The San Francisco Giants are staring at an offseason that already feels crowded with problems, and the bullpen sits near the top of the list. In 2026, it was one of the worst parts of the team, finishing in the bottom 10 in baseball. That’s the kind of unit Buster Posey and his staff have to dig into quickly.
The roster crunch only makes the situation messier. The Giants have until Monday, November 2nd, five days after the end of the World Series, to trim the 40-man roster down to 40 players. Right now, the roster is at 55, which means a significant number of cuts are coming, and that’s before any new additions are even considered.
At some point this offseason, the Giants likely need to clear out 20 players from the 40-man roster, leaving five open spots. That’s a tough place to be because depth matters over the course of a season, especially on the pitching side. But after needing that depth in 2026, the Giants may now have to part with a lot of it just to create room.
One of the clearest candidates to go is José Butto.
The Giants got Butto from the New York Mets in July of 2025 as part of the Tyler Rogers trade that brought back Blake Tidwell and Drew Gilbert. Butto never gave them much in return. Over his time with San Francisco, he put up a 4.50 ERA in 20.0 innings in 2025, then followed that with an inflated 22.50 ERA in 2.0 innings in 2026 before a blood clot was found in his pitching arm in April, ending his season.
There was real stuff there before the injury, but the risk is too high for a team with this many roster decisions to make. Butto’s injury history also stretches beyond this latest setback, with previous IL stints at the MLB level with the Mets and multiple trips to the injured list in the minors.
The Giants can use help in the bullpen, but not every arm is worth holding onto. Butto isn’t the kind of pitcher they should bend over backward to keep on the 40-man roster.
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Sabean remains one of the most recognizable figures in modern Giants history, and the idea of him returning in an advisory capacity will naturally get attention from a fan base that knows exactly what he meant to the organization. Nothing has been confirmed publicly on the Giants side, but with the club still quiet about its offseason structure, this is the kind of familiar name that can quickly move from speculation to a real conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Offseason Puzzle Could Come Down To One Matt Chapman Decision
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It is an appealing alignment on paper because it could also help the Giants address left field and get Mayer the regular at-bats he needs. The catch is obvious: Chapman is still young enough to matter in a big way, and his contract status makes him far from a simple trade chip, which leaves San Francisco weighing fit against the difficulty of actually making such a move. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Have A Tricky Bullpen Decision Brewing Around Joel Kuhnel
The Giants got a little clarity on their bullpen picture when the Super Two arbitration cutoff landed at 2.133 years of service time, a line that helped Randy Rodrguez and Jos Butto while leaving Joel Kuhnel just on the outside. For a team that is always balancing pitching depth against roster flexibility, that matters, especially with Kuhnel having bounced through three organizations in 2026 before settling in with San Francisco for a late-season look.
Kuhnel did enough in nine games with the Giants to keep the conversation going, posting a 2.79 ERA and giving the club a useful arm down the stretch. Still, his broader track record and persistent control concerns leave his status unsettled heading into next season, which is exactly the kind of borderline decision that can shape a bullpen before spring training even begins. [Read more 🡒]