The San Francisco Giants’ offseason starts with a simple test: how many jobs can they lock down before spring training arrives?
After a 65-97 season, the roster needs more than one splashy move. It needs dependable innings, dependable bats and enough clarity for veterans and young players to settle into real roles.
President of baseball operations Buster Posey is staring at a chain of decisions, and each one affects the next. Add a starter, and you may have to move an infielder or outfielder.
Add a veteran hitter, and a prospect might lose at-bats. Keep the wrong reliever, and money gets squeezed elsewhere.
That’s why the Giants’ priorities have to be stacked carefully, with the long view aimed at the 2027 roster.
Pitching sits at the top of the pile. Logan Webb and Landen Roupp give the Giants a base, but they need more reliable innings around them.
The idea is to add two starters and let a healthy Adrian Houser, along with younger arms, fight for the remaining work while prospects come back from elbow surgery. Reported scouting in Japan opens another avenue, though any pursuit has to account for posting decisions and whether those pitchers are actually available.
The Giants’ trade-target analysis points to another path, including Reid Detmers. However they get there, San Francisco should be looking for five credible starters and extra coverage, with health, workload and remaining club control all part of the price check.
The bullpen needs a major reset too. Giants relievers finished 2026 with a 4.14 ERA and 27 blown saves, and the club should be aiming to add at least two established arms who can handle high-leverage matchups.
Control matters a lot in that search. Camilo Doval’s arbitration situation makes his spot complicated, with a projected $6.6 million salary forcing a hard look at what role he actually fills.
The Giants should explore a trade and non-tender him if nothing lines up, then use those resources on more dependable relief help. They also need a real answer for the ninth inning.
First base is another spot that needs a clean answer. Bryce Eldridge should be the primary option there, while Rafael Devers gets most of the designated hitter starts. Eldridge’s .269/.364/.461 line in 2026 supports regular run while he continues to grow defensively.
The middle infield picture is clearer, at least for now. Willy Adames is still the expected shortstop.
At second base, healthy versions of Marcelo Mayer and Casey Schmitt should be competing for playing time. If Schmitt ends up in a trade, the Giants need to make sure a dependable replacement stays in place.
Once those roles are set, it becomes easier to figure out which bench pieces actually make sense and gives manager Tony Vitello more flexibility when someone needs a day off or goes cold.
The outfield also has room for internal growth, especially with Bo Davidson getting a real shot. Even so, the Giants would benefit from a veteran bat who can help against left-handed pitching without blocking the younger options from meaningful work.
Randal Grichuk fits that kind of selective role, with a limited corner-outfield and pinch-hitting assignment offering a practical way to balance the roster. San Francisco still needs enough center-field depth as well, especially with Harrison Bader’s recovery in play.
Then there’s the less glamorous work, which still matters. The Giants’ contract decisions have to support all of the above.
Rowan Wick’s option and the roster spots tied up by injured relievers need medical and role evaluations. Players coming off the 60-day injured list have to be reinstated, and prospects need protection from the Rule 5 draft.
That housekeeping eats up space, so it has to happen early if the bigger moves are going to stay on the table.
By the time spring training opens, the Giants should have a cleaner depth chart, more pitching and enough flexibility to adjust when the first plan changes.
In Other News...
Giants Still Have One Possible Edge In Tarik Skubal Pursuit
Tarik Skubals free agency figure is already drawing plenty of attention around the Bay Area, and the Giants have a natural thread to pull on with a pitcher who grew up close enough to know the region well. With the Dodgers out of the postseason and speculation swirling about whether they will try to keep the left-hander, the market for one of the top names available figures to get crowded quickly. San Francisco can point to home-area familiarity as a possible advantage, even if there is still plenty of uncertainty about how aggressively it will move.
The bigger question is whether that connection matters enough to outweigh the usual free-agent calculus of money and winning. Skubal is going to have choices, and the Giants will need to decide whether they are willing to present a deal that belongs in the top tier of the market. For now, there have been no official moves, just the sense that San Francisco has at least one possible edge if it chooses to press its case. [Read more 🡒]
Rockies Pitching Overhaul Keeps Taking Shape Behind The Scenes
The offseason picture around the Giants is already starting to take shape, and it reaches well beyond their own roster. San Francisco is among the clubs scouting Japanese right-handers Hiromi Itoh and Taira, both expected to be posted this winter, a reminder that the front office is tracking every possible avenue to add pitching depth as it looks ahead to 2026. On the other side of the division, the Dodgers have openly heard from Alex Vesia and Enrique Hernandez about a possible return in free agency, a sign that the market around the West is beginning to stir.
For the Giants, the pitching need is hardly a mystery. Randy Rodriguez is in the Arizona Fall League as part of his recovery from Tommy John surgery, and the club is expected to pursue additional bullpen help even with his rehab moving along. Around the division, the Rockies are reshaping their own pitching operation too, considering a new coaching role tied to advance reports and in-game adjustments after moving on from pitching coach Alon Leichman after just one season. The dominoes are already falling in different directions, and San Francisco will be watching closely as the market for arms takes form. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Have A Matt Chapman Question They Cant Ignore
Matt Chapmans first season in San Francisco did not play out the way the Giants envisioned when they committed to him, even if the glove stayed dependable. His offense slipped during the 2026 season, finishing with a .235/.324/.368 line, seven home runs and 42 RBIs before a core muscle injury ended his year and sent him to season-ending surgery.
Now the Giants have to balance what Chapman still brings defensively with the uncertainty around his health and production moving forward. With a long-term commitment on the books, the organization is expected to be more careful with him in 2027, hoping that a lighter workload can help preserve both his availability and the bat that has become too important to leave to chance. [Read more 🡒]