SAN FRANCISCO — For a second straight year, Adrian Houser signed a contract with a new organization as the holidays approached, but the circumstances this time around couldn’t be any different.

Houser agreed to a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers last offseason, one that would give him the chance to come to spring training and try to win a job. This time around, the only question is where he’ll slot into a big league rotation at the end of March.

The Giants and Houser agreed to a two-year deal last week, and on a Zoom call with beat reporters on Monday, he said the organization’s early interest made a difference as he looked for a new home.

“It was just coming down to knowing the talent was here, and then also the front office and Buster (Posey), they were pretty adamant and pretty consistent so far up to this point throughout the offseason, keeping in constant contact,” Houser said. “I could just tell they really wanted me and after sitting down and talking through it and everything, we felt like it was going to be a really good fit.”

For the Giants, the strong interest goes back to July, when Houser loomed as an appealing option to fill a hole in the rotation in the second half. Posey ended up going into sell mode, but the rotation still needs those innings, and the hope is that Houser is on an upward trajectory. The 32-year-old is coming off his best stint in the big leagues, and he said that success goes back to last offseason, when he couldn’t find a big league job. 

Houser worked with specialists in Oklahoma to make mechanical changes. He got more into his backside and changed the way he drives down a mound. He also got his hands further away from his body. 

“I just felt freed up,” he said. “It was coming out a lot easier.”

The success wasn’t immediate. Houser began the season in Triple-A and got released in May, but he found a new home in Chicago, posting a 2.10 ERA and 3.34 FIP in 11 starts for the White Sox. That led to a midseason trade to Tampa Bay, and while his ERA jumped to 4.79 after the deadline, he continued to show an uptick in stuff. 

Houser’s sinker averaged 95 mph in September, his highest mark in a month in six years. The pitch was up two ticks from 2024, and his entire repertoire saw similar jumps. His slider went from 83 mph to 88 mph after a grip change.

While players hit free agency and want to be rewarded for what they’ve done, teams are looking ahead and trying to find a player whose best days are ahead of him. The Giants believe that’s the case with Houser, and they certainly need to be right. To this point, he is the only addition to a rotation that finished 2025 with a big talent deficit. 

Houser currently slots in as either the third or fourth starter, although that could change with another free agent addition or trade. Regardless, he’s locked into a rotation this winter, and he said he’s doing many of the same things to prepare. A year ago, he embraced the carnivore diet and occasional 72-hour fasts to get his body ready for an important spring, and that has continued, along with the work on his mechanics. 

“I plan to go out there and make every start and go as deep as possible as I can in every game and try to come off the field every time with the team ahead and with a chance to win the game,” he said. 

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