The San Francisco Giants were seemingly relying on signing free agent ace Corbin Burnes this winter.
Unfortunately for them, Burnes shocked the baseball world and opted to sign with the Arizona Diamondbacks, not only ditching the Giants but also signing with their division rival.
San Francisco needs to pivot to another starting pitcher to slot into its rotation. FanSided’s Christopher Kline recently predicted the Giants could pursue Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Jack Flaherty.
Flaherty was a key piece of Los Angeles’ World Series title in 2024.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post projects him to sign a four-year, $80 million deal. “Of the remaining free agent pitchers, few profile better than Jack Flaherty. It hasn’t been the smoothest sailing in recent years, but at his peak, Flaherty has some of the MLB’s nastiest stuff,” Kline wrote.
“After a brutal postseason collapse with the Baltimore Orioles in 2023, he rebounded with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024, slicing and dicing his way to immortality. “
It was clear from the beginning that Flaherty wanted to return to Los Angeles, his hometown team and a point-blank contender, but the Dodgers instead went after Blake Snell, all but pricing Flaherty out of a deep rotation.
What better option for Flaherty than a landing spot close to home – close enough for him to exact revenge on his former team?”
After losing Snell to the Dodgers and then whiffing on Burnes, the Giants need to land somebody to keep up with their division rivals.
In free agency, the best option is Flaherty. The right-hander would add a reliable starter at the top of the rotation.