The Giants are looking ahead, but a few familiar names are drifting back onto the free-agent board, and San Francisco has at least enough overlap with that group to keep the idea in play.
President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey already took a step toward the future with a strong 2026 MLB Draft, adding pitching prospects to an organization that also saw its major league roster tie an MLB record for players who appeared in a season. San Francisco finished fourth in the NL West with a roster built around a cluster of veterans, then closed the year with a wave of new faces. Posey still believes the Giants can contend in 2027 if the veterans and younger players mesh the right way.
That backdrop makes the offseason interesting for a team that could also revisit some old faces.
Kevin Gausman is the headliner. He was one of the best starting pitchers the Giants have had in the 2020s, and his two seasons in San Francisco included a major role in the club’s 2021 NL West title after he won 14 of 107 games.
After that Cy Young-caliber run, he moved on to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2022. Now, with his career entering its later stages, he could make sense for a Giants rotation that is described as very bare.
Unless the Chicago Cubs keep him in the Windy City, San Francisco could make a real push to bring back someone who already found success at Oracle Park.
Luis Arraez is back in the same free-agent lane after a season that started in San Francisco and ended with a trade to the Philadelphia Phillies. The multi-time batting champion keeps finding himself available after productive years, and this one was no different.
He sharpened his defense at second base while continuing to hit for contact, which gives him a legitimate argument for a multi-year deal. Before the trade, Arraez said he would be open to a contract extension with the Giants, largely because he was playing every day, so another run at him would not be out of bounds for the front office.
Robbie Ray is another former Giant worth watching, even if the fit feels less likely. He had strong success over three seasons in San Francisco and showed he still has the stuff of a Cy Young winner.
This is his first trip into free agency since the 2021 offseason, when he signed a five-year, $115 million contract with the Seattle Mariners. Spotrac projects his market around two years and $48 million.
Michael Conforto rounds out the group. The former Giants outfielder is back on the open market after spending 2026 with the Chicago Cubs, where he hit 15 home runs and showed that there is still some punch left in the bat.
During his Giants days, he was a 20-home-run hitter, and a reunion would not be a shock. If Posey was willing to bring in Camilo Doval for the final week of the season, a Conforto return does not feel especially far-fetched.
He would likely profile as a bench bat or fourth outfielder, but he is another former Giant who belongs on the radar.
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