SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants’ announcement on Tuesday that they had signed right-handed reliever Jason Foley included an important update on the health of his shoulder and plenty of information to show why this could end up being a very savvy move. But what was missing from the announcement also was notable.
The Giants came home from the Winter Meetings in Orlando with a full 40-man roster, and while Foley will almost certainly start the season on the 60-day IL, that move can’t be made until the spring, means they soon will need to announce who is being taken off the roster for Foley. The same will be true once the ink is dry on the two-year deal they have agreed to with right-handed starter Adrian Houser.
For a team that’s most interesting offseason move coming into Tuesday had been DFA’ing former top prospect Marco Luciano, cutting two more players loose is no small thing, and that’s part of what stood out from the busiest day of the Giants’ offseason so far. Foley and Houser fill important holes for the 2026 roster, but right now, the biggest question is: What’s next?
Will a big-name starting pitcher be added in the weeks ahead, pushing Houser to the No. 5 spot in the rotation? Will the front office complement Foley with another free-agent right-hander with closing experience, one who will actually be available on Opening Day? Will the additions to the 40-man lead to a big trade this week?
The Giants have added a solid collection of big leaguers to their roster this offseason, but the fan base is waiting for the splash, and the roster still needs it.
Houser is coming off the best year of his career, having posted a 3.31 ERA and 3.81 FIP across 21 starts for the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays. He was so good in Chicago early in the year that he was on the radar as a sensible trade deadline addition for the Giants before they went in the tank in July and ended up selling.
Houser’s velocity was up nearly two ticks last season, and while he turns 33 in February, there aren’t that many miles on his arm. At $11 million per year, he’s a reasonable option for the back end of the rotation, and the Giants needed another veteran to throw ahead of their collection of young starters, many of whom looked not quite ready for prime time last summer. Houser also has plenty of relief experience, including as recently as 2024, so there’s a fallback option.
Right now, though, he’s right there with Landen Roupp in the middle of the rotation, and the Giants would feel a lot better about their chances if those two lined up as four and five in some order instead of three and four. They have signaled that they don’t want to give out a nine-figure deal to a starting pitcher, and their preference would be to sign a player without a qualifying offer attached, but given how little they’ve spent so far — less than $15 million has been added to the 2026 roster — they still have the flexibility to add another frontline arm.
When it comes to bullpen spending, you don’t even have to read between any lines. Every time team officials have been asked about rebuilding the bullpen this offseason, they have gone straight to minor-league free agents, non-roster invitees, and high-upside projects like Foley and right-hander Gregory Santos, who reportedly is returning on a minor-league deal.
The 30-year-old Foley missed all of last season after having right shoulder surgery and the Giants don’t expect him back on the mound until the middle of the 2026 season. If he comes back healthy, though, Foley could be a serious weapon for new manager Tony Vitello.
Foley has a 3.16 ERA in the big leagues and saved 28 games for the Detroit Tigers in 2024. He has a groundball rate of 54 percent, which is three percent below Logan Webb’s career rate, but Foley gets all those balls on the dirt with a sinker that has touched 100 mph.
On the surface, this was a move right out of the Farhan Zaidi playbook, except that ignores the fact that assistant general manager Jeremy Shelley has been successful with these kinds of bets for years. With two years of club control after 2026, the Foley deal could end up being one of the steals of the offseason if he comes back healthy.
That last part is the key, though. The roster doesn’t have an obvious closer for Opening Day, and with Luke Weaver reportedly agreeing to a deal with the New York Mets on Wednesday morning, the list of available relievers with closing experience has gotten very, very short.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Foley closing games for the Giants at some point next year, but right now, he’s on the mend. Sam Hentges, signed earlier this offseason, also is recovering from shoulder surgery, although he should be cleared by the time pitchers and catchers report to camp.
The Giants have added talent to their bullpen, but much more is needed. They have added some depth to their rotation, but more is needed there, too. Tuesday was a step in the right direction and they’re certainly better than they were a week ago, but as the holidays approach, they still have a simple question to answer. What’s next?
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