The Giants’ 2026 bullpen managed a milestone nobody in the organization would have wanted to celebrate: no reliever reached 10 saves. That hadn’t happened in a full season for San Francisco since 1972, when Jerry Johnson topped the club with eight.
It wasn’t hard to see why. The group never really settled into a rhythm, and the roles behind it were just as unsettled.
Relievers were bounced between leverage spots, with some appearing in tight situations one night and lower-pressure innings the next. That kind of shuffle makes it tough for anyone to stack up traditional bullpen numbers.
Caleb Kilian finished with the team lead in saves with eight, and the gap between him and everyone else was wide. He made his last appearance for San Francisco on August 1 before being dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies in a four-player trade. Dylan Smith and Erik Miller were next with four saves each, though Miller also wound up traded at the deadline.
Smith’s year offered one of the few hints of possible stability. He doesn’t look like a closer-in-waiting, but he did show he can handle a medium-leverage job.
If the Giants use him mostly in the sixth or seventh inning next season, that would suggest better depth. If he’s pushed into heavier leverage, it may point to more of the same.
Ryan Walker began the season as the Giants’ chosen closer after an encouraging spring, but the regular season never matched that momentum. He finished with three saves and was one of 12 pitchers who closed out a game for the club.
The 1972 comparison underscores just how different bullpens were back then. Johnson appeared in 48 games and covered 73.1 innings, a reminder that relievers once worked longer stints and handled multiple innings far more often than they do now.
In Other News...
Buster Poseys Pitching Stance Raises A Serious Giants Question
Buster Poseys first offseason as the Giants president of baseball operations has already made one thing clear: he is willing to live with some discomfort if it means getting more out of the pitching staff. Posey has signaled that San Francisco may ask its arms to work right up to their limits in training, even if that raises the possibility of injury, because he sees that edge as part of maximizing what pitchers can become.
That stance fits with a broader push to strengthen the organization on the mound, both by developing younger pitchers and by adding better talent from outside. The Giants have already made coaching staff changes and brought in young pitching help in 2026, reflecting a plan that is as much about changing the environment around the arms as it is about finding more of them. The unresolved question is how far that philosophy can go before the balance between growth and risk becomes a real test for the club. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Rotation Problem Points To One Type Of Free Agent
The Giants spent much of the 2026 season fighting the same problem from start to finish: too many free passes and not enough swing-and-miss from the pitching staff. Buster Posey acknowledged how damaging the walks were to the teams performance, while also defending the clubs choice to lean on organizational development instead of making a sweeping coaching change. With that backdrop, it makes sense that San Francisco would be drawn to pitchers who can simply throw strikes and keep innings from unraveling.
One name that fits that profile is Shota Imanaga, whose control has long stood out as his calling card. For a Giants rotation that needs steadiness more than flash, a low-cost arm with that kind of command would check an obvious box. The bigger question is whether San Francisco can translate that need into a realistic addition, especially if it wants to address the staff without spending like a team ready to start from scratch. [Read more 🡒]
Giants May Be Turning To Daniel Susac Sooner Than Expected
Daniel Susacs path into the Giants future took a sharp turn after the 2025 Rule 5 draft, when Minnesota selected him and then promptly shipped him to San Francisco. He made the Opening Day roster in 2026 and, over 53 games, showed why the Giants were willing to keep him around: a .243 average, steady work behind the plate and enough defensive polish to suggest he could handle a bigger role down the line.
The injury, though, changed the timeline. Susacs season ended early with a left knee patella fracture, and the recovery is expected to carry him into the 2027 season before he is ready to return. Even with the setback, the Giants still appear to view him as their best long-term answer at catcher, which makes his rehab and eventual comeback one of the quieter but more important storylines to follow around the club. [Read more 🡒]