The Giants have already started trimming, but the hard part is still ahead.
After Thursday’s first wave of roster cuts opened up five spots, San Francisco cleared another one Friday when catcher Andrew Knizner passed through waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento. Even with those moves, the Giants still have work to do. They’re sitting at 50 players on the 40-man roster, including the players on the 60-day IL, and that means roughly 10 more spots still need to be created.
Some of those openings will come through outright assignments to Triple-A. Others will come via waivers.
A few players may choose free agency. However it happens, the Giants are going to have to make a lot of decisions, and fast.
If you’re trying to guess who’s next, here’s the list of 10 names that look like the most likely casualties:
Ryan Walker is the first one on the list, and the case against him is pretty blunt. He’s been given multiple chances to rediscover his form and hasn’t pulled it off. The expectation here is that another team, maybe the Milwaukee Brewers, could claim him and turn him around quickly.
Tristan Beck is another likely cut. He posted a 5.21 ERA in 2026 and still hasn’t settled into a defined role over the last few seasons, which makes him an easy target when roster spots get tight.
Brett Harris didn’t do much in his September audition, which makes him a pretty straightforward candidate to go. Nathan Hirschi already wrote about that audition, and the results didn’t help Harris’ case.
Duncan Davitt, nicknamed Double D in the source material, also looks vulnerable after a rough last outing with San Francisco. The article even notes his secondary work as a high school sports reporter, which could come in handy if the offseason drags into a lockout.
Joel Kuhnel brought a high-velocity sinker that caught the Giants’ attention, but the results didn’t match the stuff. He struck out six and walked six in 9 and 2/3 innings, which makes him a likely cut despite the intrigue.
Reiver Sanmartin got a real look late in the season because the Giants needed left-handed bullpen help. He was serviceable, but the expectation is that San Francisco will look elsewhere for a lefty reliever, with JoJo Romero mentioned as a possible free-agent target.
Seth Lonsway only made a couple of appearances, and they didn’t go well. That makes him an obvious waiver candidate.
Joel Peguero had some promise in 2025, but a hamstring issue got in the way in 2026. He’s likely to be cut, though there’s a chance he could clear waivers and remain in the organization at Triple-A, similar to Matt Gage.
Shay Whitcomb got extended run in the final month because of injuries, and he had some notable moments. Still, the Giants already have plenty of infield depth, which leaves him on shaky ground.
Zach Morgan rounds out the list, and the article calls it pretty silly that the Giants never got him into a game last season despite him being a Stockton native. Even so, he’s viewed as a clear cut candidate, though he could stay in the minors with the organization.
And this may not even be the full picture. If the Giants add free agents - something the article strongly recommends - they’ll need even more roster room. The same goes if they decide to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft, assuming there even is one with the looming lockout.
Bottom line: November is shaping up to be a busy month for the Giants, and the roster churn is only getting started.
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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 🡒]