The Giants are heading into another winter with a familiar problem hanging over the roster: the rotation needs help, and it needs more than just one bandage. Four young starters have already gone down with Tommy John surgery this season, and with only three games left, the focus is already shifting to how San Francisco patches things together for next year.
For now, Logan Webb, Landen Roupp, and Adrian Houser can reasonably be penciled into the rotation. Houser is the shakier of the three, but he was pitching much better by the end of the season before landing on the IL.
Even with those three in place, there are still two openings to fill. Maybe one of those spots goes to someone like Kevin Gausman or Hiromi Itoh, but the other addition is likely to come from the cheaper end of the market.
That points the Giants toward the bargain bin, where a one-year deal could make more sense than a splashier move. A few names stand out.
Michael Lorenzen is one of them, even if the numbers are ugly. He split this season between the Colorado Rockies and Toronto Blue Jays and posted a combined 7.21 ERA, which is why he’s already on the free-agent market before the offseason even starts.
There’s a case that Coors Field dragged him down and that Oracle Park might help him reset, though plenty of Giants fans would be skeptical of that pitch. Still, he fits the profile of a low-cost reclamation project.
Chris Bassitt is another veteran right-hander who could land on San Francisco’s radar. He carries a 4.64 ERA in 97 innings this season, and his track record from 2023 to 2025 with the Toronto Blue Jays suggests there’s still something usable there. The comparison that comes to mind is Ross Stripling, which is not exactly the kind of memory that makes Giants fans feel warm and fuzzy, but Bassitt has been steadier than his current season line suggests.
Zac Gallen would be the bigger name, though his 2026 season has been rough enough that any team once dreaming about a three-year deal should be relieved it never happened. He’s sitting on a 6.12 ERA for the Arizona Diamondbacks, which could push him into a more affordable one-year contract. If the Giants think a new setting can get him right, he’s the kind of buy-low arm that could enter the conversation.
David Peterson brings a different shape to the list. He started the year struggling with the New York Mets, but he’s looked much better since going to the Chicago Cubs. In 75 innings with Chicago, he has a 3.94 ERA, making him a more stable option if the Giants want someone who can at least reasonably hold a rotation spot.
Then there’s Tyler Mahle, who has apparently found another level with the Atlanta Braves. San Francisco traded him away, and now he looks so sharp that it’s fair to wonder whether the Giants might want him back.
He was improving late in his time with the Giants, but the leap he’s made since then raises the obvious question of why they couldn’t unlock that version of him themselves. He probably won’t come cheap now, though a one- or two-year deal could still be in play.
Of course, if the Giants added two pitchers from this group and called it a winter, the reaction would be brutal. There’s also a case for letting one of their younger arms - Cesar Perdomo, Yunior Marte, Matt Wilkinson, or Anthony Molina - take the No. 5 spot. But the injuries this season made one thing clear: depth matters, because young pitchers can blow out their arms in a hurry.
So the most likely outcome is also the least exciting one. The Giants probably will sign an uninspiring starter, and if they don’t do more than that, the move will get mocked. Just don’t expect them to land Tarik Skubal and Freddy Peralta.
In Other News...
Giants Just Lost A Promising Rotation Option At The Worst Time
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The timeline alone changes the conversation around his place in the organization, since the recovery window runs 12 to 18 months and wipes out any realistic shot at being part of San Franciscos rotation plans in 2027. For a pitcher who was building momentum in that role, the setback is more than just a medical note, it is another reminder of how quickly rotation depth can disappear. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Are Headed For Painful Offseason Roster Decisions
The Giants have spent most of this season juggling injuries, but the broader problem is coming into focus now: they have 16 players on the 60-day injured list, a historically high total that will follow them into the offseason roster math. Once the 2026 season ends, those players will count against the 40-man limit, turning what has already been a messy year into a far tighter winter.
San Francisco also has 55 players under control for just 40 roster spots, which means the front office is headed for some uncomfortable choices. Some injured players will need to be kept, others may not fit, and the same goes for players already hanging on the edge of the roster. The result is the kind of offseason squeeze that can force a team to part with talent before it is ready to do so. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Krukow Makes This Giants Dodgers Series Hit Even Harder
The last Dodgers series at Oracle Park already carries enough weight for the Giants, with three regular-season games left against a division rival that is headed to the postseason. But for longtime viewers, it has picked up another layer: this will be Mike Krukows final broadcast at home before he retires at the end of the season, closing out a Giants voice that has been part of the teams daily rhythm for years.
Krukow, a former Giants starter, spent time reflecting on the history of the rivalry and revisiting memories from his own playing days, which only sharpens the sense of occasion around these games. For San Francisco, it is not just one more shot at Los Angeles before the schedule turns over. It is also the end of an era for a broadcaster who has lived the matchup from both the mound and the booth. [Read more 🡒]