MLB free agency is underway, though you wouldn’t know it by the (lack of) moves being made. It figures to be a month-long period before it goes on holiday while the owners and players bicker and negotiate and draw up a new CBA, and then free agency will return.
It’s a rather uninspiring free agent class this year. Lefty ace Tarik Skubal figures to make about as much money as Elon Musk spent funding losing campaigns this year, but after that? There’s a chance that no one else clears nine figures. But
there are some former Giants out there, and while most of them are likely not on the team’s radar for a potential reunion, it’s still fun keeping tabs on them.
So let’s look at where the former Giants rank on two top-50 free agent lists: Fangraphs’ Ben Clemens, and ESPN’s Kile McDaniel.
Second baseman Luis Arráez, who was an All-Star for the Giants in his lone season with the team this year, before being traded for a very nice haul at the deadline, is the highest-ranked former Giant, as he comes in at No. 11 on Clemens’ list and No. 12 on McDaniel’s. Unfortunately for Arráez, his performance really slowed down after the trade, as he posted an 82 wRC+ in nearly 200 plate appearances with the Philadelphia Phillies, after having a 121 mark in more than 450 plate appearances with the Giants. This seems to have hurt his standing around the league, with Fangraphs projecting him for a two-year, $38-million deal, and ESPN for a three-year, $54-million contract.
Next up are a pair of righties: Kevin Gausman and Tyler Mahle. They’re back-to-back on the respective lists, albeit in different orders: Gausman is No. 15 to Mahle’s No. 16 on ESPN’s list, while Fangraphs is a little less amped, with Mahle at No. 26 and Gausman No. 27.
The two publications differ quite a bit on their expectations for Gausman, who is coming off his worst ERA since 2019, though his FIP was still quite solid. Fangraphs thinks Gausman will get a modest one-year, $17-million deal, while ESPN pegs him for three years and $51 million. I’d be pretty happy with the Giants do either of those deals.
While it’s easy to see the Giants targeting Gausman this offseason, they almost certainly won’t be going after Mahle, who struggled mightily on a one-year prove-it deal with San Francisco this year, before taking off after being traded to the Atlanta Braves (who promptly changed his pitch mix). That performance in Atlanta likely earned him a lot of money this winter, and Fangraphs thinks he’ll get paid $30 million over two years, while ESPN projects $49.5 million over three years.
Utility player Mauricio Dubón figures to have his pick from a lot of interested teams, given his defensive brilliance and versatility, and quality bat. It’s hard to imagine a reunion given that the Giants don’t have a pressing need at any one position, and he didn’t exactly depart on the best terms (though it seems his issues were solely with Gabe Kapler). McDaniel, who ranks Dubón as the No. 34 free agent around, projects two years and $16 million for Dubón, while Clemens ranks him No. 45, with a predicted contract of $8 million for one season.
Pitcher Matthew Boyd also made both lists (No. 48 at Fangraphs, projected for one year and $9 million; No. 50 at ESPN, projected for one year and $10 million), if you want to consider him a former Giant.
And those are the former Giants on the top free agents lists, though there are certainly plenty of other former Giants available on the market, including Robbie Ray, Steven Okert, Taylor Rogers, Joc Pederson, Jakob Junis, and Michael Conforto.
