SF Giants may have already been priced out of closer market after lucrative deal

The SF Giants may be in the market for a closer this offseason, but if they are it is not going to come cheap. The Atlanta Braves just re-signed closer Raisel Iglesias to a one-year, $16 million deal which may already price the Giants out of the market.

Iglesias is a solid closer, but he is not thought of as one of the most elite relievers in the game by any stretch. He has never made an All-Star Game and he struggled a bit in 2025, going through some rough patches although his numbers did not look that terrible by the end of the season.

SF Giants may already be priced out of closer market

In 70 appearances he had a 3.21 ERA and recorded 29 saves as he struck out 73 batters in 67 and 1/3 innings. He is 35 years old as well so it is a bit of a risk to sign him at that cost, but that is probably why the Braves only gave him a one-year deal.

Yet, if Iglesias is getting that sort of contract, then imagine what the likes of Robert Suarez or Edwin Diaz will command in free agency. Both are All-Star closers with great numbers who will probably get multi-year deals worth more than $20 million per season.

The same could be said for a reliever like Devin Williams who, even coming off a rough year with the New York Yankees, was once regarded as one of the best relievers in the game. He too will probably get a large contract.

The Giants have been connected to Williams, but with how this closer market is shaping up it would not be a surprise if the Giants opted for a different approach.

President of baseball operations Buster Posey has already suggested that the Giants may go for a competition at closer to see who will come out on top which would seem to shut the door on paying top dollar for a big closer who is the unquestioned guy in the ninth inning.

San Francisco's approach may involved signing a lot of arms on relatively cheap contracts and seeing who can emerge from that bunch as a reliable closer.

Given the fact that the Giants have been burned by signing a high-priced closer before, this may turn out to be a prudent approach.

Some fans may want the Giants to splurge on a late-inning arm, but Posey's comments coupled with the opening salvo in what figures to be an expensive closer market may preclude the Giants from doing that.