Jason Foley’s first season back from a major shoulder injury was solid enough for the SF Giants, but it also fit the larger story of a bullpen that never really had much margin for error.
The Giants signed Foley last offseason knowing he hadn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2024 and likely wouldn’t be ready until midseason. The hope was simple: get him healthy, let him settle in, and maybe uncover a useful arm along the way. That was always a bet on the future more than an immediate fix.
Foley did return and give them something. In 24 appearances, he posted a 4.15 ERA over 26 innings.
The results were fine, but the underlying numbers told a less comfortable story: 15 strikeouts against 11 walks. That’s not the kind of ratio that makes a bullpen easier to trust.
Still, this wasn’t a shot in the dark. Foley had been a steady reliever for the Detroit Tigers from 2021 through 2024, with a 3.16 ERA in 210 games and 28 saves in 2024. On paper, it made sense for the Giants to believe he could work back into form in 2026 and maybe look more like himself in 2027.
The bigger issue is that Foley was part of a broader approach that left the bullpen thin on certainty. The Giants mostly brought in pitchers like Foley or Sam Hentges, both coming off injury, or players on minor league deals. They didn’t add a fully healthy reliever coming off a strong major league season, and that’s the kind of move they’ll need to make this offseason.
Whether Foley stays is now one of the decisions hanging over that reset. MLB Trade Rumors projects him for $2.3 million next season, which is a bit pricey, though a $2 million one-year deal to avoid arbitration could still be workable. If the Giants brought him back, he could serve as a sixth-inning option and provide some depth while giving the club an escape hatch if he doesn’t hold up.
At the same time, a bullpen makeover could also push the Giants toward non-tendering him. Foley has proven he can pitch in this league, and that history may be enough for the Giants to give him one more chance to show he can get back to that level.
In Other News...
Giants Could Target Hoby Milner For One Bullpen Role Only
Hoby Milner has put himself back on the radar for teams looking to patch together bullpen depth, and the Giants are the kind of club that should at least study the fit. His 2026 work makes him an interesting free-agent option, but the case for San Francisco is a limited one: a carefully defined supporting role, not a sweeping bullpen answer, and likely a short commitment if the front office gets involved.
For a Giants relief corps that still needs reworking, Milner would make sense only if the medical review checks out and the matchup profile lines up with what the staff wants. Even then, he would be one piece in a broader search for arms who can miss more bats in key spots, which is why any pursuit would need to be measured against other strikeout-heavy options on the market. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Cant Ignore This Bryce Eldridge Roster Problem Anymore
Bryce Eldridges rookie rise gave the Giants exactly the kind of long-term piece they hoped to see when he debuted in September 2025. In his first full season, he logged 107 games and held his own with a .269/.364/.461 slash line, 17 home runs, 57 RBIs and an .825 OPS, production that only sharpened the question facing San Francisco heading into 2027.
Rafael Devers complicates the picture in a very specific way, since the 2025 trade brought in another bat who fits the same positional puzzle as Eldridge. The Giants are trying to sort out how to divide playing time between two middle-of-the-order talents while keeping the lineup strong, and President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey has made clear he believes the club can contend, which only raises the stakes on getting this balance right. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Solved One Hitting Problem While Creating Another
The Giants did solve one obvious issue at the plate in 2026, cutting down their strikeouts and landing in the middle of the pack instead of near the bottom. Their hitters were more aggressive, put the bat on the ball more often and generally avoided the empty trips that can sink an offense over a long season. For a club trying to become harder to navigate, that part of the plan at least showed some traction.
But the cost was hard to miss. San Francisco finished with the lowest walk rate in baseball at 7.4 percent and paired that with a .306 on-base percentage, one of the lowest marks in the league. The Giants swung at plenty of pitches outside the strike zone, and while the contact was there, the plate discipline largely wasnt, leaving them with a familiar question heading into what comes next: how to keep the contact gains without giving back so much traffic on the bases. [Read more 🡒]