The Giants’ 2026 season is ending with a roster that already looks like it’s about to be torn down and rearranged.
With Sunday marking the finish line, San Francisco is staring at a major offseason cleanout. A big part of that comes down to roster math: several players are out of minor league options, and the club also has a pile of players on the 60-day IL, which means the 40-man roster is going to need serious trimming just to make everything fit.
That leaves a long list of names that look extremely vulnerable heading into next season.
Harrison Bader is one of the most obvious. He may still technically be under contract for next year, but the Giants are clearly trying to void the rest of the deal after he crashed his scooter into a fire truck while he was supposed to be rehabbing his foot injury. Even before that, his season on the field wasn’t good enough to build around, and the rise of Jonah Cox and Drew Gilbert gives the team even more reason to move on, whether that means voiding the contract, releasing him, or trading him and eating money.
Grant McCray also appears to be running out of runway. He’s always had the speed and defense to make you think there’s something there, but that production has never really shown up at the big league level. Three seasons in, the bat still hasn’t come around, and the Giants have too many other young outfielders they want to see.
The bullpen and catcher spots are going to be just as crowded. JT Brubaker is the only free agent on the roster, and while he gave San Francisco some useful innings, there doesn’t seem to be much reason to bring him back. Andrew Knizner got plenty of run after the Giants lost Daniel Susac to injury, but he’s likely headed for a non-tender as the club tries to clear space on the 40-man roster.
Shay Whitcomb had some good moments, but not enough to force the issue, especially with so many infielders on the IL who will need room when they return. Osleivis Basabe flashed briefly after his call-up, when the ball was leaving the yard and it looked like he might be on a Tyler Fitzgerald-type heater, but that stretch didn’t last and an injury eventually knocked him out too.
The Giants also have a handful of depth pieces who probably won’t survive the squeeze. Brett Harris, claimed off waivers from Boston, didn’t leave much of a mark and ended up serving as a warm body at first base this past week with Rafael Devers and Bryce Eldridge both injured.
Matt Gage had a pretty solid season going before an injury interrupted it, but he still looks like a likely DFA candidate. Joel Kuhnel has shown an impressive sinker-slider mix, yet the roster crunch may force San Francisco to give up that kind of arm for now.
Reiver Sanmartin filled an important role for a while as the only reliable lefty option in the bullpen, but his injury makes him another likely 40-man casualty. Joel Peguero looked like he could stick after a promising end to 2025, but a nagging hamstring issue followed him through 2026 and probably cost him his place. Tristan Beck has had good moments since coming over in the Mark Melancon trade with Atlanta, though the Giants may simply not have room for another pitcher with a similar profile.
There are also a few names that feel like they’ve slipped too far to keep around. Seth Lonsway’s lone 2026 appearance is easy to forget, and his minor league numbers weren’t enough to change that.
Duncan Davitt pitched well in his Giants debut, but even that may not be enough to save him. And Ryan Walker, after getting plenty of chances to show that 2024 wasn’t a fluke, now looks like a prime DFA candidate after a rough season that likely sends him elsewhere - maybe even to a team like the Brewers that turns him into something the Giants couldn’t.
None of this means every one of those players is guaranteed to disappear completely. Some could clear waivers and wind up back on minor league deals. But the more likely outcome is that most of them are gone, claimed by other clubs, and remembered in San Francisco only by the most devoted fans who still enjoy asking: “Remember that guy?”
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