first year for Posey, who signed shortstop Willy Adames to a seven-year, $182 million contract last December. In June, Posey traded four players for former Red Sox star Rafael Devers and the Giants took on the remaining eight-plus years and $250 million Boston owed the left-handed slugger.
Jason Foley saved 28 games for the Tigers in 2024. | Source: Tim Warner/Getty Images
Tuesday’s signings follow the early December addition of left-hander Sam Hentges, who is also recovering from major surgery. The moves indicate Buster Posey and the front office don’t plan to make significant financial investments in a bullpen that will be without 2025 All-Star Randy Rodríguez next year as he continues rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
Posey also traded set-up man Tyler Rogers and closer Camilo Doval ahead of the July 31 deadline. Rogers signed a three-year, $37 million deal with the Blue Jays last week, while Doval remains under contract with the Yankees entering 2026.
The Giants have a long list of pitchers on the 40-man roster who will compete for roles during Tony Vitello’s first spring with the club, but the team lacks veteran experience, particularly at the back end of the bullpen. Ryan Walker is the most experienced high-leverage reliever, with 28 career saves, but he lost his grip on the closer role in 2025.
Others returning to the mix in 2026 include José Buttó, who was acquired in the Rogers trade, left-hander Erik Miller, and righty Spencer Bivens. JT Brubaker, Matt Gage, Joel Peguero, and recent waiver claim Reiver Sanmartín all profile as relievers, while younger pitchers, including Blade Tidwell, Hayden Birdsong, Carson Seymour, Carson Whisenhunt, and Trevor McDonald, could audition as starters during spring training before ending up as relief options.
Another pitcher who could factor into the spring bullpen competition is Gregory Santos, who reportedly signed a minor league contract (opens in new tab) that includes a non-roster invitation to spring training. Santos, who made his MLB debut with the Giants in 2021, has appeared in just 16 games over the last two seasons due to multiple injuries.
While the Giants can’t count on Foley to help them at the beginning of the 2026 season, they anticipate the left-handed Hentges will be ready to go by the start of spring training. Hentges, 29, missed the entire 2025 season while recovering from shoulder surgery and had knee surgery in August.
Like Foley, Hentges has four seasons of major-league experience, appearing in 168 games for the Guardians. He posted a 2.32 ERA in 2022 and a 3.04 mark in 2024.
Vitello, like all MLB managers, will be judged closely on his ability to deploy his relievers in the right situations, but Posey and general manager Zack Minasian haven’t exactly stocked the clubhouse with pitchers likely to make the job easy.
Aside from watching Rogers sign with the Blue Jays, the Giants have declined to bid at the top of the free-agent reliever market as Edwin Díaz (Dodgers), Devin Williams (Mets), and Robert Suárez (Braves) have all found homes with National League clubs.