With Blake Snell exploring options elsewhere in MLB free agency, the Giants might be considering their own options on the open market this offseason when it comes to starting pitching.
And reportedly, San Francisco is in the fray for one of the league's only available top-tier pitchers.
The Giants are "part of the mix" for left-hander Max Fried, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Tuesday, along with the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Fried is coming off an All-Star campaign during the 2024 MLB season, where he posted a 3.25 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 11-10 record in his eighth season with the Atlanta Braves. After Snell opted out of his Giants contract, placing his return to the Bay up in the air, Fried would be a huge grab for San Francisco after owning MLB's best ERA (2.81) over the last five seasons.
But there's also Corbin Burnes, a St. Mary's product who is coming off a strong year in Baltimore and would make sense in the Giants' rotation should they fail to re-sign Snell. Passan agrees, though San Francisco wouldn't be alone in pursuing the righty, of course.
"The most coveted domestic pitcher warrants his own category, too, and even at a high price point, the 30-year-old is drawing significant interest," Passan wrote of Burnes. "He could anchor the Giants' rotation alongside Logan Webb or add to an already-strong quartet of Blue Jays starters with Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt and the Bowden Francis, who had a 1.53 ERA in nine games after he transitioned to starting Aug. 7."
Burnes, a four-time MLB All-Star and 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner, went 15-8 in 2024 with a 2.95 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 172 strikeouts and 47 walks across 189.1 innings in 31 starts.
San Francisco Giants
Both pitchers certainly would make sense for the Giants, if they're willing to dole out the cash. But even if Snell opts out, the rotation isn't in a bad place, as San Francisco enters 2025 with Webb, Robbie Ray, Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison and Hayden Birdsong as its starting five, with plenty of solid young depth behind them.
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