When the San Francisco Giants acquired Rafael Devers in mid-June, I thought they'd challenge the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL West division title. Not only did they fail to do that, but they wound up missing the postseason entirely. The Giants went from a team that got off to a really good start without Devers to one of the worst teams in baseball for a prolonged stretch with him. Devers' inconsistency had a lot to do with that, but the surrounding pieces didn't exactly live up to their ends of the bargain.
With eight more years on his contract, it goes without saying that Devers isn't going anywhere anytime soon. While he's entrenched as a franchise cornerstone for the better part of the next decade, the Giants are going to have to make several moves if they intend to get back to the postseason in 2026.
The moves begin with letting go of these five players.
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Giants free agents who are unlikely to return
RHP Justin Verlander
Justin Verlander has been one of the few bright spots for the Giants down the stretch. After a first half to forget, Verlander has posted a 2.57 ERA in his last 12 starts, allowing one earned run or fewer in eight of those outings. Verlander has proven over the final couple of months of the season that he can still pitch, and he almost certainly will sign another one-year deal this coming offseason. It just won't be with the Giants, though, for a couple of reasons.
First and foremost, are we sure Verlander wants to come back? I'm sure Verlander had some good times in San Francisco, but he's made it abundantly clear that a goal of his is to get to 300 wins before he hangs up the spikes. As unrealistic as that might seem, Verlander clearly wants that to happen. Are we sure he'll want to re-sign with a team he went just 3-11 with? Sure, some of that poor record has to do with his subpar performance in the first half, but Verlander has a 3-3 record in this dominant 12-start stretch. He's gotten lackluster support from his offense and bullpen all year.
Second, are we sure the Giants will want him back? Yes, he finished strongly, but how confident should the Giants be that a 43-year-old Verlander will pitch at a high level? The only certainties in this Giants rotation are Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, and Landen Roupp. With how he pitched in the second half, Verlander would be a rock-solid No. 4 starter, but I'd guess the Giants will want more certainty than a 43-year-old can realistically provide.
I wouldn't necessarily be shocked if Verlander re-signed, but there are reasons to believe both sides will want a fresh start.
1B/DH Wilmer Flores
Wilmer Flores has established himself as a fan favorite in his six-year tenure with the Giants, but as we learned from his New York Mets tenure, being a fan favorite doesn't guarantee you a roster spot for life. Flores has had some great moments in San Francisco, but he had a 2024 campaign to forget, and has followed that up with a mostly underwhelming 2025 campaign.
Flores got off to a roaring start, driving in 19 runs in his first 14 games with a .929 OPS, but his .654 OPS in 109 games since that fast start summarizes how Giants fans will remember his 2025 season. Flores was a key run producer for a couple of weeks, but has been mostly invisible ever since.
Given how his season has gone, what would his role in San Francisco be if he were brought back? One of Bryce Eldridge or Rafael Devers will be entrenched at first base, with the other occupying DH duties. Flores did once play the three other infield positions and even has two appearances at third base this season, but are we sure he should be anywhere but first base, given his reputation as a poor defender? Flores also turned 34 years old in August.
In the past he crushed left-handed pitching, but his .666 OPS against southpaws in 2025 was actually lower than his .698 mark against righties. He doesn't feel like a natural fit to be part of a shortside platoon, and the positions he can really play at this stage of his career are taken up. It'd be fun to see him back in San Francisco, but the Giants don't have much of a role for him.
1B Dominic Smith
Dominic Smith gave the Giants an unexpected and needed spark this season. In the 63 games he appeared in, Smith slashed .284/.333/.417 with five home runs and 33 RBI. His performance certainly warrants consideration to be re-signed, but where would Smith play?
Again, Eldridge and Devers figure to occupy first base and DH. Smith has played a good amount of left field and even five innings of right field in his career, but he's a poor defender in the outfield, and those spots are also taken up by Heliot Ramos and Drew Gilbert.
The Giants could bring him back as a bench bat, but his MLB track record doesn't exactly warrant that, and the Giants already have a good amount of left-handed bats - it's not as if Smith would be an ideal platoon partner with Eldridge.
The unfortunate reality is that there isn't room for Smith in San Francisco. Whether his Giants stint was good enough to earn him an MLB opportunity elsewhere remains to be seen, but that opportunity shouldn't come in San Francisco.
Giants trade candidates who should be as good as gone
2B/SS Tyler Fitzgerald
Tyler Fitzgerald's electric finish to the 2024 campaign was good enough to earn him the starting second base job for 2025. Unfortunately, the player we saw down the stretch last season has been missing for the vast majority of the 2025 campaign. Fitzgerald slashed .217/.278/.327 with four home runs and 14 RBI in 72 games played for San Francisco this season.
Fitzgerald isn't a bad defender, and he's got tons of speed, but his bat just wasn't good enough this season, resulting in three separate demotions to Triple-A. Even with the expanded rosters in September, Fitzgerald hasn't sniffed the bigs this month because his bat leaves too much to be desired.
The odds of him ever reclaiming his second base job in San Francisco are incredibly slim, but perhaps there's a team out there willing to take a chance on the 28-year-old, knowing what he was able to do in 2024. If the Giants get interested suitors, they ought to strongly consider dealing him.
RHP Tristan Beck
If the Giants plan on competing in 2026, improving the bullpen has to be their top priority. Part of their improvement should mean letting go of guys who have held that unit back down the stretch like Tristan Beck.
Beck has had some good moments in parts of three seasons with the Giants, but he has a 4.77 ERA in 29 appearances and 54.2 innings of work this season. He isn't the worst long reliever in the world, but his inability to miss bats (23.2 percent whiff rate, 31st percentile per Baseball Savant) makes him hard to trust out of the 'pen.
I don't think the Giants should non-tender Beck, a 29-year-old with club control who hasn't even hit arbitration yet, but I do think that pitching depth is valued around the league, and Beck is a fringe-MLB player at best right now. If the Giants are able to flip Beck into anything interesting, they probably should.