Stars may be aligning for SF Giants to get big boost to rotation in offseason

The SF Giants are certainly going to be looking to improve their starting rotation this offseason and an opportunity to do so has presented itself with St. Louis Cardinals starter Sonny Gray saying he will consider waiving his no-trade clause.

Earlier this month after Gray delivered a great performance against the Giants in St. Louis, San Francisco Chronicle reporter Susan Slusser identified Gray as someone the Giants could pursue in the offseason.

Sonny Gray has opened the door to SF Giants making a play for him

Slusser reported that Gray is "very much" on San Francisco's radar so do not be surprised if Gray and the Giants get talked about quite a bit this offseason. Gray reportedly is open to being traded given the direction that the Cardinals are going as an organization so it seems he wants out.

Of course, Gray can still control where he does or does not go given his no-trade clause. The Giants are pretty much in the same boat as the Cardinals in terms of being a mediocre team, but perhaps the Giants have a bit more upside with the talent on the roster and the promise of Bryce Eldridge.

Gray has a connection to manager Bob Melvin as he played for him in Oakland and he was also teammates with Matt Chapman when he was with the A's. If Melvin remains the manager then maybe that would entice Gray to join the Giants.

The 35-year-old veteran has had a decent season with a 14-8 record and a 4.28 ERA in 32 starts and 180 and 2/3 innings pitched. He is a three-time All-Star and has tons of experience so he would be a welcome addition to San Francisco's rotation.

The Giants will enter 2026 with Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, and Landen Roupp in the rotation assuming all three of them are healthy. Justin Verlander could potentially return to the Giants but even if he does the Giants are going to want to pad out their rotation with plenty of depth after a lack of pitching depth became a glaringly obvious hole on this team late in the season. If the Giants could add two proven starters either via trade or free agency and make Roupp their fifth starter next season they should feel like they are in a pretty good spot.

Buster Posey and the front office will surely kick the tires on all available options, so expect them to look into making a trade for Gray this offseason. Maybe they can even throw another Cardinals player in the deal as well to address another roster need.

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