5 free agents who should be on SF Giants' radar to build back rotation depth

The SF Giants can’t stop losing pitchers to injury. Thankfully they only have three more games left this season but they have lost four young starters to Tommy John surgery this season. They still have some starting pitcher depth, but they’re obviously going to have to make some additions to the rotation in the offseason.

Let’s assume that Logan Webb, Landen Roupp, and Adrian Houser will all be in the rotation next year. Houser may be a little debatable but he did pitch much better by the end if the season before he landed on the IL.

That still leaves two open spots in the rotation. Maybe one of those is reserved for someone like Kevin Gausman or Hiromi Itoh, but knowing this ownership group and front office the other addition will probably be a cheaper one.

So let’s take a look at the upcoming offseason bargain bin and see which pitchers could be had on a more affordable, one-year sort of deal.

5 bargain pitchers SF Giants could sign to pad out rotation

Michael Lorenzen

Lorenzen pitched for two teams this season and neither stint went very well. He put up a collective 7.21 ERA between his time with the Colorado Rockies and Toronto Blue Jays. That’s why he’s a free agent before the offseason even began. 

Maybe one can argue that pitching in Coors Field really hurt him and that Oracle Park would help him get back on track. A lot of Giants fans would rightfully be suspicious of that argument, but he may be a reclamation project they try to pick up on the cheap.

Chris Bassitt

Veteran righty Chris Bassitt has a 4.64 ERA on the season in 97 innings pitched. He’s always given me a similar vibe to Ross Stripling which is not a positive for Giants fans, but he put up respectable numbers from 2023 to 2025 with the Toronto Blue Jays so maybe he’d be more like that version of himself.

Zac Gallen

It’s been a rough year for Zac Gallen. Remember when there were predictions he’d get a three-year deal last offseason? Any team that was considering that must be breathing a huge sigh of relief as he has a 6.12 ERA on the season for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

He could be had on a more affordable one-year deal if the Giants feel that he can get back on track with a change of scenery. 

David Peterson

While David Peterson struggled early in the season with the New York Mets, he has done much better since being traded to the Chicago Cubs. In 75 innings with Chicago he has a 3.94 ERA so he could be a respectable rotation addition.

Tyler Mahle

Well, he looks so good with the Atlanta Braves that maybe the Giants decide they want him back after trading him away. Mahle has pitched great with Atlanta and while he was pitching better towards the end of his time with the Giants, the fact that he’s taken such a step forward makes one wonder why the Giants weren’t able to unlock that version of him. He won't necessarily be cheap now, but maybe he could be had on a one or two-year deal.

If the Giants added two of these guys and called it an offseason after seeing how 2026 played out, there would probably be a revolt. One could even make the argument that the Giants should just let one of their younger pitchers like Cesar Perdomo, Yunior Marte, Matt Wilkinson, or Anthony Molina have the No. 5 spot in the rotation, but they do need some depth because they learned this season just how easily young pitchers can blow out their arms.

So expect the Giants to sign an uninspiring pitcher in the offseason. If they don't make more substantive changes the move will be mocked, but don't expect them to land Tarik Skubal and Freddy Peralta.

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