SF Giants shouldn't even bother with these 6 free agents after getting qualifying offer

The SF Giants enter the offseason looking to improve the team, but for those expecting them to sign the biggest free agents out there it’s pretty safe to assume they will be shopping the mid-tier of available players. Eight players recently received a qualifying offer from their respective teams and of those eight there are six who might have made some sense for San Francisco but no longer do.

If a team signs a free agent who received a qualifying offer, which is essentially a one-year $23.15 million deal that goes up a little bit each year, then that team forfeits draft compensation and international bonus pool money to whatever team they signed him away from. That’s what happened when the Giants signed Willy Adames a few years ago. He had received a qualifying offer from the Milwaukee Brewers so the Giants had to give the Brewers draft compensation and bonus pool money. Looks like a pretty smart decision for Milwaukee right now, doesn’t it? 

Who knows if the qualifying offer system will even exist under the new CBA, but given the fact it is still in effect the Giants should probably steer clear of these six free agents because the hope for the franchise is in the farm system and they really shouldn’t be giving up draft picks right now especially when the odds of them contending in 2027 aren’t especially high.

6 free agents SF Giants shouldn’t bother going after

David Bednar

The Giants need a closer, but Bednar is going to be out of their price range. He is one of the best closers in the game and the Yankees will probably keep around in some form or fashion whether he accepts his qualifying offer or if they are able to work out some sort of multi-year deal.

Brandon Lowe

While second baseman Brandon Lowe has been seen by some as a potential target for San Francisco, the fact that he’s been offered a qualifying offer should take San Francisco out of the running. He’s a solid power bat coming off a great season but he’s not worth the multi-year deal and loss of draft capital it would take to sign him.

Adrian Morejon

Yet another dream closer option, the lefty Adrian Morejon is going to earn a big contract in the offseason. Expect him to go to a contender while the Giants look at more affordable lefties like JoJo Romero or Steven Okert.

Randy Arozarena

While there’s a chance the Giants could look for an outfield upgrade, think of more realistic options like Taylor Ward even though Arozarena’s multiple tools make him a fun target to dream about.

Trevor Rogers

The Giants could use a left-handed starter in the rotation especially after Robbie Ray was traded away but there will be more affordable options than Trevor Rogers who had a 4.03 ERA in 2026.

Seiya Suzuki

Like Arozarena, it’s fun to imagine a guy with the power of Suzuki in a San Francisco lineup that already has quite a bit of thump. Suzuki hit 26 homers last season but he too will just be too expensive for the Giants who may also decide to go with internal options in the outfield.

The Giants are going to try to get better, but they aren’t going to wade into the deep end of the pool in order to do so. That may frustrate some fans but that’s just the way San Francisco is most likely going to operate.

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