The 2026 World Series is now set, and with it comes one of baseball’s strangest little traditions: championship rings for players who barely touched the stage, or in some cases never quite made it there at all. Title teams hand them out generously, and that can turn a short stint, a late-season cameo, or even a role in the background into hardware.
A few of this year’s pennant winners fit that mold after spending time with the Giants. One, Kyle Harrison, has already been part of a playoff roster. Others came through San Francisco more quietly, but still did enough to put themselves in line for a ring if their clubs finish the job.
Harrison is the headliner here. After not living up to the lofty expectations that came with his top-prospect status in San Francisco, he was sent out in the Rafael Devers trade and then picked up by Milwaukee from Boston in February.
The Brewers seemed to unlock something early on. The left-hander opened his Milwaukee run with a 1.57 ERA over his first eleven starts and kept pitching effectively into late August, even with a stint on the injured list mixed in.
Then the bottom dropped out. Harrison faded badly late in the year and was eventually shifted to the bullpen.
He remained on the Brewers’ roster through their first two postseason series, but he has not yet appeared in a playoff game. Even so, his stuff is still the kind that draws attention, and the door remains open for a late October chance if the Brewers need him.
Austin Slater’s path has been far more scattered. Since his run as the Giants’ longest-tenured player ended with a 2024 trade to the Reds, he has bounced through eight organizations in less than two and a half years, with seven of them giving him major league time. His latest big league action came with Tampa Bay, where he put up a .724 OPS in seven games in June.
The Rays have shuttled him on and off minor league deals twice, including a September 1 move that kept him eligible for the postseason. But he was left off the club’s ALDS and ALCS rosters, so a World Series appearance would likely require another outfielder going down.
Luis Matos is in a similar bucket as a former prospect who never fully hit his ceiling. Traded to Milwaukee in April, he had a few moments there, including an outfield assist that helped Harrison, but the production never followed.
In nine big league games, he hit .200 without an extra-base hit. The Brewers designated him for assignment, kept him around in the organization, and he has been stuck in the minors since.
Then there’s Joel Kuhnel, who is technically not yet a former Giant, though that may be a short-lived technicality given San Francisco’s looming 40-man roster crunch. Before the Giants claimed him in September, Kuhnel spent time with Milwaukee and recorded saves in two of his ten appearances despite a 6.52 ERA.
His journey this season also included the Athletics, for whom he saved four games. That made his two September saves with San Francisco part of a strange bit of history: he became the first pitcher in MLB history to record multiple saves for three different teams in the same season.
So the list is a mixed bag, with contributions that range from meaningful to barely there. A couple of these players could still factor into the rest of October.
Others may never see the field again this year. But if their teams keep winning, all of them will be in line for the same prize, and at least one of them is guaranteed to get it.
In Other News...
Kyle Harrison Is Back On The World Series Stage Waiting To Matter
Kyle Harrison has reached the biggest stage in October with the Milwaukee Brewers, even if he has not yet had a chance to leave a mark on the playoffs. The 25-year-old left-handers presence on a World Series roster gives him a place in the spotlight, but his usage so far has been limited enough to invite a familiar comparison to the way Tim Lincecum was deployed during the Giants 2014 championship run.
For Giants fans, it is a reminder of how tricky October pitching decisions can be, especially when a talented arm is available but not yet central to the plan. Harrisons situation leaves open the possibility of a larger role in future playoff appearances, which is part of what makes his current wait so interesting: he is there, he is close, and the next time the moment finds him, it may matter much more. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Face A Tough Steven Kwan Question This Offseason
Steven Kwan is heading into the final year of his arbitration window with Cleveland, which naturally puts him on the radar of clubs looking to add a dependable bat before he gets any closer to free agency. Around the league, executives reportedly expect the Giants and other teams to at least kick the tires, and it makes sense given how San Francisco has tried to keep one eye on immediate competitiveness while also planning ahead for the next wave of roster decisions.
Still, the Guardians have not been in the habit of letting key players drift all the way to the open market, so any real conversation would likely center on whether they can extract value now rather than later. For the Giants, the bigger question is whether Kwan fits their picture for the 2027 season, because their level of interest figures to hinge less on the name itself than on where they think the roster is headed by then. [Read more 🡒]
Harrison Bader Faces One Big Test In Giants Center-Field Battle
Harrison Baders place in the Giants center-field picture is shaping up to be one of the more interesting questions of the spring. San Francisco is weighing whether to keep him in the mix through camp and let the competition sort itself out, but that decision starts with his health after foot injuries limited him and clouded the end of his 2026 run. When hes right, Bader still brings value with his defense and enough offense to matter, which is why the Giants are at least entertaining a longer look.
The bigger issue is whether the club should treat him as a likely answer or simply one option among several. Baders contract status adds another layer, since the Giants have to decide how much they want to commit before they know if he can handle the grind of a full season and fit into the 2027 plan. Just as important, the team also has younger candidates to evaluate, which means this battle is about more than one veteran trying to get healthy. [Read more 🡒]