Free agent pitchers the SF Giants desperately need to avoid this offseason

It’s no secret that the SF Giants are going to be players in the pitching market this offseason. It remains to be seen how aggressive they will be as they desperately need both starting pitching depth and to rebuild the bullpen.

The Giants started off 2025 with arguably seven solid starters and the best bullpen in baseball, but a combination of injuries, underperformance, and dealing away talent led to an absolute implosion of the entire pitching staff not named Webb or Verlander.

While fans would love to see the Giants spend big and sign the best pitchers on the market, here are a few pitchers the Giants should steer clear of…

SF Giants must avoid these pitchers in free agency

Zac Gallen

Gallen will be on the wrong side of 30, and since his All-Star appearance in 2023, has struggled to regain his form that saw him finish third in Cy Young voting that same year. While some may argue that he can eat innings (192 IP in 2025, and an obvious need for the Giants), Gallen struggled with the long ball and missing bats, finishing with 1.5 homers per 9 (the highest of his career, and 8.2 K’s per 9 (the lowest of his career. While it may feel good to steal the so-called ace from a division rival, Gallen seems to be on the decline and other 30-year-old options like Dylan Cease and Ranger Suarez would provide better albeit possibly more expensive fills for the rotation.

Devin Williams

Relievers are a fickle breed, but the warning lights were blaring all season for Williams. After three straight seasons of sub-2 ERAs and a reputation of arguably the best reliever in all of baseball, Williams’s ERA ballooned to 4.79 for a -0.3 WAR. His ERA+ plummeted from an astounding 338 in 2024 to an abysmal 85 in what will likely be his only season with the Yankees. The Giants in the past have had a reputation for reclamation projects, and it could be argued that the former Rookie of the Year just needs to escape the Big Apple. However, if one just scans across his Baseball Reference page, there are just too many red flags to justify signing Williams when the Giants are desperate to improve their late innings situation.

Ryan Helsley

When playoff teams are marching out three or four relievers a game that can pump in 100 mph plus, it would be easy for the Giants to fall in love with a top five reliever in average velocity like Helsley. However, after a league leading 49 saves in 2024, there seems to be too many chinks in the armor developing. After being traded to the Mets, Helsey was removed from his normal closer position and posted a dreadful 57 ERA+ and failed to reach double digit K’s/9 for the first time since 2021. Like Williams, Helsley just seemed lost in New York, but bright lights aside, while the Giants need some heat at the back end of their bullpen, the juice may not be worth the squeeze on this one.

Expect San Francisco to sign a free agent pitcher or two, let's just hope they stay away from these riskier options.