Breaking down SF Giants' best closer options in free agency to shore up 9th inning

The SF Giants didn’t sign a closer last offseason. That decision came back to bite them as they’ve had a revolving door of ninth-inning arms throughout the season and the results have been quite ugly.

General manager Zack Minasian was roundly mocked when he went on KNBR recently and said that the bullpen’s numbers haven’t been that bad outside of the ninth inning. That remark may give some insight into how the Giants will address the bullpen in the offseason, though.

They probably won’t tear it all down and start over as several arms like Dylan Smith, Sam Hentges, and Jason Foley figure to be back, but maybe they will go out and at least sign a legitimate closer to address the ninth inning and then address the rest of the bullpen through waiver claims or minor league contracts.

If that’s the strategy they do employ, let’s dive into some of the potential options in free agency. Signing a big closer is always a risk, as Buster Posey reminded us on KNBR earlier in the season, but after how bad the bullpen has been this year the Giants cannot just run it back. That’s why they may target one of these options.

The pricier, high end closer options for the Giants

David Bednar

The Giants already have one Bednar in the organization in Will Bednar, so why not add his brother David who just so happens to be one of the best closers in MLB.

This season with the New York Yankees he has a 2.66 ERA in 60 appearances. He has converted 34 of his 37 save opportunities so he’s reliable and would be a proven option to turn to in the ninth. Yankees legend Mariano Rivera even said Bednar reminds him of himself.

Of course, the Giants thought the same thing when they signed Mark Melancon and that signing didn’t work out at all so they know it’s a roll of the dice even with a reliever as solid as Bednar who seems likely to earn in the neighborhood of $15 million per season.

Adrian Morejon

We recently looked at how the Giants could poach Adrian Morejon from the San Diego Padres, but he would be another pricey option. He has been elite the last few seasons and this year he sports a 2.87 ERA in 81 and 2/3 innings with 100 strikeouts. 

He’s not had much success as a closer so it would be risky to give him a ton of money when he hasn’t proven he can shut the door consistently, but there’s reason to believe he could thrive once he figure it out. 

Raisel Iglesias

It’s been another solid season for Atlanta Braves closer Raisel Iglesias. He has a 2.78 ERA on the year and has converted 32 of 35 save opportunities. He signed a one-year, $16 million deal with Atlanta last offseason and he will probably sign a similar contract.

Cheaper closer options for the Giants

Kenley Jansen

If the Giants don’t want to spend as much on a closer, then Kenley Jansen wouldn’t be a terrible option. He’s close to 500 career saves and it would be funny if a guy who will probably go into Cooperstown with the Los Angeles Dodgers hit that mark as a Giant.

He has spent 2026 with the Detroit Tigers and he hasn’t been awful, with a 3.43 ERA in 42 innings, but he’s only converted 20 out of 26 save opportunities. That’s one of the lowest conversion rates of his career so maybe at the age of 38 he’s losing it a bit.

The Tigers have a club option that they probably won’t pick up so the Giants could probably get him for around $10 million next season.

Pete Fairbanks

While signing Pete Fairbanks and calling it an offseason might lead to a revolt from fans since he’s had an injury-plagued season and sports a 6.31 ERA on the year, he would come at a discount. The Giants love relievers coming off injury, but he was a solid closer for the Tampa Bay Rays from 2023 to 2025 so maybe he can recapture that form if he gets healthy.

The Giants need a closer which means they’re going to have to spend some money. We will see if they get one of these options or someone else, but they need to enter 2027 with a clear closer. 

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