The San Francisco Giants are shaping up to be one of the more intriguing teams to watch this offseason-not because they’re chasing the flashiest names, but because they’re playing a calculated hand in a market that’s already heating up.
For a moment, it looked like Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai might be a fit in the Bay. But as things stand now, that door appears closed.
The Giants, under the leadership of Buster Posey in the front office, aren’t looking to hand out a nine-figure deal to a pitcher who’s unproven in Major League Baseball. That’s not a knock on Imai’s talent-he’s clearly got the stuff-but the Giants are taking a different approach.
Instead, their focus has shifted to a name that should be very familiar to anyone who’s followed the NL West over the last few years: Zac Gallen.
According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Giants have been in discussions with Gallen, and there’s mutual interest. Gallen, who spent the last seven seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks after being traded from Miami in 2019, knows the division inside and out. He’s been a consistent thorn in the Giants’ side-something Slusser herself emphasized in a recent appearance on the Splash Hit Territory podcast.
“He’s a guy that they could add on, not a long-term deal,” she noted. “Very good middle-of-the-order guy, but knows the NL West.”
And that’s the key here: familiarity and fit. The Giants already have Logan Webb and Robbie Ray anchoring the top of the rotation.
They’re not desperate for a frontline ace. What they need is a reliable, experienced arm who can slot in and give them quality innings without breaking the bank.
Gallen fits that mold.
Sure, his 2025 season wasn’t pretty-he finished with a 13-15 record and a 4.83 ERA-but it’s important to look beyond the surface. Gallen has thrown over 180 innings in three of the last four seasons. That kind of durability is gold in today’s game, especially for a team looking to stabilize its rotation without committing to a massive contract.
Slusser also mentioned a few other names on the Giants’ radar: Freddy Peralta, Joe Ryan, and Merrill Kelly. None of them are headline-grabbers, but all are capable of filling a key role in the rotation.
Peralta, now a free agent after the Brewers declined his $8 million option for 2026, brings swing-and-miss stuff and high-upside potential-though durability has been a question mark. Joe Ryan, meanwhile, is still under club control with the Twins for two more years and just earned his first All-Star nod. He’s not on the market per se, but if Minnesota decides to move him, the Giants could be in the mix.
Then there’s Merrill Kelly, who’s been a quiet assassin against the Giants in recent years. He was traded to the Rangers at the deadline and is now a free agent. Like Gallen, he knows the division, and that familiarity can’t be overstated when it comes to navigating the NL West grind.
“These aren’t necessarily the sexiest names,” Slusser admitted. But that’s not the point.
The Giants don’t need sexy-they need steady. They need arms that can bridge the gap between now and the arrival of their next wave of young talent.
So don’t expect San Francisco to chase the biggest fish in the free agent pond this winter. They’re looking for value, experience, and fit. And if they land someone like Gallen-or even one of the others mentioned-they’ll be doing just that.