GIANTS' PITCHING PLAY: SF PRIORITIZES VALUE LUCAS GIOLITO OVER EXPENSIVE IMAI
The Giants are seeking pitching value this offseason. Expert analysis links them strongly to Lucas Giolito, whose high fly-ball rate suits Oracle Park perfectly.
Gavin Kilen is the first player picked in the first round, with Buster Posey as the Giants' President of Baseball Operations.
The San Francisco Giants have had a quiet offseason so far. They need help in a few spots, like pitching and adding depth to their lineup. One area they're still trying to improve is their starting pitching.
Logan Webb and Robbie Ray are their top two pitchers for new manager Tony Vitello. They still need to find a third starter and a veteran pitcher. The options are getting fewer. Framber Valdez from the Houston Astros and Michael King from the San Diego Padres are the biggest names still available. Both are rumoured to be going to East Coast teams.
One guy the Giants might be interested in is Lucas Giolito, a right-hander from the Boston Red Sox. Buster Olney from ESPN said that the Giants aren't trying to sign the most expensive pitchers.
Olney said that the Giants have been connected to Tatsuyi Imai, the best free agent pitcher from Japan, but they seem to be looking at cheaper options, which suggests they don't want to spend big money on pitchers like Imai.
The Giants are again predicted to get Red Sox free agent pitcher Lucas Giolito.
Giolito is not going to be back in Boston, and Zachary D. Rymer from Bleacher Report thinks he'll end up with the Giants in the Bay Area. The Red Sox didn't make him an offer after this past season.
Rymer said that Lucas Giolito had a good comeback season this year, but he also had some luck. His expected ERA was 5.00, and he should have given up more homers. It's not hard to see why. The righty didn't have many strikeouts, and his ground-ball rate (39.5) and exit velocity (90.3 mph) were worse than average. Basically, he gave up a lot of hard-hit balls in the air.
After not playing at all in the prior season, Giolito started 26 games for Boston and had a 10-4 record. He pitched 145 innings with a 3.41 ERA, 121 strikeouts, and 56 walks. He also had a 2.1 WAR. Giolito missed the Red Sox's playoff series against the New York Yankees due to an elbow issue. It was a big loss because manager Alex Cora had to start young Connelly Early in the deciding Game 3.
Oracle Park could be great for Lucas Giolito.
One problem Giolito had this year was keeping the ball in the park. He gave up 17 home runs. But, as Rymer said, Oracle Park could be a good place for him to pitch.
Rymer wrote that Statcast says it's the second-worst park for home run hitters in MLB, only better than PNC Park in Pittsburgh. It's a good place for any pitcher, but especially for guys like Giolito who tend to have fly balls. The Giants need a good No. 3 starter behind Logan Webb and Robbie Ray. Giolito fits that description.
Giolito isn't expected to cost a ton of money. He should be ready for spring training, even with the elbow problem he had in the playoffs. Rymer thinks he'll get a multi-year deal in the $30-40 million range. A two-year deal in that price range would be perfect for San Francisco behind Webb and Ray. Giolito is still being connected to the Giants, and usually, there's a reason for the rumours.
RAIDERS PLACE RECEIVER JUSTIN SHORTER ON IR; SIGN HOOSIERS STAR BRADY
With Justin Shorter on IR, discover how new signing Jonathan Brady fits into the Raiders' wide receiver youth movement for 2026.
The Raiders aren’t sitting still; rookie minicamp just started, and they're already shuffling the roster. Right now, some veteran players are basically on borrowed time as the team leans hard into getting younger.
Take Justin Shorter. He’s been in Vegas since 2024 but hasn’t caught a pass in an actual NFL game. Well, his spot just got even more shaky. The Raiders put him on the Reserve/Injured list, which, let’s be real, is never a good sign this early in the offseason. Usually, that sort of move means a buyout could be next so he can test free agency.
There’s a steady influx of young receivers competing for spots, so it’s tough to see Shorter making his way back, even if he heals up. To fill his spot, the team signed Jonathan Brady, a receiver out of Indiana.
Nobody’s really sure what kind of injury Shorter has. If it’s serious, maybe he sticks around and rehabs with the team. If not, we might see him try his luck somewhere else.
As for the Raiders’ wide receiver group, the youth movement is real. Wide receiver was a big need heading into the offseason, but they didn’t do much outside of signing Jalen Nailor and drafting Malik Benson in the sixth round.
Vincent Bonsignore from the California Post pointed out that the Raiders might still look to add more receivers if the current group doesn’t step up. He basically said that the early rounds of the draft went to bigger needs, and now guys like Bech and Thornton Jr. have a chance to prove the team doesn’t have to keep looking elsewhere. But don’t expect the Raiders to hesitate if things look shaky.
Now, about that passing game, it was rough last season. The Raiders finished in the bottom five. But with Klint Kubiak calling plays and Fernando Mendoza hopefully taking over for Geno Smith, things honestly should get better. If Kirk Cousins ends up starting, he’s probably an upgrade, too. And bringing in Tyler Linderbaum at centre will only help.
Chances are, the Raiders will use an early pick on a receiver in next year’s draft. Even though they have a rookie quarterback waiting in the wings, they didn’t spend big at receiver this offseason. Maybe that’s because they don’t expect him to start right away. Who knows. For now, the wide receiver group looks decent enough to get by.
NFL EXECUTIVE NAMES COLE PAYTON HIS "NO. 2 QUARTERBACK" IN THE 2026 CLASS
From 94.6 PFF grades to 4.56 speed, Cole Payton is the Eagles' latest QB project. Analysing his path to the NFL depth chart.
Cole Payton, who played quarterback at North Dakota State, might end up making a bigger splash as a fifth-round pick than people expect.
He’s not just another late-round flyer, either. An NFL executive recently told insider J.L. Canfora that Payton has real upside. The Eagles have done something similar before, so this isn't coming out of nowhere.
Remember Carson Wentz? Philly grabbed him with the second overall pick back in 2016, but Jalen Hurts ended up taking over. Now, some people around the league think history might repeat itself with Payton possibly replacing Hurts down the road.
The executive went all in on Payton: “You know, I believe in that kid. That was my No. 2 quarterback in the draft. And Howie [Roseman] takes him? Come on. He sees it too. Cole Payton, if you bring him along the right way, can start in this league.”
Roseman, the guy in Philly’s front office, was a big part of the Wentz pick. He’s seen his fair share of quarterback changes over the years, and honestly, that might matter this time, too.
The executive didn’t hold back: “All the stuff you hear about Hurts, all the drama and where he is in his contract." You can call me crazy, but I think this kid could take over from him in a few years. They did this with [Kevin] Kolb, even when [Donovan] McNabb was still there. I know how Howie thinks. This kid has a chance.”
Payton had to wait for his turn at NDSU.
Payton rolled into North Dakota State in 2021, known as a strong recruit for an FCS quarterback, straight out of Omaha.
He was supposed to be the next big thing, just like the string of successful Bison quarterbacks before him. But things didn’t break that way at first. Cam Miller, the QB ahead of him, kept stacking up wins and making a name for himself in Fargo.
Miller even beat out Quincy Patterson II, a gifted dual-threat quarterback who transferred in from Virginia Tech. After Patterson got banged up in 2021, Miller took over, steered the team to a national championship, and then hung on to the starting job through 2024.
Patterson left for Temple, so Payton slid into the Bison’s running packages in a spot that Patterson had filled before. And Payton did more than just fill that role. In 2022, he ran for 284 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries. By the next year, he really took off: 615 yards and 13 touchdowns on 84 carries.
Setback, then a breakout
Payton started 2024 looking like the same kind of threat on the ground, but a shoulder injury cut his season short. He only managed 164 rushing yards and a score on 21 carries before he went down.
Finally, in 2025, his shot as the full-time starter arrived after Miller left for the NFL draft, drafted by the Raiders in the sixth round. Payton made the most of it. He led NDSU to an unbeaten 12-0 regular season, completing 70% of his passes for 2,719 yards, with 16 touchdowns and just four picks. And he still ran wild, with 777 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 136 carries.
Now, he’s got a fresh chance in Philadelphia. If you ask people around the league, he’s not just there to hold a clipboard. They're watching to see what happens next.
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