SF Giants have perfect opportunity to lure a pitcher from either Padres or D-Backs

It’s all about the pitching when it comes to the SF Giants this offseason. With the Winter Meetings looming, the hope is to gain traction in the pitching market. It’s been reported that the Giants are looking to more cost efficient arms and there are two arms that the team could look to lure in from either the Arizona Diamondbacks or San Diego Padres. 

SF Giants can lure pitchers from NL West rivals

It was a question posed by the Sleeper Giants social media account, but it does make you think: Would you rather sign Zac Gallen or Michael King? These two pitchers fit the bill in terms of being more on the cost efficient side of things. Gallen is projected to get a contract for four years and $79.4 million, whereas King is projected to get four years and $92 million. 

The Giants missed their window and couldn’t pounce on the Cody Ponce deal. However, adding either King or Gallen would immediately give the rotation a boost right in the middle of it. The deals these two pitchers would be likely to sign are very much on the affordable side of things and much lower than a Tatsuya Imai or even Framber Valdez. So, let’s dive into what makes each pitcher appealing. 

Michael King

What reliever doesn’t want to be a starter? In his time with the New York Yankees, King was used as a reliever and constantly approached skipper Aaron Boone with his desire to wanting to be a starter. It never came, but when he was part of the Juan Soto trade he was pushed into the rotation in San Diego and he showed why he belonged in that role with the Padres. 

2024 was his largest workload, as he pitched 173.2 innings and was effective. In 30 starts, King finished the season with a 2.95 ERA, a 3.33 FIP, and a 1.19 WHIP. King was a strikeout machine, piling up 201 strikeouts and averaging 10.42 K/9. There was a lot to love about this type of season. He limited hard contact, didn’t get barreled to death, got batters to chase outside the zone, and his swing and miss game was on point. The only knock on him was his walks, as he ranked in the 36th percentile for walk rate. His sinker was great, and his changeup ended him being his best pitch by run value in 2024 with eight. 

King couldn’t build upon that 2024 breakout in 2025. He dealt with numerous injuries and when he was able to return he could never find any rhythm. He wasn’t missing bats as much, walks piled up, and he was susceptible to hard contact. A Padres rotation that got bogged down with injuries could have used him.

There is a lot to love about King. His offspeed pitches are his bread and butter and if he is anything like his 2024 season, that would be a major win for this Giants rotation. 

Zac Gallen

The Giants signing Gallen almost feels like fate at this point as they have reportedly expressed interest in him. He would certainly welcome pitching in a pitcher-friendly ballpark after so many years in the more hitter-friendly Chase Field with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Gallen did have the worst year of his career, though, as he gave up his most home runs in a single season, had his highest career ERA, and struggled overall with missing bats. 

The good news is that Gallen was able to implement a two-seam fastball into his repertoire and it allowed him to command the baseball better and improve his results. Gallen ended the year strong and the echoed support from his manager Torey Lovullo spoke volumes. Gallen ended the season as the pitcher we’ve all grown to love over the years. 

One positive from 2025 is that Gallen improved his walk rate compared to 2024, going from 8.7% to 8.1%. However, the strikeout rate dropped, but he does have a 25.6% strikeout rate for his career. You can say this was an outlier year for Gallen, who from 2022-24 had ERA’s of 2.54, 3.47, and 3.65.

If he can refine his secondary pitches and dial them in more, Gallen is back on track to what he’s been doing the last three seasons. Given the defense he would have behind him, he would benefit from it and would likely have good results as well. 

These two pitchers are both very good options, but only one likely to join the Giants. Who would you want donning the black and orange?