The San Francisco Giants are one of those teams that you feel should always be a contender. But, ever since their historic 107-55 2021 season, the truth is the Giants have not finished better than 81-81. That was the Giants’ record last year, the second time in four years at .500, which prompted a change in direction for 2026. Will this fresh look be the thing that pushes the Giants over the hump in a competitive NL West?
Giants’ Notable Offseason Moves
The splashiest move the by the Giants was what they did to fill their managerial vacancy after firing Bob Melvin. They dipped into the college ranks to snag Tony Vitello, who had no previous professional coaching experience. Now, Vitello was at the top of his profession in college, but the talkative new manager has to adjust to facing the media twice a day and building relationships with players who make much more than he does and might be skeptical of him. While he had some shaky media moments early in spring training, Vitello hasn’t been making any headlines recently, which should be considered a positive.
On the field, the biggest acquisitions were two starting pitchers and two position players. Right-handers Adrian Houser (two years, $22 million) and Tyler Mahle (one year, $10 million) will be part of a rotation that only lost Just Verlander. Harrison Bader (two years, $20.5 million) takes over in center field as one of the best defenders in the game, moving Jung Hoo Lee to right. Hit machine and former San Diego Padre Luis Arraez (one year, $12 million) will play second base, a position where he offers questionable defense. Right-hander Ryan Borucki joined the Giants over the weekend, perhaps reflecting the concern over the bullpen’s depth.
Projected Giants Lineup
Luis Arraez, 2B
Rafael Devers, 1B
Willy Adames, SS
Matt Chapman, 3B
Jung Hoo Lee, RF
Heliot Ramos, LF
Harrison Bader, CF
Will Brennan, DH
Arraez, for all the criticism he receives, gives offenses a little juice with his ability to hit. His string of three straight batting titles came to an end in 2025, but not before a late-season surge got him up to a .292/.327/.392 slash line. The real question is will Devers, now that he has had an offseason to put his Boston Red Sox drama behind him, return to his career .276/.349/.506 mark after putting up a .236/.347/.460 following the mid-June trade. He did hit 20 of his 35 homers in those 90 games, but the rest of his production needs to improve. Also, will moving Lee off center field help to unlock more offense? Ramos has back-to-back 20-homer seasons, but likewise needs to contribute more.
Projected Giants Rotation
Logan Webb, RHP
Robbie Ray, LHP
Tyler Mahle, RHP
Adrian Houser, RHP
Landen Roupp, RHP
Webb and Ray at the top of this rotation will give the Giants a fighting chance throughout the season. Mahle is underrated (3.37 FIP, 2.18 ERA in 2025), but coming off a season in which he was limited to 16 starts with the Texas Rangers due to right shoulder fatigue. Houser has never made more than 26 starts due to a variety of reasons, but he did have a 3.81 FIP in 2025 between the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays. Roupp, mainly a reliever in 2024, had his first full taste of an MLB starting rotation in 2025, putting up a 3.91 FIP in 22 starts. This should be a pretty good group.
The Verdict
How does Vitello deal with the daily grind of the MLB schedule? How he manages the bullpen will be something to watch, but he does have former San Diego Padres skipper Jayce Tingler as his bench coach and Justin Meccage as his pitching coach, the latter of whom has MLB coaching experience with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2018-24. But it will be how Vitello handles adversity or a prolonged slump that could determine how the Giants do this season. Devers returning to MVP-caliber form, combined with this starting rotation, could have the Giants contend for a postseason spot.
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