SF Giants News: Houser, cheap bullpen arms, hope for another starter

The SF Giants finally made some moves as they added some pitchers on Tuesday. There is also some hope that they are not done adding so maybe these will be the first of several moves as the Giants look to improve their roster.

SF Giants News: Houser, cheap bullpen arms, hope for another starter

Adding Houser

The Giants have a new rotation arm in Adrian Houser. They signed him to a two-year, $22 million contract with a club option for a third year. It is not the most exciting signing, but Houser provides a little more stability to the rotation.

Last season with the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays he had a 3.31 ERA in 21 starts. He did not allow a single run in two starts against the Giants so they know he can deal when he is on.

Fans clamoring for Tatsuya Imai or Framber Valdez may turn their nose at a modest signing like Houser, but that may just be the reality of the team's offseason. The team does not want to commit a lot of money to one starter, but there may be some hope they will add a higher-priced arm.

New (and old) bullpen arms

Houser was not the only arm the Giants added on Tuesday. They also added right-handed reliever Jason Foley and right-handed reliever Gregory Santos.

Foley is coming off surgery and likely will not be back until mid-season so he is a reinforcement that will come later on. However, the last time he pitched in the big leagues was in 2024 when he had 28 saves and a 3.15 ERA for the Detroit Tigers.

Santos is a familiar face as he made his big league debut with the Giants back in 2021. He dealt with injuries the last two seasons with the Seattle Mariners, but the Giants are hoping the flamethrower can stay healthier going forward and can contribute to the bullpen which is why they gave him a minor league contract with an invite to spring training.

Hope for another arm

After the Houser signing, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported on social media that the Giants, "remain in the market for another starter, potentially a front-of-the-rotation type." That at least leaves the door open for the Giants to sign a more exciting starter.

It still seems unlikely that the Giants will splurge on a big name pitcher, but maybe they will try to get a solid third starter to slot behind Logan Webb and Robbie Ray while having Landen Roupp and Houser as the No. 4 and No. 5 in the rotation.

It's been a quiet offseason so far for the Giants, but maybe these somewhat minor moves are a prelude to some bigger action this winter.