San Francisco Giants Pending Free Agent Ace Expected to Return Next Season

The San Francisco Giants could receive a big boost to the rotation this offseason.

D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants enter an offseason where bolstering starting pitching of a staff that was ranked 19th in the league in team ERA will be a priority.

Understandably, much of the conversation with regards to San Francisco and free agent pitchers will revolve around the status of Blake Snell and what kind of offer team will give the two-time Cy Young winner assuming he opts out of his current 2-year, $62 million deal. But there's another player in a similar spot who doesn't quite have the same accolades as Snell but is certainly capable of being one of the best in the game.

2021 Cy Young winner Robbie Ray missed a large chunk of the 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John and started just seven games, suffering another injury to his hamstring in August that effectively ended his first season in the Bay Area. Ray's numbers were not particularly inspiring either with a 4.70 ERA, but he did enough to make fans hopeful that he is still capable of contributing to a team.

Ray faces an opt-out after the third season his five-year deal worth $115 million that he signed in Seattle prior to the 2022 season before being traded to the Giants last winter and would be due $25 million if he chooses to opt in. Grant Brisbee of The Athletic expects Ray to opt in and have a chance for a great season which would lead to a bigger deal down the line.

“He could probably sign a two- or three-year deal with a bigger commitment, but he could also get paid $24.9 million more than you or I will and set himself up for an even more lucrative contract after that,” Brisbee wrote. “My guess is that he opts in and bets on himself.”

In eleven seasons at the Major League level with now five different teams, Ray has made 229 starts and boasts a career sub-4.0 ERA, over 1,500 strikeouts, a 1.301 WHIP, and a 108 ERA+.

In his best career season that saw him win the prestigious award just three years ago in 2021, Ray finished with a 13-7 record, a career low 2.84 ERA, and a league leading 248 strikeouts. While the days of being a true ace are probably behind Ray, he is absolutely capable of giving an extremely quality season and the Giants should be ecstatic should he choose to opt in.