A day after the conclusion of the 2026 Major League season, just after the Milwaukee Brewers won their first World Series title in franchise history, players eligible for free agency have officially hit the open market.
According to an official release from the MLB Players Association, right-handed reliever JT Brubaker is the only Giant with an expiring contract this winter.
Brubaker signed with the Giants in August 2025, just days after he was designated for assignment and eventually released by the New York Yankees. He remained with San Francisco over the offseason and just wrapped up his first full season with the team.
Pitching almost entirely out of the bullpen for the Giants, removing his one start from the picture, Brubaker was an innings eater and was able to provide multiple innings of relief for manager Tony Vitello.
He essentially served as the team's long reliever because of his deepened five-pitch mix, consisting of a sinker (45%), slider (26%), changeup (14%), curveball (9%), and four-seam fastball (6%).
Brubaker was primarily a starter during his three seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, which helps explain his expanded arsenal. Over 63 career starts, he has a 5.07 ERA and 1.39 WHIP.
If you're wondering why Brubaker was converted to a reliever for the 2025 season, it's because he underwent Tommy John surgery on April 12, 2023. Also, as a result of his major procedure, he didn't log any major league innings in 2023 and 2024.
This past season, Brubaker appeared in 41 games for the Giants, 40 of those appearances being out of the bullpen. Across 60.1 innings, he pitched to a solid 3.58 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.
If you look more deeply into Brubaker's profile, you'll notice that he's a pretty average arm and may actually see some regression in the near future.
In 2026, Brubaker was worth 6 pitching run value, which places him in the 62nd percentile, but due to his inability to generate whiff, only at a measly 20.9% clip, he only struck out 15.6% of batters he faced, which ranks in the 5th percentile.
Furthermore, Brubaker struggled with command at times, which led to him issuing free passes via the walks at an alarming 10.4% rate. Between his low strikeout rate and high walk rate, these are definite factors in his 4.28 FIP and 5.02 xERA.
On a positive note, Brubaker generated an average amount of chase (30.4%), while limiting hard-contact to an above-average 36.1% mark, and only allowing batters to get the barrel to the baseball at a superb 5.5% clip.
JT Brubaker throws a pitch during the seventh inning against the Houston Astros at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Heading into free agency, Brubaker is expected to receive a one-year contract with an estimated value of $3.6 million per season, according to Spotrac . If an organization is looking for a veteran arm with some flexibility, Brubaker is a solid choice.
The question is if the Giants should bring him back or not.
The Giants have a ton of pitching on the 40-man roster, and a majority of them have started games in the past, either in the majors or minors. Excluding pitchers on the injured list, the organization currently has 25 active pitchers on the 40-man roster.
They have five pitchers on the injured list, including Hayden Birdsong, Trevor McDonald, Blade Tidwell, Carson Whisenhunt and Rowan Wick. All underwent Tommy John surgery this year, which further explains how much pitching depth they have in the organization .
With all that being said, it probably isn't worth the Giants' $3.6 million to bring back an aging reliever who showed some clear signs of regression this year.
It wouldn't be a terrible move to make and a reunion could be an option, but it might not be necessary. His numbers weren't off the charts, but you have to appreciate his flexibility and ability to eat innings.
Don't forget that Brubaker was a long-reliever and that's typically a pretty easy role to fill with internal options.
The Giants will certainly need to sign some relief pitchers over the offseason, but Brubaker likely isn't the first priority in terms of bullpen additions.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/giants/onsi as JT Brubaker Is the Giants Only Free Agent Entering the Offseason .
