Where Do the San Francisco Giants Go After Missing On Corbin Burnes?

The San Francisco Giants remained the favorites through Corbin Burnes’ entire free agency, only to see the Arizona Diamondbacks pull off a stunning move by signing him to a six-year, $210 million contract. The deal includes an opt-out after year two, a piece that seems to have been the decisive factor in the Giants missing out on the ace.

Some reports suggest that San Francisco may not have been as interested in the right-hander as the industry portrayed, but either way, Burnes is a Diamondback and the Giants need to quickly pivot.

With a significant budget now available and several glaring needs, they can still make some impactful moves to improve the rotation and the offense through both free agency and possibly the trade market.

The Rotation

Pitching was clearly the Giants’ biggest need heading into the offseason, only having two starters at points in 2024. This explains why Burnes was such a heavily discussed possibility.

While Buster Posey has shown confidence in the team’s young options internally, it’s clear that the rotation needs at least one more experienced starter to balance the inexperience.

Jack Flaherty emerges as the best free agent starter still available. The righty is coming off a career-resurrecting season where he accumulated 3.2 fWAR with a 3.17 ERA in 162 innings.

While there is some risk associated with his mediocre performances in 2022 and 2023, his bounce-back in 2024 makes him an appealing option.

The Dodgers signing Blake Snell makes Flaherty’s return to Los Angeles unlikely, further increasing the Giants’ possibility of signing him.

Two veteran names that make a lot of sense are Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. Both Hall of Famers would bring irreplaceable experience to a rotation filled with unproven talent. Verlander threw 90 innings in 2024 with a 1.49 HR/9, while Scherzer threw just 43.1 innings.

Despite the limited innings last season, both pitchers offer considerable upside. Oracle Park’s pitcher friendly nature could also help minimize the righties’ numbers from potentially ballooning in 2024.

With Burnes out of the picture, the Giants should also intensify their pursuit of Japanese star Roki Sasaki. While the Dodgers and Padres are seen as favorites, the Giants can pitch a compelling case, offering Sasaki the opportunity to anchor their rotation alongside Logan Webb.

News broke that Sasaki’s camp does not want teams bringing other players to help pitch to Sasaki. This means that the Dodgers can’t bring Shohei Ohtani and the Padres can’t bring Yu Darvish. The fact that both of those southern California teams can not use their star players to help pitch to the 23-year old helps the Giants chances.

Reports also indicate that Sasaki’s camp is concerned about the intense media that comes with going to a big market. This could make the slightly more laid-back environment of San Francisco more appealing to the flame-throwing right-hander.

Other options include lefty José Quintana and righty Charlie Morton, who could provide stability if the Giants choose to steer away from a high-risk, high-reward arm.

The Offense

Now that the Corbin Burnes money is available, the franchise can redirect their focuses towards addressing the offensive struggles. They may also turn to some players that they were not linked to in the start of the offseason. Power hitting has been a consistent issue in San Francisco since the departure of Barry Bonds.

Even though the Mets are the favorites to re-sign Pete Alonso, he has emerged as a possible solution with the Giants’ interest reportedly growing since pivoting from Burnes. Alonso’s bat would bring much-needed pop, but with Bryce Eldridge emerging as a top first-base prospect in baseball, committing serious money to Alonso might not align with the team’s long-term plans.

Alex Bregman is another name to watch.

Agent Scott Boras hinted earlier this offseason that Bregman would be open to playing second base, which could make him a fit with Matt Chapman being the third baseman of the future. Bregman is a consistent four-win player and has been one of the best postseason hitters in recent memory.

It did come out that the Giants were interested in Gleyber Torres before he signed a one-year, $15 million with the Detroit Tigers. This shows that the Giants have expressed interest in the second base market. However, Buster Posey’s endorsement of Tyler Fitzgerald as the franchise’s second baseman might deter the team from spending big on Bregman.

Anthony Santander remains the most realistic and most logical target for the Giants’ offensive needs. He blasted 44 home runs last season, with a .506 slugging percentage and 129 wRC+ from both sides of the plate. Even if Oracle Park suppresses his numbers slightly, his bat would dramatically boost the Giants’ lineup.

Jurickson Profar is another intriguing option, coming off his first All-Star appearance. While his track record is not as consistent as Santander’s he would come at a lower cost, minimizing the overall risk.

Other potential options include affordable veterans like Austin Hays, J.D. Martinez, Randall Grichuk, and Jesse Winker. All would provide depth and flexibility without a significant financial investment.

The Trade Market

Bringing up the trade market while talking about the Giants is always tricky due to their weak farm system. However, they do have valuable major league assets who could be used in a move. Camilo Doval, Mike Yastrzemski, and Lamonte Wade Jr. are names that have been floated in trade talks over the past few weeks.

Luis Castillo should be at the top of the Giants targets. With the Mariners having a surplus of starting pitching, Castillo might be available. His ability to consistently post a low-3s ERA over 150+ innings would make him a prime candidate to slide right behind Logan Webb in the rotation.

Other targets include Sonny Gray, Dylan Cease, and Jordan Montgomery with Gray being the most likely of the three. Both Cease and Montgomery are in the division and Montgomery comes with a hefty price tag after the worst year of his career.

The position player trade market is scarce, but both Spencer Torkelson and Ryan Mountcastle make intriguing options. Torkelson would be the more likely as Colt Keith was announced as the first baseman moving forward in Detroit after signing Gleyber Torres.

A trade to bring the Northern California native to the Giants would provide a possible solution to first base as well as allow the club to platoon Bryce Eldridge when he is ready, lowering the pressure on the prospect.

Mountcastle is the less likely of the two to be moved, but it is still possible. With Heston Kjerstad looking more and more ready in Baltimore, they may be inclined to move Mountcastle.

Giants Can Still Capitalize

While missing out on Corbin Burnes is a massive blow, it allows the Giants some flexibility to address more than one area of need. They can now stabilize their rotation with an experienced arm while still adding a much-needed power bat to the lineup and exploring the trade market.

With a more clear direction after signing Willy Adames, the Giants still have a prime opportunity to make this offseason a success and set themselves up for the future in one of the most competitive divisions in all of baseball, the N.L. West.