Why Giants Should Consider Trade for Rays Reliever to Bolster Bullpen

The San Francisco Giants need some help in the wake of the loss of Randy Rodriguez, and this potential trade target would provide a boost.

The San Francisco Giants logo on the sleeve of a player's uniform. | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The hot stove during Major League Baseball’s offseason percolates in many ways. That includes trade hot boards.

Recently, CBS Sports put together a list of the Top 25 offseason trade candidates in the Majors. These are players that are under contract, or are locked up in club options, that could be candidates to be dealt before spring training.

The San Francisco Giants have several needs going into the offseason, not the least of which is finding a pitcher that can replace Randy Rodriguez. The All-Star reliever was injured late in the season and required Tommy John surgery ruling him out for most of the 2026 season as he recovers. It’s a big blow to the bullpen. Add to it the face that San Francisco traded Camilo Doval in July and San Francisco has a hole in its bullpen that either free agency or a trade could address.

One reliever the Giants should consider pursuing is Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Pete Fairbanks.

Why Giants Should Consider Trading for Pete Fairbanks

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Fairbanks has been a popular trade candidate the past couple of seasons, but the Rays have yet to move him. There’s a good reason why.

The right-hander is coming off a 2025 in which he went 4-5 with a 2.83 ERA in 61 appearances, with 59 strikeouts and 18 walks in 60.1 innings. Fairbanks has a career ERA of 3.19 and hasn’t had an ERA higher than 3.59 in any of his last five seasons with the Rays.

Notably, in the past three seasons he’s emerged as the Rays’ closer. He has recorded at least 23 saves in each of his last three seasons and had 27 in 2025. He has 90 career saves, with 75 coming from 2023-25.

It’s a resume that makes him a good fit for the Giants. Losing Rodriguez doesn’t mean the Giants are without a closer. Ryan Walker saved 17 games across 61.1 innings last season. He’s under team control and can’t be a free agent until 2030. He has 28 saves in three seasons across 193 games.

Fairbanks’ value is his experience. Using him in a tandem with Walker gives the Giants a similar 1-2 punch than it had a season ago with Walker and Rodriguez before the latter’s injury.

Plus, the Giants aren’t tied for Fairbanks for long. He’s entering the final year of his deal with the Rays, which is a team option for 2026 worth $12.5 million. The team is under new ownership and that ownership could opt to let him go, but then Tampa would get nothing in return. Fairbanks has value as a trade piece and $12.5 million is not much to pay for a closer that can flex into a set-up role.

The question is what players the Giants would have to give up in trade. But to solidify their bullpen for 2026, pursuing Fairbanks would be worth the cost.