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San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey speaks with members of the media during MLB\u2019s general manager meetings Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
John Locher\/Associated Press<\/p>\n
LAS VEGAS\u00a0\u2014 The general managers meetings in Las Vegas are abuzz with a sense of urgency.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Executives\u2019 schedules are more jam-packed than ever, their suites bustling with agent meetings end-on-end as baseball attempts to squeeze in as much offseason action before the collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1, anticipating an owners lockout that would freeze hot stove league activity.<\/p>\n
The San Francisco Giants<\/a> feel that pressure, knowing they\u2019ll need to fill gaps in the rotation and bullpen externally. There\u2019s hope internally that, because baseball is in a bit of a rush, that they\u2019ll make moves before November is over to shore up their pitching staff.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n And while the market heats up, the Giants\u2019 brass is also acknowledging a reality that they won\u2019t flip from a 97-loss team to true contender in 2027\u00a0\u2014 whenever the season begins.<\/p>\n While president of baseball operations Buster Posey<\/a> has been decisive in shoring up the roster with big-ticket players like Willy Adames<\/a> and Rafael Devers<\/a> since he took over in 2025, there\u2019s a sense the players who will star on the franchise\u2019s next great teams are developing in the minor leagues. Prognosticators rank the farm system\u00a0\u2014 once seen among the league\u2019s worst\u00a0\u2014 in the top five in baseball.<\/p>\n Josuar Gonzalez, Luis Hernandez, Jackson Flora, Jhonny Level and recently acquired pitcher Ramon Marquez are among the league\u2019s top 100 prospects (per MLB Pipeline\u2019s rankings). This offseason might be active for the Giants, but not at the expense of the future they\u2019re anticipating with those players.<\/p>\n Jackson Flora, the San Francisco Giants\u2019 2026 first-round pick, warms up before making his pro debut with the San Jose Giants in A-Ball at Chukchansi Park in Fresno, Calif. on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026.<\/p>\n Gary Kazanjian\/For the S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re trying to thread the needle, right?\u201d Posey said. \u201cYou\u2019re trying to thread the needle of having the big league team in the spot that they can win, but also understanding that some of our top players in our system are probably two or three years away. So, yeah, it\u2019s a balancing act.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The Giants have not gone into a full rebuild in decades. This is more of a quiet retooling that has been building over the last few years. But club officials are intent on putting a winning product on the field around the veterans they\u2019ve already invested in heavily.\u00a0<\/p>\n The needle they\u2019ll thread is finding free-agent pitchers that won\u2019t demand long-term contracts as well as pitchers without qualifying offers attached. That complicates their pursuit for a true closer because free agents David Bednar and Adrian Morejon received qualifying offers, which means signing either would cost the Giants both a draft pick and signing bonus money next year. That would interfere with their objective of assembling and developing more homegrown talent.<\/p>\n Those who met with the Giants during the GM meetings in Nevada sensed they were in a state of surveying the field before narrowing in on how they\u2019d pursue among the available\u00a0 pitchers. Industry sources indicate they\u2019ll pursue pitchers ready to sign short-term contracts, which in essence means they won\u2019t going after an available ace seeking a nine-figure deal, such as two-time Cy Young award-winner Tarik Skubal.<\/p>\n The Giants have checked in on right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta, who is close with Adames from their time together on the Milwaukee Brewers. Peralta, 30, struggled with the New York Mets last year, posting a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts, but a trade to the World Series-bound Tampa Bay Rays turned his season around.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Freddy Peralta throws a pitch against the Cleveland Guardians during Game 2 of an American League Championship Series in St. Petersburg, Fla. Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026.<\/p>\n Phelan M. Ebenhack\/Associated Press<\/p>\n The Rays tweaked Peralta\u2019s mechanics, reportedly making alterations to get him back to a delivery more like what he used with the Brewers. That helped him to post a 3.25 ERA over 10 regular season starts and a 2.95 ERA over 21 \u2153 innings in the postseason\u00a0\u2014 his lone blip was a five-run outing against his former team in the World Series. Overall, his 2026 strikeout rate of 21.4% between Mets and Rays was a career low.<\/p>\n Right-handed veteran starter Sonny Gray is also a free agent. He\u2019s also familiar with the Bay Area having played his first five seasons with the Oakland A\u2019s\u00a0\u2014 and perhaps that familiarity would give sway to him returning to the region in a different uniform. Gray is 37, but coming off a career-best 18-win season with the Boston Red Sox working with their pitching coach Andrew Bailey, formerly with the Giants, in which he recorded a 2.72 ERA over 29 starts.<\/p>\n The Giants could also reunite with Kevin Gausman, coming off an off year split between the Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs. The 36-year-old former Giants ace posted a 4.51 ERA over 177 \u2154 innings. His familiarity with San Francisco\u2019s organization could benefit both sides in an offseason of uncertainty.<\/p>\n The Giants have always struggled against Nick Pivetta, known for induced vertical break on his four-seam fastball that flummoxes hitters. Of concern is that Pivetta spent most of the 2026 season recovering from a flexor strain in his right elbow. He made just eight starts, posting a 2.86 ERA.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n On the relief market, Sean Newcomb will be a sought-after left-hander without a QO attached. He was a key contributor for a postseason-bound Chicago White Sox bullpen, recording a 3.07 ERA over 91 \u2153 innings of his own. He increased usage of a slurve that wound up one of the more valuable off-speed pitches in the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n They might also ponder a reunion with left-hander Steven Okert, who got his start in the Giants organization. The 35-year-old doesn\u2019t throw hard\u00a0\u2014 averaging 91 mph on his four-seamer\u00a0\u2014 but misses bats and controls the strike zone. He had a standout stint with the Astros, recording a 2.58 ERA over 139 \u2153 innings over the last two seasons with Houston.<\/p>\n But the Giants are in the market for a closer after suffering through the late-game instability that plagued them all year\u00a0\u2014 a clear result of starting the year without defined roles out of the pen or a closer ready for the responsibility.<\/p>\n \u201cThat would be ideal,\u201d Posey said on Wednesday of getting a closer. \u201cI do think the game\u2019s different now than it was 10, 15 or 20 years ago where now there\u2019s less defined closers that are just like, hey, you\u2019re our ninth-inning guy for whatever reason. I think some of it is because if the 2-3-4 hitters come up in the eighth, you\u2019re going to want to use your highest leverage arm there. But that would be ideal. Can we do it? That remains to be seen.\u201d<\/p>\n Of the free agents, Bednar and Raisel Iglesias are the experienced closers on the market. Iglesias doesn\u2019t have a qualifying offer attached and tallied 34 saves with a 2.55 ERA for the Atlanta Braves last year.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Journeyman Paul Sewald, 37, has closer experience but has struggled with injuries of late. He logged 24 saves with the Arizona Diamondbacks last year (despite a 6.23 ERA while allowing 12 homers in just 39 IP) before he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays and has 110 career saves. Left-hander Gregory Soto has closing experience and could be a target, too.<\/p>\n The trade market presents areas for further intrigue for the Giants. The farm system\u2019s improvement gives them leverage to swing an impactful swap. The front office has noticed a rising interest from other teams.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI would generally say yes,\u201d Posey said, asked if teams are calling more for their touted prospects. \u201cThe phone hasn\u2019t been ringing off the hook, either. So I\u2019ll be curious once we finish here (at the GM meetings), and everybody kind of gets their ducks in a row with free agent stuff, if it\u2019ll pick up a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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