The San Francisco Giants spent 2026 leaning on veterans early and youth later, and that balance is exactly why a player like Brandon Lowe fits so neatly into the picture now.
Luis Arraez and Tyler Mahle were both on one-year deals before being traded at the deadline this past summer, and by the end of the season the Giants had drifted toward a roster full of younger pieces. That gives the organization a direction, but it also leaves a clear opening in the middle of the lineup - especially at second base.
Jonax Cox took over there after Arraez was moved and put together a useful stretch, batting .252 with four home runs and a 6.82 OPS in 62 games. He deserves a bigger share of the workload in 2027 based on what he showed in 2026, but the source material makes clear he still profiles more like a bench infielder than an every-day answer. That leaves free agency as the obvious place for San Francisco to look for a real upgrade.
Lowe jumps off the page as one of the best options available. He just hit 35 home runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates, paired that with a .260 average, and posted a career-high 5.4 WAR across 150 games. He’s heading into free agency after back-to-back 30-plus home run seasons and a 2025 All-Star appearance, which is exactly the kind of production the Giants could use in the middle of their order.
The money will matter, of course. Spotrac.com pegs Lowe’s market at three years and $68.4 million, or $22.8 million per season.
Former Major League Baseball general manager Jim Bowden is lower, projecting a three-year, $45 million deal that would average $15 million annually. For San Francisco, either price tag has roster implications: at the higher number, Lowe would be the fourth-highest-paid player on the team; at the lower one, he’d still rank sixth.
There’s also a stylistic fit here. Lowe bats left-handed, and that lines up with the Giants’ affection for power hitters who can send baseballs into McCovey Cove. It’s the kind of profile the franchise likes to celebrate, and Lowe has the kind of power that belongs in that conversation.
Buster Posey said he plans to attack the bullpen first this offseason before turning to other areas, but second base remains a spot worth watching. And if Lowe were to land in San Francisco, he’d reunite up the middle with Willy Adames - a combination that dates back to their time together with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2021. The two were part of the Rays team that reached the 2020 World Series, and the Giants would be betting that kind of partnership could help push them back toward the postseason, especially with Posey viewing the club as a contender as soon as next season.
In Other News...
Giants Bullpen Just Hit A Franchise Low Fans Wont Ignore
The Giants spent much of the 2026 season piecing together the ninth inning on the fly, and the result was a bullpen profile the franchise has not seen in more than five decades. No San Francisco reliever reached 10 saves in a full season, a first for the club since 1972, with Caleb Kilian leading the group at eight before he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Ryan Walker opened the year as the closer but finished with only three saves, while Dylan Smith and Erik Miller added four apiece as the Giants kept shifting roles late in games. It was a reminder of how unsettled the back end was all year, and why the team now has a clear offseason question waiting at the center of its relief corps. [Read more 🡒]
Buster Poseys Pitching Stance Raises A Serious Giants Question
Buster Poseys first offseason as the Giants president of baseball operations has already made one thing clear: he is willing to live with some discomfort if it means getting more out of the pitching staff. Posey has signaled that San Francisco may ask its arms to work right up to their limits in training, even if that raises the possibility of injury, because he sees that edge as part of maximizing what pitchers can become.
That stance fits with a broader push to strengthen the organization on the mound, both by developing younger pitchers and by adding better talent from outside. The Giants have already made coaching staff changes and brought in young pitching help in 2026, reflecting a plan that is as much about changing the environment around the arms as it is about finding more of them. The unresolved question is how far that philosophy can go before the balance between growth and risk becomes a real test for the club. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Rotation Problem Points To One Type Of Free Agent
The Giants spent much of the 2026 season fighting the same problem from start to finish: too many free passes and not enough swing-and-miss from the pitching staff. Buster Posey acknowledged how damaging the walks were to the teams performance, while also defending the clubs choice to lean on organizational development instead of making a sweeping coaching change. With that backdrop, it makes sense that San Francisco would be drawn to pitchers who can simply throw strikes and keep innings from unraveling.
One name that fits that profile is Shota Imanaga, whose control has long stood out as his calling card. For a Giants rotation that needs steadiness more than flash, a low-cost arm with that kind of command would check an obvious box. The bigger question is whether San Francisco can translate that need into a realistic addition, especially if it wants to address the staff without spending like a team ready to start from scratch. [Read more 🡒]