The Giants’ offseason blueprint starts with pitching, and it starts there in a big way.
If San Francisco is serious about turning a 97-loss season into something sturdier, the plan points toward Michael King, Nick Martinez and Adrian Morejon as the headline additions, with Ryan Jeffers helping at catcher and the rest of the lineup getting filled in by internal options. The idea is simple: strengthen the rotation, fortify the bullpen and leave room for the club’s best young hitters to play.
That approach would not come cheap. The Giants’ payroll analysis made clear that the team’s estimated space below the 2026 luxury-tax threshold is not the same thing as an offseason budget.
Ownership would have to approve the whole package, including arbitration raises and added depth. And these are recommendations, not reporting on actual negotiations.
Competitive bidding, medical checks and player preference all matter here. Morejon and Jeffers could also come with qualifying-offer draft penalties attached.
King would be the biggest swing in this setup after MLB.com reported Thursday that he opted out of his contract. The right-hander turned in a 3.21 ERA across 185 innings and 32 starts for the San Diego Padres in 2026, a marked rebound after making just 15 starts the year before.
For San Francisco, he would bring impact without costing prospects in a trade. Paired with Logan Webb and Landen Roupp, he would give the rotation a much firmer base and take pressure off everyone else.
Martinez is the other rotation piece worth chasing. Jon Heyman reported Friday that he was declining his $20 million mutual option.
The 36-year-old finished with a 3.10 ERA, 180 innings and 26 walks for the Tampa Bay Rays, and those innings plus that control would fill a different need than a pure upside arm. He should be targeted on a shorter deal than King, and the option number only sets the contract context rather than his current price.
If Webb, King, Roupp and Martinez were all in place, the Giants would suddenly have four established starters, with Adrian Houser another possibility if healthy. That kind of depth would matter in another way too: it could keep the bullpen from being dragged into too many early exits.
Morejon is the bullpen priority. He posted a 2.83 ERA and struck out 107 hitters in 86 innings in 2026, giving San Francisco a left-handed weapon for the most dangerous moments of a game.
The Giants should be looking at him for the eighth inning, the ninth inning, whichever spot brings the toughest part of the order. MLB.com reported that his October soreness involved his nonthrowing right shoulder, so the medical review has to check out.
Even then, he would still command a meaningful investment, and the club would need enough left over to add a complementary right-hander as well.
Jeffers would address a different issue entirely. He hit .256/.353/.461 with 14 homers in 92 games for the Minnesota Twins, and that kind of production would help at a position where San Francisco does not have much certainty.
Daniel Susac is coming back from a fractured left kneecap, so leaning entirely on internal catching options would be a risky bet. Jeffers would give the Giants a proven catcher while allowing Susac’s workload to be shaped by his recovery and readiness.
There is also a clear lane for the young hitters already in the organization. When healthy, Eldridge should be the primary first baseman, with Rafael Devers handling most of the designated-hitter duty. Eldridge hit .269/.364/.461 with 17 home runs in 107 games, which is reason enough to keep him in the mix instead of blocking him with another bat chasing the same at-bats.
Davidson should get a real chance in left field, too. That opening showed up in the Giants’ projected 2027 lineup, but the job still has to be won.
Marcelo Mayer and Casey Schmitt should also battle for a role once they are healthy. If their offensive projections are close, range, execution and double-play work should be the tiebreakers.
That was the standard laid out in the Giants’ second-base analysis, and it becomes even more important with Martinez, whose 109 strikeouts in 180 innings still require strong support behind him.
That balance is the whole point of the plan. King lifts the rotation ceiling.
Martinez adds innings and stability. Morejon shortens games.
Jeffers settles a shaky catching situation. The internal bats keep the payroll from being swallowed whole and preserve playing time for younger players.
It would be an expensive winter, no question. But if ownership is willing to fund the full plan, along with the depth that has to come with it, the Giants could head toward 2027 with a lot fewer fragile assumptions and a much stronger foundation.
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