3 San Francisco Giants moves to get momentum back after losing Corbin Burnes

In what is easily the most shocking development of the offseason to date, Corbin Burnes inked a six-year, $210 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the wee hours of Saturday morning. After a heavily reported two-horse race between the Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants, Burnes threw a curveball, signing with a true dark horse and shaking up the National League hierarchy in the process.

All of a sudden, Arizona has the best rotation in baseball — a six-man guantlet of Burnes, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt, and Jordan Montgomery — to go along with an offense that dinked and dunked its way to the World Series a couple years ago. Burnes, whose family lives in Phoenix, decided to stay close to home and embrace the low state tax, rather than signing for more guaranteed money elsewhere.

This is a tough blow for the Giants in particular, as Burnes not only turned them down, but he signed in the same division. San Francisco has already lost Blake Snell to the in-state Dodgers, so few teams can more viscerally feel the need for better pitching than San Francisco.

Burnes was certainly the most accomplished ace on the market, but there are several viable backup plans for a desperate Giants front office. Here are a few worth exploring.

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3. Swiping Jack Flaherty from the Dodgers would feel something like payback

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. 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?

The Giants need to keep pace with the Dodgers, desperately. Swapping Snell for Flaherty isn't exactly an even exchange, but it does feel like the Giants making up some ground in a lopsided division. Flaherty made 28 starts last season, finishing with a 3.17 ERA and 194 strikeouts. He misses a lot of bats and, at 29, still has several prime years left in the tank.

Flaherty is the closest thing to a proven, top-line starter left in free agency. He looks great as the No. 3 behind Logan Webb and a healthy Robbie Ray on paper. The Giants should be all over this.

2. Roki Sasaki could pick the Giants over other west coast contenders

Dodgers or Padres? That has been the question following Roki Sasaki throughout free agency, but what if the 23-year-old Japanese fireballer decided on a different California team? What if he spurned conventional wisdom and signed with the Giants, joining an organization with a committed front office, led by the ever-persuasive Buster Posey?

San Francisco is believed to have met with Sasaki already. Just last month, Posey heaped praise on the right-hander, citing the uniqueness of his talent and circumstances, calling Sasaki a "dream" target.

"Obviously, like probably all the other 29 teams, it would be a dream for us to get this guy," the Giants president said (h/t MLB.com). "Just tremendous upside. Not too many arms in the world like his. He's a tremendous talent. He's 23 years old. It's fun to dream on. It's fun to think about him at Oracle Park and him pitching deep into a game late in the year, the place rocking. We'd be over the moon to add a guy like that.”

FanSided's Chris Landers ranked San Francisco is the most likely destination for Sasaki, citing the geographic proximity to Japan, a great ballpark, and the chance to operate under a kinder spotlight than Los Angeles or New York. The Giants' roster has improved greatly over the last couple years, with Willy Adames, Jung Hoo Lee, and Matt Chapman all locked up for the next half-decade or more.

There's reason to believe the Giants can pull this one off. Sasaki is quite possibly a better asset than Burnes, so don't be too quick to write off this winter as a failure for San Francisco.

1. Giants can dial up Padres and offer the farm for Dylan Cease

Not dissimilar to the Corbin Burnes situation last winter, the San Diego Padres appear willing — even eager — to trade Dylan Cease ahead of his final season. The Padres are no doubt hesitant to deal Cease within their own division, but if the Giants can put together a compelling return package, it would be negligent not to listen.

San Francisco's committed financial approach should lead to some confidence in their ability to extend Cease long term, even if it requires a bidding war in free agency. The Giants would get a year to convince Cease of their organizational merits, plus a chance to win games in a serious fashion. This is not a bad roster, and Bob Melvin is quite accomplished in the manager's chair. There is reason to believe Cease's arrival would put San Francisco in the contenders' circle.

Last season was an excellent display from Cease, who started slow but finished scorching hot. Over 33 starts and 189.1 innings, Cease managed a 3.47 ERA and 224 strikeouts. He was fourth in NL Cy Young voting — his second time finishing on the cusp of baseball's most prestigous pitching honor. Given that he's 29, Cease should have plenty of productive years on the horizon.

He brings elite strikeout stuff and an impressive track record of durability, clocking at least 32 starts and 165 innings in four straight seasons. The Giants would need to worry about what the future holds, but Cease is worth the gamble — especially with so much firepower being funneled into the division while San Francisco grasps at straws.