Ex-Guardians hurler Carlos Hernández could be a potential reclamation project for SF Giants

Ahead of the most interesting World Series matchup in recent memory, two journeyman pitchers - Connor Brogdon and Carlos Hernández - elected free agency, adding themselves to what looks like a very thin free agent class behind Tarik Skubal. Having a larger pool of pitchers to choose from can only benefit the Giants, who don't have any significant needs in the position player department but could stand to add at least four or five pitchers, at least a few of whom can make starts when needed.

One such piece is Carlos Hernández, who would come very cheap and definitely would not be one of the headline pieces the Giants add this offseason. He'd be cheap for a reason - he hasn't had a season with more than 0.3 WAR since 2021, and between 2025-26 he has produced a 6.22 ERA in 46.1 innings between three teams.

Hernández hasn't had much success, but the stuff is there

Though his career 4.42 FIP outpaces his career 5.14 ERA, his strikeout and walk rates - 20.1% and 11.1%, respectively - are both below-average. The Giants already employ a staff full of pitchers who walk too many batters, so this addition wouldn't help that issue.

There are reasons to at least take a flyer on Hernández, though. He's further removed from a scary car accident in which his right leg and left arm were fractured last January, and he still features a blazing fastball that averages 98.4 mph. In that sense he's very similar to a current Giants reclamation project, Anthony Molina - above-average velocity, below-average strikeout and walk rates. Both of them have also been used as relievers and starters at different points of their careers.

In a small sample, Molina looked solid in his initial foray in the orange and black, putting up a 3.72 ERA, 25.2 K% and 5.2 BB% in 29 innings over six games and five starts. That ERA and strikeout percentage would have been career-bests over a full season, though we're talking about someone who has only 128.1 career innings to his name. Molina is 24, so he could potentially be a more interesting long-term piece than the 29-year-old Hernández, though Hernández does have more major league experience.

In addition to the fastball which Hernández throws 54.9% of the time, he also features a splitter, slider and knuckle-curve. He's a flyball pitcher, with his 42.6 career FB% outpacing the MLB average of roughly 35%, so Oracle Park could be something of an ideal landing spot for him. He also probably wouldn't get too many opportunities to start on other teams, so if that's an important consideration for him personally, than San Francisco would become an even more attractive destination.

Signing Hernández wouldn't make for an eye-popping headline, but with how many pitchers the Giants lost to injury this year, it's clear they will have to rely on a multitude of different pieces just to make it through the grueling 162-game schedule next year. Fans are clamoring for Buster Posey and Giants ownership to show real urgency this offseason, and one or two new pitchers won't be enough. So on top of a few more substantial additions, why not a small one like this that could potentially be a bargain find.

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