The San Francisco Giants’ 2026 season came up well short, and the bill for that disappointment is staring them right in the face.
First-year manager Tony Vitello shouldn’t be taking all the heat for it, either. ESPN’s David Schoenfield pointed to president of baseball operations Buster Posey as the one who now has to sort through the mess, writing, "President of baseball operations Buster Posey has voiced his support, so Vitello will likely return for 2027, which puts the pressure on Posey to figure this out," Schoenfield wrote.
The bigger issue is the roster itself, especially the weight of the money tied up in everyday players who didn’t deliver enough. San Francisco is carrying huge contracts for four players, and those deals stretch deep into the future.
"The biggest problem here: Rafael Devers, while rebounding from a terrible start to have a productive season, is signed for seven more years and $223 million; Willy Adames is owed $155.5 million for five years; Matt Chapman, just over $100 million for four years; and Jung Hoo Lee, $65 million for three," Schoenfield added.
"That's a lot of money for a group that combined for less than 10 WAR."
Devers at least gave the Giants something to feel good about down the stretch before undergoing core muscle surgery. He finished the year strong, hitting .272 with eight home runs, five doubles, and a .928 OPS in August. Then he turned it up even more in September, crushing seven homers in just 38 at-bats.
Even with that late surge, the reality for San Francisco is hard to miss: Devers, Adames, Chapman and Lee are all owed massive money well into their thirties. And if the Giants want to reset the roster, those contracts won’t be easy to move unless the club is willing to absorb most of the cost.
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