Forget Adrian Morejon and David Bednar, these are the closers SF Giants will target

The SF Giants have a very obvious need for a closer. They struggled closing the door in the ninth inning in 2026 the few times they actually did have a lead entering the final inning and president of baseball operations Buster Posey has said publicly that the team is going to prioritize getting a closer in the offseason.

That’s a good start, but now comes the hard part which is actually landing one. While it’s fun to dream about David Bednar or Adrian Morejon shutting the door for San Francisco next season, the Giants would have to overpay both of them to get them to come to a team coming off such a bad season plus, as we covered yesterday, both pitchers received qualifying offers meaning the Giants would have to part with draft compensation and international bonus pool money by signing either of them.

It’s highly unlikely that the Giants are going to do that so fans should probably set their sights a little bit lower. Let’s take a look at some of the more realistic closer options who could end up shutting the door for San Francisco in 2027.

5 more realistic potential closers for Giants

Raisel Iglesias

A solid but older option would be Raisel Iglesias. He was an All-Star in 2026 for the Atlanta Braves and has 29 or more saves every season since 2023 with a collective regular season ERA of 2.60 in that span.

MLB Trade Rumors predicts he will get a one-year, $17 million deal and one of their writers even predicts he will go to the Giants. I think they’d probably have to give him $20 million to get the 36-year-old to leave Atlanta but he’s on the higher end of realistic options for the Giants.

Kenley Jansen

It has been a long and impressive career for Kenley Jansen. He is likely going to be in the Hall of Fame someday and if he chooses to pitch next year, which he likely will, he could record his 500th save as he currently has 498 career saves.

The Detroit Tigers just declined his option making him a free agent and he had a respectable 2026 with a 3.20 ERA in 45 innings as he converted 22 of 28 save opportunities.

If San Francisco gave the 39-year-old a one-year deal in the $10-12 million range they could probably get him. It would be like the Giants signing Justin Verlander in 2025 except this time it would be for a closer.

Emilio Pagan

The last two seasons Emilio Pagan has been a solid closer. He recorded 32 saves and had a 2.88 ERA in 2025 and then in 2026 he had a 3.38 ERA along with 25 saves. He declined his $10 million player option with the Cincinnati Reds so if the Giants could give him a raise and sign him to a $12 or $13 million deal he’d be a solid option for the ninth.

Pete Fairbanks

It was a rough 2026 for Pete Fairbanks. He had a 6.31 ERA with the Miami Marlins after he was really solid as the closer of the Tampa Bay Rays from 2023 to 2025 with 75 saves and a 2.98 ERA in that span. He could probably be had for $8-10 million but his 2026 struggles would loom large.

Carlos Estevez

In 2025, Carlos Estevez was an All-Star for the Kansas City Royals and had 42 saves along with a 2.45 ERA. In 2026 he made one appearance and only recorded one out while allowing six earned runs and then went on the IL with a foot issue. Then he suffered a rotator cuff injury during his rehab and missed the rest of the season. 

Now he is a free agent and while the Giants probably shouldn’t bank on him being their Opening Day closer since he’s coming off a major injury, maybe they could sign him to a two-year deal hoping he returns to his 2025 form in 2028. 

These options may not be the most satisfying, but these mid-tier options are going to be the most realistic fits for a Giants team that is most likely not going to throw a bunch of money at a closer.

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