The First Free Agent the Giants Should Sign

Romero finished 2026 with a 3.36 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 54 strikeouts in 56.1 innings between the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee. He also posted a 2.07 ERA over 61 innings in 2025 and exceeded 55 innings in each of the past three years. 

That record supports a meaningful setup assignment. Manager Tony Vitello could use Romero in the seventh or eighth inning, including situations in which another reliever needs a day off. A defined role would help San Francisco build the rest of its relief staff around realistic expectations.

There are limits to the case. Romero’s ERA rose in 2025, and his 2026 production does not establish that he should anchor an entire bullpen. He would be one useful part of a broader rebuild.

His medical review also matters. An appendectomy interrupted his 2026 campaign, and he returned to the Majors in September. The Giants should evaluate his health and projected workload before committing. 

The acquisition path is appealing. Romero’s midseason trade made him ineligible for a qualifying offer under existing rules, removing that potential draft-compensation cost. San Francisco could add him without surrendering a trade package or a qualifying-offer draft pick. 

For a team trying to improve while protecting its developing talent, an early agreement makes it easier to justify.

An Early Deal Should Leave Room for Other Pitching

Romero earned $4.26 million in 2026. That provides contract context, but his next agreement could include a raise and multiple guaranteed years. His previous salary should not become an assumption about what he would accept now. 

The Giants should explore a short multi-year commitment that values him as a setup reliever. The pitch would be financial security and a meaningful role in a bullpen with openings. Milwaukee and other clubs could offer competing opportunities, so completing a deal quickly would require Romero’s willingness as well as San Francisco’s preparation.

The Giants’ free-agent rankings outlined several larger investments. Signing Romero early would allow the president of baseball operations, Buster Posey, to keep pursuing rotation upgrades and another dependable late-inning arm.

Timing provides a reason to prepare, but the contract still must fit the assignment. If the bidding reaches a level that restricts those higher-impact additions, San Francisco should move to another relief target.

New clubs can begin signing free agents Nov. 2. A lockout would halt Major League transactions. 

An agreement during that window would settle one bullpen job and give Posey a clearer picture of the remaining budget. Romero should be the first addition because his role is easy to define, his recent record supports it, and the Giants have enough other work; an early, disciplined improvement is valuable.