Only four teams are still standing in October, but the Giants already have plenty to sort through for the offseason. After a rough 2026 campaign, San Francisco needs pitching help badly, and there are several pending free agents still alive in the ALCS and NLCS who fit the bill.
The list starts with Foster Griffin, a left-hander the Cleveland Guardians picked up at the trade deadline from the Washington Nationals. His time with Cleveland was uneven - a 5.19 ERA in five starts - but the bigger body of work still stands out.
Griffin was an All-Star and finished the season with a 3.60 ERA across 31 starts. In the postseason, he has made two appearances so far, including a solid Game 1 ALCS outing in which he gave up two earned runs over four innings.
After several years in Japan before returning to MLB this season, Griffin looks poised for a strong payday, and a two-year deal would make sense for a Giants rotation that needs a lift.
Kris Bubic is another name worth watching. The Los Angeles Dodgers got him from the Kansas City Royals at the deadline, and while injuries limited him in 2026, he was still productive when on the mound.
Bubic posted a 3.76 ERA in 55 innings and has allowed one earned run in each of his two playoff appearances. The fit with San Francisco goes beyond the numbers, too.
He’s a Cupertino native who went to Stanford, so the Bay Area connection is obvious. If the Giants think they can get the version of Bubic they saw in 2025, he would be a logical target.
The bullpen market matters just as much, and Evan Phillips is another free agent who could help. The Dodgers reliever had looked like a potential reclamation project for the Giants last offseason before returning to Los Angeles.
Now he’s back on the market after a decent year, finishing with a 3.46 ERA in 31 outings. San Francisco could use that kind of steadying presence in the late innings.
If the Giants want to add a left-handed arm, JoJo Romero should be on the radar as well. He’d be a natural fit for a bullpen that appears set to have only Sam Hentges as a likely lefty next season. Romero put up a 3.36 ERA in the regular season and has also looked good in the playoffs.
Then there’s Freddy Peralta, the biggest swing of the bunch. The Giants may not look like a team ready to hand out a massive deal to a premier starter, but Peralta is the kind of arm that could change the picture.
He got off to a rough start with the New York Mets before being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays, where he settled in and posted a 3.25 ERA in ten starts. He also delivered a strong outing in the ALDS against the New York Yankees and is scheduled to start Game 2 of the ALCS on Tuesday night.
Peralta won’t come cheap as a two-time All-Star, but he could be the kind of pitcher who gives Logan Webb a true co-ace.
For San Francisco, the message is clear: pitching is the priority, and these five free agents are the kind of names the Giants should be tracking as they try to avoid another 2026.
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