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The San Fransisco Giants had a number of issues in 2026, but one of the biggest of those was the pitching staff. In 2026, the Giants' pitching ranked 23rd in all of baseball, starters and relievers, with a 4.34 staff ERA.
That is simply not good enough to compete in one of the tougher divisions in the sport, let alone for a postseason spot.
Luckily for the Giants, free agency exists. There are many young players that the Giants have on the offensive side who should contribute in 2027 in a big way. The pitching needs to be shored up.
There are three free agents, currently still playing in October, that should be appealing options to the Giants to go after.
Nick Martinez for the Rays is having a renaissance season as a starting pitcher. He's the type of buy-low, sell-high starter the Giants should be looking into for the 2027 season. In 180 innings this season, Martinez posted a 3.10 ERA with a 15.1% strikeout rate.
Martinez is not going to cost the world and in that ballpark, he would fit extreamly well. Logan Webb should be healthy to lead the rotation, and Martinez would be a solid number two or three. With the young arms still developing, Martinez would be a perfect fit.
Shawn Armstong would be another solid candidate for the Giants. In 2026, Armstrong posted a 4.58 ERA, which is high for him, in 35 1/3 innings of work. One of the things that makes Armstrong apealing is that he opened games for the Guardians ahead of a bulk pitcher, which could work in the favor of the Giants if the sutuation comes up that they need a solid opener.
Armstrong has been pitching for a long time, which is a good thing because acquiring a pitcher with experience could help a lot with the young starters.
One of the biggest things the Giants were missing was a closer. While JoJo Romero is not a closer with the Brewers and was not a closer when he was with the Cardinals, he is a candidate to close, and should entice the Giants. For the Cardinals and Brewers, Romero posted a 3.36 ERA in 56 1/3 innings of work.
Romero is not going to cost closer money this offseason, which is what should make the Giants pounce on his case. Putting a tandem in the backend of the Giants bullpen of Camilo Doval and Romero would be one of the better late-inning tandems, if everything works on paper.