Here's where the Giants' rotation stands without Snell
Blake Snell endured a protracted free agency last offseason, but he predicted that his market would move more quickly once he returned to the open market this winter.
¡°I think what I was able to accomplish this year will make teams be more aggressive earlier,¡± Snell said after skipping his final scheduled start for the Giants in late September.
The two-time Cy Young winner was right, as he became the first frontline starter to come off the board after agreeing to a five-year, $182 million deal with the World Series-champion Dodgers last week. Snell¡¯s departure leaves the Giants with a massive hole atop their rotation, further widening the gap between San Francisco and Los Angeles, which already had a talented pitching staff that featured Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow.
Snell joined the Giants on a two-year, $62 million deal in March, though he chose to exercise his opt-out clause in November after logging a 3.12 ERA with 145 strikeouts over 104 innings in 2024.
The veteran left-hander stumbled out of the gate after signing late, posting a 9.51 ERA over his first six starts while landing on the injured list twice, but he managed to return to form in the second half. He ended the regular season as the most dominant pitcher in baseball, going 5-0 with a 1.23 ERA and 114 strikeouts over 80 1/3 innings across his final 14 starts, which included his first career no-hitter, against the Reds, on Aug. 2.
With Snell no longer in the mix, the Giants are poised to lean on Logan Webb and Robbie Ray to lead their rotation in 2025. Webb has been one of the most durable starters in the Majors for the past three seasons, though there¡¯s more uncertainty surrounding Ray, who recorded a 4.70 ERA over seven starts after returning from Tommy John surgery in July.
Jordan Hicks is another question mark, as his effectiveness dipped after he set a career high in innings in his first full season as a starter in 2024. Hicks, who signed a four-year, $44 million deal last offseason, is expected to rejoin the rotation next year, but he could ultimately return to the bullpen if he struggles to adapt to the starter¡¯s workload. Kyle Harrison, Hayden Birdsong and Landen Roupp experienced some ups and downs during their rookie campaigns, but the Giants hope they¡¯ll be able to take steps forward and establish themselves as reliable rotation options as well.
With a stated goal of building their roster around pitching and defense, the Giants seem likely to bring another veteran pitcher into the fold this offseason. MLB.com¡¯s Mark Feinsand reported that San Francisco is believed to have ¡°significant interest¡± in 2021 NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes, the top free-agent starter left on the market.
Burnes, 30, is expected to command a more lucrative contract than Snell, so it remains to be seen whether the Giants would be willing to make that type of commitment to the St. Mary¡¯s alum. Left-hander Max Fried is also available, along with more middle-tier options such as Sean Manaea, Walker Buehler, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.
Another name to keep an eye on is Roki Sasaki, the 23-year-old Japanese ace who is expected to be posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball this offseason. Because he¡¯s under 25, Sasaki will be subject to restrictions on international bonus-pool money, meaning all 30 teams should have a shot at signing the 6-foot-3 right-hander.
Still, Commissioner Rob Manfred has said Sasaki is likely to sign after Jan. 15 and be part of the 2025 international amateur signing class, which could put the Giants at a disadvantage since they have the smallest bonus pool ($5,146,200) along with the Dodgers next year.
The starting pitching market is already showing signs of heating up, as Matthew Boyd (two years, $29 million to the Cubs), Frankie Montas (two years, $34 million to the Mets) and Yusei Kikuchi (three years, $63 million to the Angels) have also joined Snell in finding new landing spots in recent weeks. The activity could pick up even more at the upcoming Winter Meetings, which will run from Sunday to Wednesday at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas.
Aside from replacing Snell, the Giants will have to find ways to upgrade at shortstop and fill other holes on the roster, which could make for a busy week for new president of baseball operations Buster Posey and general manager Zack Minasian.