The San Francisco Giants need starting pitching, and that much is plain after a 2026 season that ended near the bottom of the National League standings despite Rafael Devers putting together an excellent offensive year.
San Francisco entered the season with postseason hopes, but the NL West club never really got going. Now the focus shifts to the offseason, where president of baseball operations Buster Posey is expected to hunt for upgrades so the same thing doesn’t happen again.
One of the clearest holes sits in the rotation. FanGraphs currently lists the Giants’ top five as Logan Webb, Landen Roupp, Adrian Houser, Anthony Molina, and Matt Wilkinson, a group that doesn’t look nearly strong enough to chase the NL West and may not even be enough for a Wild Card push.
That’s why Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly has the Giants going after a familiar type of arm: a right-handed veteran with a strong track record and a reputation that goes beyond the numbers. Kelly pointed to Nick Martinez as a fit for San Francisco.
“The Giants gave Justin Verlander a one-year, $15 million deal two offseasons ago and Tyler Mahle a one-year, $10 million deal last winter.
“With Robbie Ray’s money also off the books, baseball operations president Buster Posey could target [Nick] Martinez as someone who could not only improve his rotation but also help build a winning culture,” Kelly wrote.
Martinez, 36, just played a major role in the Tampa Bay Rays’ World Series run. In July, Rays ace Drew Rasmussen called Martinez “the best teammate ever,” a strong endorsement for a pitcher who paired production with steadiness all season.
The right-hander finished with a 15-6 record, a 3.10 ERA and 2.9 bWAR in 31 starts for Tampa Bay. He isn’t a big strikeout arm, but he makes up for it with excellent command, walking only 3.6% of the hitters he faced this past season.
If the Giants make enough other moves this winter, Kelly’s projected two-year, $36 million deal for Martinez could end up looking like a smart bet - especially if San Francisco views him as a No. 2 or No. 3 starter.
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