On Wednesday, the SF Giants reportedly signed Tyler Mahle to a one-year deal. The move not only rounds out the rotation, but likely shuts the door on a reunion with future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander.
When the 2025 season ended, the Giants and Verlander said all the right things about a possible reunion. However, that seemed unlikely for a few reasons. One reason is that he resides in Florida, and the Giants hold spring training in Scottsdale, Arizona.
In addition to being on the road for much of the season, that would mean another six weeks away from home while he prepares for the long year. Quite a few teams hold spring training in Florida, so it would not be all that surprising to see him sign up with one of those teams.
The other reason is the lack of support Verlander got in pursuing 300 wins. The 20-year veteran began the season with 262 career wins, but only added four wins to his ledger in a Giants uniform. That was due to a lack of run support and some bullpen meltdowns. Verlander did not notch his first win of the year until July 23, 2025.
Verlander got off to a slow start with San Francisco, but finished the year on a strong note. Overall, he pitched to a 3.85 ERA, 3.85 FIP, 1.36 WHIP, 8.1 K/9, and a 2.63 SO/W rate across 29 starts. That type of production is also not easy to replace or replicate.
The Giants hope that they have found a way to replicate that production, with the signings of Adrian Houser and Tyler Mahle. Both pitchers are coming off solid seasons, but neither one has the most durable track record, meaning that the Giants will likely need to fill in the gaps with their young pitching depth.
Houser and Mahle join Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, and Landen Roupp as the pitchers expected to round out the Opening Day rotation. The Giants could make one more addition to the rotation, but it would likely be someone returning from injury that can give them innings in the second half of the year. The Matthew Boyd signing from 2022 is not a bad archetype for rotation insurance.
That said, there is not much room left for another full-time starter. The Giants are likely prepared to begin the year with this unit, and Verlander will almost certainly be pitching for another team next season.
