The Giants head into 2027 with one encouraging piece of news already in hand: Harrison Bader is expected to be ready for spring training after a foot injury wiped out most of his first season with the club. President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey also said Tuesday that Bader remains under contract.
That helps, but it doesn’t close the book on an outfield that still needs answers after a 65-97 season. The situation got even more complicated when Heliot Ramos was traded to the New York Yankees in August, leaving San Francisco to sort through a group that still looks unfinished.
Jung Hoo Lee is part of the plan, and Drew Gilbert should be in the mix for playing time. Beyond that, the Giants have three internal candidates who each bring something different to the table: power in a corner, a right-handed bat, and center-field insurance.
Bo Davidson has the loudest case for an everyday look. The left-handed hitter mashed 29 home runs in 125 games between Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento in 2026.
When Lee landed on the injured list in September, the Giants brought Davidson up, plugged him into right field, and hit him third in his Major League debut. He responded with a hit and a stolen base.
That kind of production gives Davidson a real opening to replace some of the corner-outfield power the Giants lost with Ramos. Still, the big-league sample was tiny, and San Francisco shouldn’t hand him a job on the strength of one September cameo. He’ll need to show in spring training and beyond that the power carries against Major League pitching and that he can hold his own defensively in a corner.
Victor Bericoto brings a different kind of value. He hits right-handed, which matters in an outfield group that also includes Lee, Davidson, and Gilbert from the left side.
In 41 Major League games in 2026, Bericoto hit .241/.267/.420 with five home runs. The pop is real.
The on-base percentage, not so much.
Health was also an issue. An oblique strain and a knee bruise interrupted his season, and that only adds to the amount he has to prove.
His most obvious path is a right-handed corner-outfield role, either as a starter or as a bench piece. But the bat has to come with better consistency and better on-base ability if the power is going to matter over regular at-bats.
Jonah Cox fills the part of the puzzle that Davidson and Bericoto don’t touch. Bader is expected back, but he played only 30 games in 2026 and hit .170/.198/.358. If that return doesn’t immediately turn into dependable center-field play, the Giants need someone who can handle the spot.
Cox has that opening. As a rookie, he stole 16 bases and hit .252/.298/.384 in 62 games.
His speed and center-field experience put him in position to compete for a fourth-outfielder role, with the possibility of more if the bat comes along. The issue is obvious: he struck out 65 times and walked 10 times in 151 at-bats.
Cleaner swing decisions would help him get on base more and make the speed play up even more.
Taken together, Davidson, Bericoto, and Cox give the Giants different ways to attack a problem that still hasn’t been solved. Davidson looks like the best bet for an everyday bat.
Bericoto offers a right-handed corner option. Cox can cover center.
But none of them has yet shown over a full Major League season that he can settle the outfield for good.
In Other News...
Giants Can't Stay Silent On This Pride Night Controversy
Pride Night has long been one of the Giants more visible themed events, part of a wider run of celebrations the club has used to recognize different communities around the ballpark. Earlier this season, though, that showcase turned awkward when three players wrote Bible verses on their Pride hats and another declined to wear the hat at all, steps the team said were not authorized.
Commissioner Rob Manfred later described the episode as a communication breakdown, but the larger question around San Franciscos Pride Night presentation still hangs over the franchise. The Giants have declined to say whether the rainbow-colored hats will remain part of the annual observance going forward, leaving an already sensitive issue unresolved as the club weighs how it wants to handle the event next time around. [Read more 🡒]
Another Former Giants Arm Is Raising Tough Questions About This Staff
Tyler Mahles latest stretch has only sharpened the questions around what happened in San Francisco. After being dealt from the Giants to the Braves, the right-hander has pitched better, and his playoff start only added to the sense that Atlanta found something the Giants had not. The biggest difference, according to the story, was simple enough: the Braves urged him to lean harder on his splitter, a pitch that helped unlock the version of Mahle they were hoping to see.
For the Giants, the sting is not just losing another arm who looks revitalized elsewhere, but seeing the same pattern repeat. A pitcher leaves, a new staff makes a tweak, and the change pays off in a way that raises awkward questions about what San Francisco was missing. It is the kind of development that does not settle quickly, especially when it points back to coaching decisions and whether the Giants are getting enough from the group charged with maximizing their pitchers. [Read more 🡒]
Luis Arraez Is A Giants Question Again But Reunion Feels Unlikely
Luis Arraez is back in the conversation around second base, even if the path back to San Francisco does not look especially open. After being traded from the Giants to the Philadelphia Phillies during the season, Arraez is heading into the offseason as a free agent, which naturally puts him back on the radar for any club looking for infield help and a left-handed bat with familiarity in the organization.
For the Giants, though, the early read points elsewhere. Arraez missed the Phillies Wild Card series because of an ankle injury, and the team appears more likely to lean on internal options at second base than revisit a reunion. His name will still come up because of what he can offer and because he has already been part of this roster conversation once, but for now the more interesting question is whether any club sees enough reason to make a move before the market settles. [Read more 🡒]