SF Giants 2026 spring training preview: starting pitchers

SCOTTSDALE — The Giants’ offseason strategy for acquiring starting pitching was hardly a secret.

Back in November, chairman Greg Johnson told The San Francisco Standard that the team would be “cautious” about signing the top free-agent starting pitchers to long-term, big-money contracts. The front office didn’t deviate from that script.

That meant no Framber Valdez, who signed a three-year, $115 million contract with the Detroit Tigers. That meant no Dylan Cease, who went to the Blue Jays for $210 million over seven years.