Buster Posey and the Giants front office are trying to fix a broken 97-loss roster right now, and they are doing it all without a clear idea of what baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement even *is* or when it will pass. Seriously, how do you even plan for that?
The Clock is Ticking on an Unfinished Roster
Imagine trying to build a competitive team when you don’t even know the rules. That’s exactly where Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey finds himself in Las Vegas at the GM meetings. This is his third rodeo, but these challenges are totally new. The current CBA expires in just three weeks, December 1st, and there is no new agreement even close to being done. Executives are basically caught in no man’s land, forced to build a team without knowing the framework.
For the Giants, it’s an extra layer of stress. Their 97-loss squad has gaping holes everywhere, especially in the pitching staff, and there just aren’t enough internal options to fill them. Posey and his crew are operating with a real sense of urgency, which means they are being way more aggressive in chasing down agents for free agents, especially pitchers. That bullpen? It “struggled mightily all season,” so they are desperate for help. Posey himself said, “I think we’ve got to try to be strategic on who they are to where it doesn’t maybe hurt us as we continue to try to build the system up and hopefully have some really exciting players in San Francisco in the near future.” Strategic is right, man. This is a minefield.
Draft Picks or Free Agents: Pick Your Poison
One huge hurdle for the Giants’ bullpen hunt is the qualifying offer. High-leverage relievers David Bednar of the Yankees and Adrian Morejon of the Padres both got QOs. If the Giants sign either of those guys, they will lose picks in the 2027 draft. This isn’t a new problem for them either. They have sacrificed picks before, signing Blake Snell and Matt Chapman in previous years, which hurt their farm system’s momentum.
But here is the twist: that farm system? It’s actually one of baseball’s best now, thanks to international phenoms Josuar Gonzalez and Luis Hernandez, plus third overall pick Jackson Flora. So, the Giants are shifting gears, trying to build from within instead of just throwing money at big league players and sacrificing their homegrown talent. That makes QOs a huge problem now. Posey admitted, “I never know how much I can answer without getting in trouble from the powers that be. I think it’s going to be harder for us with the QO.” It definitely sounds like it will be harder, Buster.
Who Can Even Help on the Mound?
Despite the QO headache, the Giants are still in the mix for other big-swing pitching free agents. Logan Webb is locked in as the ace, which is huge, but beyond him, Landen Roupp and Adrian Houser are just “in the mix.” That leaves at least two rotation spots wide open, with no clear internal options to fill them. Anthony Molina, picked up at the deadline, “opened eyes” in the front office with his late-season stint, and Cesar Perdomo and Yunior Marte also got nods, but Posey made it clear that “internal options aren’t enough.”
So, who are they looking at? On the starter front, a Tarik Skubal pursuit feels “out of sync” with where the Giants are at, but they could go for guys like Freddy Peralta, Michael King, or Sonny Gray. For the bullpen, lefties Sean Newcomb, ex-Giant Steven Okert, and Tyler Alexander are on the radar. Randy Rodriguez was the team’s closer in 2025, but the article cuts off there. You know they need to figure out who is closing for them, too!
The pressure is on for Posey and the Giants to navigate this wild offseason. With the CBA deadline looming and a 97-loss team to fix, every move is critical. What they do in these next few weeks could define their next few seasons.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply