Struggling reliever likely nearing the end of his time with SF Giants

Struggling reliever Ryan Walker has spent a lot of time in Triple-A this season, but he could be nearing the end of his time with the SF Giants. Walker is set to hit arbitration this offseason, but the club will likely non-tender him if it even gets to that point.

Walker, along with Patrick Bailey, fell just a few days shy of reaching arbitration last offseason. Instead, they received a small bump above the league minimum.

The arbitration process is a time when players see a sizable raise, and have some influence over their earnings. That said, arbitration is designed in such a way that a player rarely ever reaches market value until they hit free agency.

Walker would have seen a nice raise last offseason if he reached arbitration, but he would be due for one this year. MLB Trade Rumors projected that the 30-year-old reliever would have earned a $2.5 million salary this season. Of course, this estimate came before the Super 2 cutoff was made publicly available.

The benefit does not outweigh the cost for the SF Giants and Ryan Walker

Once a player reaches arbitration, the club has a real decision to make. More often than not, if a player is good enough to reach arbitration, then tendering a contract for the upcoming season is a relatively easy choice.

However, this is very much a cost-benefit exercise. For Walker, the benefit is seemingly minimal. Since 2025, he has posted a 5.13 ERA in 95 appearances.

The right-handed pitcher has had quite a few opportunities to hold onto the closer role, but has not delivered. In fairness, he has been thrust into those spots more times than necessary, but the Giants have been light on alternatives.

They are still searching for a replacement. Dylan Smith stepped into that role on Friday night, and closed out the game. He could be the next in line to get a shot, but more than likely, the next closer is not on the roster at the moment.

At the very least, Walker could benefit from a change of scenery. The Giants have already moved on from Patrick Bailey and Heliot Ramos, both of whom were set to go through arbitration this winter. The Giants made the evaluation that the benefit did not necessarily outweigh the cost, so they moved in different direction. They will likely come to the same conclusion with Walker over the next few months.

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