SF Giants reportedly strike a Thanksgiving deal to add a former Guardians reliever

The SF Giants have struck a deal on Thanksgiving. According to Robert Murray of FanSided, the Giants are reportedly signing former Cleveland Guardians reliever Sam Hentges to a one-year, $1.4 million deal.

SF Giants reportedly strike a Thanksgiving deal to add a former Guardians reliever

The Giants have a lot of work to do with rebuilding the bullpen, and that process has begun. Adding Hentges gives them another left-handed reliever to pair with Erik Miller and Matt Gage. This move has the upside of being a good value for San Francisco.

In a bit of a surprise, the Giants parted ways with another southpaw reliever last week after non-tendering Joey Lucchesi. Hentges will seemingly slot right into that Lucchesi role.

The Giants still have a lot of work to do in rebuilding the back of the bullpen. Most notably, they need a closer, setup man, and likely one more leverage reliever. That is a lot of work to do in one offseason, but oftentimes, it is the smaller bullpen moves that pay dividends.

Hentges was originally drafted by the Guardians in the fourth round of the 2014 draft out of Mounds View High School in Arden Hills, Minnesota. As a high school draftee, he made a deliberate climb up the minor league ladder, and did not reach the majors until 2021.

The 29-year-old pitcher has tallied a 4.18 ERA, 3.27 FIP, 1.33 WHIP, 9.7 K/9, and a 3.01 SO/W rate across four seasons with the Guardians. This includes an excellent 53.4 percent ground ball rate.

Hentges had a rocky rookie season in 2021, where he tallied a 6.68 ERA in 30 appearances, including 12 starts. Since then, he has moved exclusively to the bullpen, and has registered a 2.93 ERA in 138 appearances.

Throughout his career, the lefty reliever has been far more effective against left-handed hitters, allowing a .583 OPS in those matchups compared to a .749 OPS against right-handed hitters. That said, much of that damage against right-handed hitters came in his rookie season when he was throwing out of the rotation. Since then, he has been similarly effective in both matchups.

On the mound, Hentges relies on a big, 12-to-6 curveball to get outs. He can get strikes in and out of the zone with that pitch. When hitters make contact, they often hit it straight into the ground. He mixes in a mid-90's fastball with a couple of different looks, as well as an upper-80's gyro slider.

Hentges underwent shoulder surgery late in the 2024 season and did not make it back to the mound in 2025.