{"id":507276,"date":"2026-01-06T02:16:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T02:16:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/507276\/"},"modified":"2026-01-06T02:16:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T02:16:13","slug":"the-giants-keep-adding-but-they-could-still-use-a-big-offseason-splash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/507276\/","title":{"rendered":"The Giants keep adding, but they could still use a big offseason splash"},"content":{"rendered":"

Want more ways to catch up on the latest in Bay Area sports? Sign up for the Section 415 email newsletter here<\/a> and subscribe to the Section 415 podcast wherever you listen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It never seemed realistic that the Giants would halt efforts to beef up their rotation. The addition of Adrian Houser<\/a> gave them four dependable starters, and that wasn\u2019t going to be enough, because there\u2019s no sure thing among the team\u2019s young group of starters seeking big-league jobs.<\/p>\n

So the Giants kept looking and found another starter on the open market when signing 31-year-old Tyler Mahle for one year and $10 million, a contract that was made official Monday.<\/p>\n

Mahle made 16 starts with Texas last season and posted a career-best 2.18 ERA but was on the injured list from June 12 to Sept. 18 with a rotator cuff problem. He underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2023, which shelved him until August 2024, and hasn\u2019t made more than 20 starts since 2022.<\/p>\n

Mahle assured reporters Monday that his health is the best it has been in years and said he brought a curve back into his arsenal to use against righties. He plans to use proper mechanics unlike those that he thinks led to injuries in the past.<\/p>\n

\u201cI expect to make all my starts,\u201d Mahle said.<\/p>\n

The question is whether the Giants will find one more starter. They need far more depth than they exhibited last season, and it would serve them well to continue adding to a rotation that includes Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Landen Roupp, Houser, and Mahle. Especially with Mahle\u2019s injury history including with his elbow and shoulder.<\/p>\n

So far, the Giants haven\u2019t made a big splash with a free agent or a trade. Granted, Houser got a two-year, $22 million deal, but until further notice, Webb and Ray could use more help. Plenty of pitchers remain available, and there\u2019s still time to add significant talent before spring training opens next month.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if we\u2019re ever done,\u201d general manager Zack Minasian said of building the roster. \u201cI think we\u2019re very comfortable with the five that we have and then the bundle of arms behind them now to say that our depth is in a much better spot than it was at the beginning of the offseason. We\u2019re happy with where we\u2019re at. We\u2019ll keep working at it but I do think this is a solid five-man rotation going into the spring.\u201d<\/p>\n

For many free agents, the market has been slow. Even at the top end with starters Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, and Zac Gallen, all unsigned. On the hitters\u2019 side, outfielders Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger, either of whom would fit in nicely in the Giants\u2019 lineup (at a steep price), and infielders Alex Bregman and Bo Bichette, remain available.<\/p>\n

One elite free agent the Giants took a pass on is Tatsuya Imai, a Japanese right-hander who signed with the Astros for three years and $54 million, a deal that can reach $63 million with incentives.<\/p>\n

Evidently, the Giants and other clubs didn\u2019t value Imai as highly as supposed experts predicting a nine-figure contract. With his Houston deal, he can opt out after either of his first two seasons, and if he opts out after one year, the Astros would be on the hook for nearly $30 million, including a $2 million signing bonus and $9.975 million posting fee.<\/p>\n

Apparently, it was too much for other teams to take on.<\/p>\n

Asked about Imai, Minasian wouldn\u2019t provide specifics about the pitcher but said, \u201cWhen it comes to free agency, it\u2019s on us as a front office to evaluate the talent available and make recommendations, and our ownership has been extremely supportive of the recommendations we make.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the Giants signed Houser, Minasian said the Giants still were looking to improve the rotation but suggested it wasn\u2019t a \u201ctotal necessity\u201d to keep adding starters if only because of the young pitchers coming up. It\u2019s an ample albeit unproven lot: Carson Whisenhunt, Hayden Birdsong, Kai-Wei Teng, Trevor McDonald, Carson Seymour, and Blade Tidwell, who pitched at Tennessee under new Giants manager Tony Vitello.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s ever a good idea to stop looking,\u201d Minasian said, \u201cbut we feel good about the five and the arms beyond them, and some of those arms could factor into the bullpen. We used 15 starters last year. I think there\u2019s an opportunity for guys to still step up and be major contributors to the pitching staff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mahle came highly recommended from Giants adviser Bruce Bochy, who managed him last year in Texas and made a strong case for signing him during the winter meetings.<\/p>\n

Living with his wife and two young children in Southern California, Mahle was hoping to pitch on the West Coast, and he said he likes everything about the Giants, from the ballpark to the colors \u2013 \u201cgood team, great catcher [Patrick Bailey].\u201d<\/p>\n

Most important is for Mahle to post and stay clear of the injured list. He plans to rely on improved mechanics to keep his shoulder and elbow intact. He said he was shelved last season after regrettably trying to tweak his mechanics to help with his fastball. It backfired and put so much stress on his shoulder that he spent three months on the IL.<\/p>\n

He came back in September and made two strong starts and now says, \u201cI think I can carry over what I was doing with the Giants and hopefully get better.\u201d<\/p>\n

The front office was convinced enough to make the $10 million investment. Mahle will enter his 10th season with his fourth team. His best year was 2021 in Cincinnati when he made 33 starts and posted a 3.75 ERA while striking out 210 batters in 180 innings. However, he made just 28 over the past four seasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be foolish for us to not recognize it\u2019s a risk, obviously. There\u2019s a history there,\u201d Minasian said. \u201cNow, we do a lot of due diligence and have a lot of conversations with our medical group. We believe where Tyler\u2019s at. So there\u2019s some confidence we\u2019ll get more innings than he\u2019s thrown.\u201d<\/p>\n

Giants in Venezuela<\/p>\n

Minasian said the Giants\u2019 players currently in Venezuela are safe and that the club will continue to monitor them amid the country\u2019s uncertainty following the U.S. raid on Caracas and capture of president Nicol\u00e1s Maduro over the weekend.<\/p>\n

Assistant GM Jeremy Shelly contacted the agents for outfielder Luis Matos and catcher Jes\u00fas Rodr\u00edguez, who were playing in the Venezuelan winter leagues, which were paused because of the unrest.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt sounds like everyone\u2019s doing fine,\u201d Minasian said, \u201cand hopefully it stays that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another Venezuelan, Jos\u00e9 Butt\u00f3, is in Florida. Wilmer Flores, a Giant the past seven seasons, is a free agent.<\/p>\n

One more player the Giants are keeping an eye on is shortstop Luis Hernandez, a highly touted prospect who\u2019s supposed to sign with the Giants on or shortly after Jan. 15, the first day of the international signing period. Hernandez, 17, is considered the top international free agent.<\/p>\n

Gathering in South Korea<\/p>\n

A huge contingent of Giants officials is in South Korea to promote the team and celebrate center fielder Jung Hoo Lee.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want the Giants to be big players in Asia, and hopefully this is an opportunity to give back a little bit,\u201d Minasian said.<\/p>\n

Among the officials to make the trip: president of baseball operations Buster Posey and shortstop Willy Adames, both of whom were seen on social media signing autographs. Also: Larry Baer and representatives from the baseball operations and business departments. Vitello was on his way.<\/p>\n

A clinic was planned for a couple of high schools, and Posey and Minasian were to meet with the KBO commissioner. Also, Lee was to take the entire contingent out to dinner for Korean barbecue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Want more ways to catch up on the latest in Bay Area sports? Sign up for the Section…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":507277,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2408],"tags":[5,6595,162,4,378,66,4343,4340,4344,4341,4342,185],"class_list":{"0":"post-507276","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-francisco-giants","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-buster-posey","10":"tag-giants","11":"tag-mlb","12":"tag-san-francisco","13":"tag-san-francisco-giants","14":"tag-sanfrancisco","15":"tag-sanfranciscogiants","16":"tag-sf","17":"tag-sf-giants","18":"tag-sfgiants","19":"tag-sports"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/115845751360814705","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=507276"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507276\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/507277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=507276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=507276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=507276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}