The San Francisco Giants head into free agency with holes in the starting rotation and bullpen. Buster Posey brought the team their new manager (Tony Vitello) early in the free agency cycle to prepare the team for chasing free agents. I’ve listed five names that I think the Giants should pursue if they want to improve this offseason.
San Francisco Giants Free Agent Targets
1. The Ace in Houston
Framber Valdez is one of the best pitchers in baseball and has been dominating teams in Houston. He finished this past season with a 3.66 ERA, 8.77 K/9, and a 58.5% ground ball percentage. His fastball sits at an average velocity of 95, and he doesn’t get barreled with a 6.7% barrel percentage against batters. Valdez is one of 11 pitchers to have an XFIP below 3.35 last season.
The stats say he’s elite, and the eye test backs it up, but is it worth giving a 32-year-old a large contract? FanGraphs projects Valdez to receive a contract of around 5 years $140 M. Around $28 million per season is a lot of money to have on the books for a pitcher that could start to lose some velocity in his pitches as he ages. It’s a tough decision for Posey and the front office to make. If they do end up pursuing Valdez at the bare minimum, they’ll get three elite seasons from the pitcher, which will be enough to help them return to the playoffs.
2. Japan’s next Star Pitcher?
Tatsuya Imai is the best pitcher coming from Japan and could make an immediate impact with the Giants. He finished last season in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) with a 1.92 ERA, an FIP of 2.01, and a K/9 of 9.79.
Across the 2022-25 seasons, Imai halved his walk rate and improved his fastball velocity even as his innings count grew north of 160 frames. He’s had four consecutive seasons with an ERA under 2.50. FanGraphs experts believe he has a similar ceiling to Zac Gallen and Michael King. FanGraphs has him projected to receive a contract of around 5 years $100M. At 27 years old, this might end up being a bargain for a guy that could be a dominant starting pitcher at Oracle Park.
3. A veteran presence for the pitchers
Max Scherzer would be a fantastic addition to the starting rotation and a great veteran presence to help the young pitchers on the roster. Scherzer, although no longer in his prime, is still a quality starter who can provide some solid innings. Giants manager Vitello has a strong connection to Scherzer (as his former pitching coach at Scherzer’s alma mater), speaking highly of the pitcher.
Vitello said, “He’s incredibly smart. People who don’t know him probably need an adjustment period to understand where he’s coming from, and then they understand in a hurry. Everything for this guy is about improvement and being as good as he could possibly be, and he wants to help others, not just himself, be in that position. It becomes a powerful force in a clubhouse.”
Scherzer would help Vitello lead the ball club as a close friend and an extreme veteran presence. At the major league level, Scherzer is the expert compared to his rookie manager. It’d be a great addition if they could pry him away from Toronto.
4. Time to bring back an old friend
Tyler Rogers is one of the best relievers in baseball, and the Giants might have a chance of bringing him back to the Bay. After trading him to the Mets this past season, Roger’s contract is up, and for the first time in his career, he can choose anywhere he wants to go. Rogers was drafted by the Giants in 2013 and made his debut with the team in 2019, a total of 12 years with San Francisco. The Giants would be remiss to not consider bringing Rogers back on a one-year deal.
He finished last year with a 1.98 ERA, a 2.3% walk percentage, and he left 78.9% of his runners on base. Rogers was elite at not walking batters and keeping runners put, preventing runs. The Giants sold their bullpen away at last year’s trade deadline and should look to strengthen that unit with the return of Rogers.
Take advantage of free agency
Whoever the Giants actually plan on pursuing, they need to take advantage of the coming months to improve this roster. Their starting rotation, as it currently sits, is not close to enough to become a playoff or even a world series-winning team. This will be another test for Posey if he can attract a big fish to San Francisco and a test of ownership if they’re willing to put in the money for the Giants to win.
Main Image: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
