Former Giants pitcher Kevin Gausman said on Sunday that the Giants never offered him a contract in free agency, allowing fans to question San Francisco’s front office.
“I want to set the record straight for y’all (because) there has been a lot of bs out there about this,” Gausman wrote in a tweet. “SF never made me an offer. Simple as that. Anyone or anything that says otherwise is #FakeNews.”
Gausman finished sixth in Cy Young Award voting in 2021, posting a 2.81 ERA in a MLB-high 33 starts. It was his second year in San Francisco.
Despite his success, the Giants apparently weren’t interested in retaining Gausman. The 31-year-old landed with the Toronto Blue Jays on a five-year, $110 million contract.
Under President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi, the Giants have been averse to spending big, long-term money on starting pitchers. Although it was expected that they wouldn’t want to commit for five years, it’s still surprising they didn’t even try to find common ground with Gausman.
Without Gausman, the Giants have reloaded their rotation with emerging ace Logan Webb as well as Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood and Alex Cobb. But San Francisco didn’t make a splash in free agency before the lockout was initiated and has just $112 million committed to its 2022 payroll.