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Four Starting Pitchers San Francisco Giants Should Pursue in Free Agency

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Four Starting Pitchers San Francisco Giants Should Pursue in Free Agency


The San Francisco Giants are a team many people will keep a close eye on this offseason. With a new front office in place, led by president of baseball operations Buster Posey, there is potential for intrigue.

How will the new regime differ from the previous one, which was managed by Farhan Zaidi? Will San Francisco be able to lure free agents successfully after striking out so many times recently?

While hitters are tough to convince, the Giants should be able to find success bringing in pitching. Oracle Park is a big draw as it is considered a pitcher’s paradise.

With Blake Snell hitting free agency again, the Giants may have a void in their rotation. Here are four pitchers San Francisco should target to replace Snell.

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The talented right-hander landed on the injured list and missed about two months of last season. But, his talent showed in the postseason after he knocked off the rust.

Buehler allowed six runs in the second inning of his outing against the San Diego Padres in the NLDS. In his 14 other innings of postseason action, he allowed no runs and struck out 13.

He could be one of the most valuable pitchers in free agency this offseason. He carries immense upside as a top-of-the-rotation producer when everything is clicking. 

Last season was a renaissance for the veteran left-hander with the New York Mets. He changed his arm slot and the results were terrific, as he realized the immense potential he carried as a youngster. He went 12-6 with a 3.74 ERA as the Mets reached the NLCS.

Now back on the free agent market, he has proven he has ace-level stuff. With Logan Webb atop the Giants’ rotation, Manaea can slide into the No. 2 role in his second go-round with the franchise.

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If San Francisco wants to replace Snell with another southpaw, the veteran is an excellent option.

Adding a pitcher of Williams’ caliber would make a lot of sense because of the versatility he brings, even as San Francisco has a group of young pitchers hoping to break through and continue their development in the rotation next season.

Replicating the success he had in 2024 feels unlikely (6-1, 2.03 ERA, 59 strikeouts), but Williams can provide middle-of-the-rotation production. If the young pitchers flourish he can move down the pecking order.

HIs experience coming out of the bullpen would allow him to be used in a hybrid role alongside Jordan Hicks. Versatility, maneuverability and affordability would all be attractive to the Giants.

If San Francisco wants to make a big splash, the Giants could sign Fried, one of the market’s top left-handers, to replace Snell, should he depart.

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The talented Atlanta Braves star brings a lot to the table. Durability has been an issue, but production has not. More importantly, he has extensive postseason experience that can help a team attempting to get back into contention.

A two-time All-Star with incredibly consistent production in the regular season, Fried would create a strong one-two punch with Webb atop the team’s rotation.



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Sea lion pup found in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset malnourished but ‘feisty’

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Sea lion pup found in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset malnourished but ‘feisty’


A California sea lion pup found last week on a San Francisco street corner is malnourished but “active and quite feisty,” The Marine Mammal Center said Monday.

The sea lion, believed to be about 10 months old, had apparently wandered into city’s Outer Sunset neighborhood and was discovered early Thursday morning, authorities said.

The pup was spotted near 48th and Irving Streets, one block from Ocean Beach and Sunset Dunes park. A trained responder from the Marine Mammal Center was joined by San Francisco park rangers and police officers to safely corral the pup, now named ‘Irving’, into a carrier crate.

Dubbed ‘Irving’ by his rescuers, Irving weighed in at 40 pounds and is considered malnourished, the Marine Mammal Center said.

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“The sea lion is active and quite feisty which is a positive initial sign in terms of general behavior,” the center said in a news release on Monday.

During an exam by veterinarians, a series of blood samples were also taken to determine whether there’s any underlying ailment.

Irving is being tube fed a fish smoothie blend two times per day to boost hydration and weight; offers of whole herring will also begin shortly.

The quick actions by police, recreation and parks staff and Ocean Avenue Animal Hospital gave the young sea lion a second chance at life, said Lauren Campbell, animal husbandry manager at The Marine Mammal Center.

“As a roughly 10-month-old pup in his first year of learning how to forage on his own, this animal has a long road to recovery due to his severe malnutrition,” Campbell said. “We are hopeful that in the coming weeks with continued specialized care that this pup starts to make positive strides toward recovery and release.”

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Irving will be held in the Center’s Intensive Quarantine Unit until clearing medical protocols, before likely being transferred this week to a traditional rehabilitation pool pen. A long-term prognosis and potential release timeline are not currently known.



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Giants Head Home to San Francisco After Shutout Loss

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Giants Head Home to San Francisco After Shutout Loss


After Sunday’s 3-0 loss to the Washington Nationals, the San Francisco Giants headed back to the West Coast. They’re going back to the Bay Area, too.

The Giants have a date with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a three-game series at Oracle Park starting Tuesday night.

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So, San Francisco probably wanted to get out of Washington, D.C., with a win. That didn’t happen at Nationals Park on Sunday afternoon.

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Nationals reliever Andrew Alvarez, the third pitcher used by the team on Sunday, picked up the victory with 4 1/3 innings of work. Giants starter Robbie Ray absorbed the loss, falling to 2-3 this season.

Ray worked six innings, giving up seven hits, three runs (all earned), walking one, and striking out seven Nationals. If the Giants’ offense had found a way to tack on some runs, then Ray’s outing wouldn’t have looked so bad.

The Giants’ bats, though, had eight hits. The big number for Giants manager Tony Vitello to look at in the box score after this one was, well, pretty big. San Francisco left 10 runners on base on Sunday, going 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. This indicates that San Francisco had plenty of opportunities to score some runs.

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They just didn’t get the job done.

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Let’s go to the bottom of the fifth with the Giants and Nationals in a scoreless tie. With nobody out, the Nationals’ Keibert Ruiz connected for his third double this season. Nasim Nuñez scored to put Washington up 1-0.

With one out, Curtis Mead sent a Ray pitch over the left-field wall, a two-run blast that gave the Nationals a 3-0 lead.

San Francisco had a scoring threat in the top of the eighth inning. With runners at first and second base and nobody out, Casey Schmitt grounded into a double play. Matt Chapman, who was on second base, went to third. But the Giants were unable to bring him home.

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Rafael Devers and Drew Gilbert went 2-for-4 at the plate for the Giants, producing half of the Giants’ hits.

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The Giants fall to 9-13 this season, sitting in fourth place in the National League West Division. The Nationals’ record goes to 10-12, good enough for third place in the National League East Division.

All eyes now turn toward Oracle on Tuesday night. It’ll be a chance for two longtime rivals to renew their rivalry.

Baseball fans know that the Giants-Dodgers matchups usually are must-see TV.

That’s probably going to be the case once again as Giants fans watch their team battle the Dodgers. Those lucky to have tickets to the three-game series at Oracle Park will show up in Giants colors, hoping to see Los Angeles head back to Southern California with either a series loss or a Giants’ sweep.

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Buckle up, Giants fans. It’s about to get rowdy at Oracle Park.

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Why do gray whales keep dying in San Francisco’s waters?

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Why do gray whales keep dying in San Francisco’s waters?


The 4,140-sq-km bay is the largest estuary on the west coast of the US. Before 2018, this species of whales wasn’t known to stop seasonally or consistently in the bay, bypassing it on their migration route down to Baja California and back up the Arctic, said Josephine Slaathaug, who led a recent study on gray whale mortality in the bay.



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