San Francisco Giants Connected to Elite Free Agent Ace

The San Francisco Giants have been connected to an elite free agent ace pitcher in MLB free agency.

Aug 10, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. / Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants seem like a team that could look to make a major splash in MLB free agency this offseason. In fact, they seem like a team that could look to make multiple splashes.

Looking at the current makeup of the Giants, there are quite a few positions that the team could target for improvement.

One area that San Francisco should target would be in their starting rotation.

Blake Snell is obviously a free agent and the Giants would love to bring him back. If they're unable to do so, they would likely pivot quickly and look to replace him with another ace.

Even if the team was able to re-sign Snell, there is still a chance that they could pursue another starter.

Corbin Burnes is a name that is starting to be connected as a potential target for San Francisco. More than likely, he would be a replacement for Snell, but re-signing Snell and adding Burnes would be an elite offseason.

Rowan Kavner of Fox Sports has connected the Giants and Burnes. He also offered a brief breakdown of the ace pitcher.

"If there's one person who can't be blamed for the Orioles' October shortcomings, it's Burnes. Even if his strikeout rate was down, he was still every bit the ace they traded for and went out on a high note with an eight-inning, one-run wild-card performance that should have been enough for his team to secure a win. His year-to-year consistency should make any pitching-needy team feel confident in him headlining a rotation."

Taking a closer look at Burnes and his numbers, he would be the kind of piece that would help power San Francisco back into contention in the National League.

During the 2024 MLB season with the Baltimore Orioles, Burnes ended up with a 15-9 record to go along with a 2.92 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, a 3.8 K/BB ratio, and 194.1 innings pitched in 32 starts.

At 30 years of age, Burnes still has a lot of time left in his prime. He's going to continue to be one of the best pitchers in baseball and would be a massive addition for any fringe contender looking to take a huge step in the right direction.

Don't be surprised if the Giants end up pursuing Burnes. There are a lot of teams with interest in signing him, but San Francisco certainly makes a lot of sense as a landing spot.