San Francisco Giants Seen As Viable Option for World Series Champion

Could the San Francisco Giants sign a pitcher from their arch rivals?

Oct 28, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler (21) throws during the first inning in game three of the 2024 MLB World Series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants are heading into the offseason with a lot of question marks after a mediocre year. 

It was another tough campaign for the Giants in 2024, as they missed the playoffs for the third straight year. With Buster Posey as the new President of Baseball Operations, the franchise is hopeful that he will be able to help lead the team back to success in what has become an extremely challenging National League West. 

This offseason, San Francisco will be looking to improve, but a lot of their plans will likely start when Blake Snell and Robby Ray make their decisions on their player options. While Ray will likely be staying, Snell will be opting out to test free agency again. 

With Snell more than likely heading for a big contract in free agency, it will likely result in the Giants needing to replace him. 

Recently, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report spoke about San Francisco being a viable landing spot for World Series Champion, Walker Buehler in free agency. 

“The Giants are a strong candidate to sign Buehler mainly because they love striking short-term deals with player options. In the past few years, they have done so with Carlos Rodón, Michael Conforto, Sean Manaea, Ross Stripling, Mitch Haniger, Matt Chapman, and Blake Snell. If anyone is going to draw up a somewhat convoluted contract with incentives and options, it's probably the G-Men.”

If Snell does indeed leave and goes for a $100+ contract, the Giants will likely try to replace him with a similar deal that they have been handing out to veterans in recent years, which is a one-year deal with an option for year two. 

These types of deals are appealing to veterans who are seeking a prove-it deal, as it gives them some insurance in case they struggle, or don’t like their potential market in free agency. 

For Buehler, this type of deal makes a lot of sense. While he had an excellent last couple of games in the playoffs, he mostly struggled in 2024, coming back from Tommy John surgery. 

Even though he was just a big part of the Los Angeles Dodgers winning the World Series, he isn’t likely to find too many multi-year contract offers. If the Giants offer him a lucrative one-year deal with a player option for a second year, they will likely have a good chance to steal him away from their arch rival.