3 Giants players who won’t survive an early playoff exit

Much like many good teams, players on the roster set to hit free agency are going to generate a market for themselves. That can be said for starting pitcher Kevin Gausman.

The right-hander was coming off a strong 2020 season with the Giants, where he posted a 3.62 ERA and 79 strikeouts over 59.2 innings of work (12 starts). As a result of his performance, the Giants rewarded Gausman with a one-year deal worth $18.9 million. In 2021, he has lived up to his contract.

Through 25 games this season, Gausman recorded a 2.47 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP, 174 strikeouts and 46 walks over 146.0 innings of work.

The starting pitching market is going to be rather crowded this upcoming winter, but Gausman will certainly command plenty of attention based off his success in San Francisco.

The Giants may not have made the huge splash at the trade deadline like the Los Angeles Dodgers did by acquiring Max Scherzer and Trea Turner in one fell swoop, but they did not leave empty handed. San Francisco secured a deal with the Chicago Cubs to acquire utility man Kris Bryant.

Bryant is a jack of all trades when it comes to fielding in 2021. He has played at first base, third base and all three outfield positions with the Cubs earlier this year.

In 19 games with the Giants, Bryant slashed .274/.329/.507 while recording four home runs, 10 RBI, 11 runs scored and 20 hits.

Regardless of whether the Giants win the World Series or exit in the NL Divisional Series, it is going to be a challenge to re-sign Bryant. His versatility will interest tons of teams, and will not come at a cheap price. It will be a tough battle on the free agency market to bring back Bryant.