The Giants have not yet confirmed the report.
Hentges, 29, logged a 4.18 ERA over four seasons with the Guardians, but he sat out the entire 2025 season while recovering from left shoulder surgery. He also underwent arthroscopic right knee surgery in September, which has an expected rehab timeline of three to four months.
Hentges became a free agent when he was non-tendered by the Guardians on Nov. 21, but he was on the open market for less than a week before he was scooped up by the Giants. His best season came in 2022, when he posted a 2.32 ERA with 72 strikeouts over 62 innings in 57 relief outings for Cleveland.
The Giants’ decision to move on from the 32-year-old Lucchesi — who recorded a 3.76 ERA over 38 relief appearances this year — came as a mild surprise, though they ended up finding a quick replacement in Hentges, who will be under team control through 2027.
Assuming he’s healthy, Hentges should join Erik Miller, Matt Gage and recently claimed Reiver Sanmartin as lefty options in the Giants’ bullpen next year.
Hentges and Sanmartin should help give the Giants more experience from the left side, but the team will still need to shore up the back end of the bullpen, which was thinned by the departures of Tyler Rogers (traded to the Mets) and Camilo Doval (traded to the Yankees) and loss of All-Star right-hander Randy Rodríguez, who is expected to miss the 2026 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in September.
Ryan Walker is currently projected to serve as San Francisco’s closer next year, but the 30-year-old right-hander is coming off a down year, so the Giants could look to bring in other ninth-inning options this offseason.
Two elite closers — Edwin Díaz and Robert Suarez — remain available, though the Giants could also consider reuniting with Rogers or pursuing a bounceback candidate like Devin Williams.
Williams, 31, struggled to a career-high 4.79 ERA over 67 appearances for the Yankees this year, but his underlying metrics painted a more encouraging picture, as he finished with a 3.11 expected ERA and a 2.68 FIP.
Known for his “Airbender” changeup, Williams was the 2020 National League Rookie of the Year and a two-time All-Star over his six-year run in Milwaukee, where he put up a 1.83 ERA with 68 saves over 241 relief outings. He’s a known commodity for Giants general manager Zack Minasian, who was a member of the Brewers’ front office when they drafted Williams in the second round of the 2013 MLB Draft.
