Following a brutal 2026 Major League Baseball season that saw them win just 65 games, the San Francisco Giants are also going to be contending with what is shaping up to be a complicated offseason. 

The beginning of December will usher in the expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement that MLB is currently operating under, and the owners and the Major League Baseball Players Association are at an impasse regarding the terms of the next CBA. 

How things play out could affect the Giants' offseason, just as it could for the 29 other teams in the sport. It is a significant external factor, but San Francisco's biggest concerns are internal. 

The Giants need to improve overall, And one of the biggest issues plaguing them is pitching. Could the addition of right-hander Freddy Peralta help address it?

The 2026 season, for Peralta, was vastly different from 2025. Peralta spent the latter season with the Milwaukee Brewers, the only professional organization he had been a part of, and posted some of the best numbers of his career. He went 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA over 33 starts and 176.2 innings of work. 

Peralta looked primed for a massive payday, and even though the Brewers picked up his club option last offseason, He was eventually traded to the New York Mets. Peralta's time with the Mets was brief, and he struggled with an incredibly disappointing team, given its payroll. 

After going 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA with New York across 22 starts, Peralta was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays. He began to look more like his old self as he went 5-2 with a 3.25 ERA over 10 regular-season starts. 

His efforts in the postseason also eventually culminated in him winning the American League Championship Series MVP award as he helped the Rays capture their third pennant in franchise history.

Now, as a free agent, Peralta is expected to get paid, though it may not be as much as he might have originally earned had he been good all season long. According to ESPN MLB Insider Kiley McDaniel, the projected contract for Peralta will be in the range of four years, $96 million, which comes out to an Average Annual Value of $24 million.

For the Giants, Peralta could be a good option at a reasonable price. However, it is worth mentioning that Tampa Bay's pitching development is elite, and Peralta made it clear after winning the ALCS that he would like to remain with the organization. 

There is a chance that he stays put, but the Giants should still inquire about his services. If Peralta can maintain the form that he rediscovered in Tampa Bay, it would immediately provide a boost for San Francisco. 

The Giants cannot become a winning baseball team until they address their pitching woes. While it is not necessary to go after a big fish like Tarik Skubal, the organization may need to open its wallet for a player like Peralta.