The Giants shook up their roster on Wednesday morning and then they didn’t waste any time shaking up their lineup.
Will Brennan and Drew Gilbert joined them from Triple-A Sacramento, replacing injured outfielders Harrison Bader and Jared Oliva, and both left-handed hitting newcomers went straight onto the lineup card to face Cincinnati Reds right-hander Rhett Lowder.
Brennan and Gilbert are both left-handed hitters who can handle every outfield spot. Gilbert had a .789 OPS in Triple A, while Brennan was at .938, with a .392 average in 11 games.
The Giants are lacking run production everywhere — they’d scored the fewest runs in the major leagues entering Wednesday — but their struggles have been most acute in their outfield, where they rank last wRC+ and have combined for just two home runs. Bader was batting .115 while trying to play through a lingering left hamstring injury. Oliva, who fractured a hamate bone in his wrist, wasn’t adding much value to the roster because the Giants weren’t generating the leads and late-game opportunities to use him as a pinch runner.
We talked a bunch about the Giants’ offensive woes in Part 1 of the first regular-season Mailbagg. When will Bryce Eldridge be the answer? What other issues have cropped up as early-season concerns? You asked. We attempted to answer. Let’s get to the rest of your questions.
What’s the problem with Logan Webb? Burnout from the WBC? Hiding an injury? Umps squeezing the strike zone more because of ABS? Or? — Ralph B.
It’s interesting that Webb didn’t get a single pitch out of the zone called a strike in his last start at Baltimore. You might assume that ABS will be very, very bad for him, given all the calls that Patrick Bailey helped flip for him over the past few seasons. Except teams still get just two challenges and they appear to be saving them for the highest-leveraged spots. And Webb had nine out-of-zone strikes in his first two starts, according to crack researcher Eno Sarris. (It is wonderful to have Eno just a text message away when you need him.) Webb had 99 of those calls in 34 starts last season, so he’s just a shade off pace.
The main problem I see with Webb is a little less zip on the four-seam he likes to use as a kill pitch at the top of the zone. Perhaps that’s WBC-related, although he insists that starting two games for Team USA hasn’t affected him. The four-seamer is also a single-digit percentage of his pitch mix. His changeup and slider shapes look good to me. I don’t see anything resembling a red flag.
Have there been any discussions with Robbie Ray and his agent about an extension? He’s 34 and pitching well. I would think an extension for Ray would be attractive to both the player and team. — Jay O.
Gotta give Farhan Zaidi his flowers for the Robbie Ray trade. Maybe Zaidi didn’t leave as much positive residue as anyone would’ve liked, but he really nailed this one while erasing a couple of his other mistakes (Mitch Haniger deal, Anthony DeSclafani extension). Ray is pitching like a front-of-the-rotation presence again and he’s got his slider shape back from his 2021 Cy Young Award-winning season, too.
But the Giants took great pains to avoid handing out a three-plus-year contract to a starting pitcher this past offseason, so I doubt they’ll have any appetite to go down that road with Ray now. Especially when he’s in his mid-30s, and who knows if there’s even going to be a baseball season in 2027. Free agency is definitely on Ray’s mind. There’s no doubt he would’ve signed up for the WBC if he weren’t looking at one last legitimate shot to strike big on the open market.
Watching the Giants so far in this young season has all the excitement of one of those naps they make kids take in kindergarten whether they’re tired or not. Therefore, I’m still taking mental shelter by thinking about the butterfly effect if Bonds had signed with the Yankees, as he mentioned on opening night. What do you think Bay Area baseball would like in 2026 had Bonds played in pinstripes? Fremont A’s? San Jose A’s? San Francisco A’s? Please write a book about this. — Chris W.
I’ll save myself the time writing that book (and your time reading it) by merely pointing this out: Barry Bonds is an unreliable narrator.
Is Tony Vitello a conservative manager (similar to Bob Melvin) when it comes to offensive strategy? I haven’t seen any hit-and-runs or bunting for hits, and they’ve only attempted six steals. — Bob J.
A Vitello question! (There were two or three of them.) I’d say it’s too early to tell. In fairness, Vitello is still learning his roster and his players’ capabilities. Same with his coaching staff. You tend to lean conservative under those circumstances. You also have to play conservatively when you’re playing from behind. And the Giants … have usually played from behind. I’d imagine this coaching staff would love to be aggressive and put pressure on opponents. That’s just so difficult to do when you aren’t grabbing early leads.
What on earth are the Giants trying to do with this bullpen? They couldn’t sign a single high-leverage guy at all? — Marlon A.
Couldn’t? Well, sure, they could have. And they almost certainly should have. The bullpen isn’t the main reason that they’re 6-11 (through Tuesday), though.
Why did they let (Joey) Lucchesi go and keep (Ryan) Borucki? — Clancy D.
As a left-on-left guy, Lucchesi wasn’t exactly a lockdown presence. He’s more of a bulk lefty and the underlying metrics showed that he probably performed better than the Giants had a right to expect last season. That’s why they didn’t tender him a contract in arbitration. Borucki didn’t fare well in his first leveraged spot against a left-handed lineup pocket (Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper), but he’s pitched over parts of nine big-league seasons and held lefty batters to a .181 average. Having him along with Matt Gage to attack a lefty pocket in the sixth or seventh means the Giants can save Erik Miller for that pocket in the ninth. Miller has the stuff to get right-handers out in save situations, too. (Eventually, if Sam Hentges can make a full recovery, the Giants will be tasked with reassessing their complement of left-handed relievers.)
Plus, Borucki looks a lot like Jeremy Allen White, and who doesn’t love “The Bear”?
Ryan Borucki had allowed five earned runs, two homers and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings entering Wednesday. (Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images)
This lineup has the same problems as in the past. Too much swing-and-miss, non-productive outs, and poor, non-aggressive base running. Do you think these problems can be solved, or is it just the pitfalls of this lineup? — David C.
They’ve had three encouraging games out of 16. There was the 16-hit game at San Diego. There was the 11-hit performance against the Phillies’ Cristopher Sánchez. And there was the series opener at Baltimore. They’re capable. They just haven’t been consistent. I’d agree with you that they haven’t put nearly enough pressure on opposing starting pitchers, especially right-handers. We’ll see if the changes to the outfield mix yield any results. At least they have a couple of lefty bats now and they can give Heliot Ramos a much-needed mental break against tougher right-handers.
What is the course of action if the Giants feel they need to call up Eldridge? Does he DH every day and slow his progress at 1B? Does he split time at 1B with Devers? Devers clearly prefers to play in the field over DH, and I think that checks out with the eye test. What happens with the Schmitt/Arraez situation if Schmitt continues to produce and Arraez hits the way he always does? — Doug H.
With the offensive lull that is undeniably here, why wouldn’t they bring up a hot Bryce Eldridge and simply let it rip? — Phil S.
Given the extraordinary lack of production by the Giants’ starting outfield, is there some reason the Giants can’t groom Eldridge to learn how to play left field? I recall an eventual Hall of Famer with the same basic physical dimensions as Eldridge, whom the Giants brought up in 1959, who started in the outfield because they already had a star (Orlando Cepeda) playing first base. I would assume Eldridge, who is 21 years old, has enough athletic ability not to embarrass himself running down fly balls in the outfield. — Zausmer R.
We’ve reached the Bryce Eldridge portion of the Mailbagg. Let’s start by maybe not comparing him to Willie McCovey, OK? We’re past the point in a season when you introduce your top-rated prospect to a new defensive position. Eldridge spent a few days shagging flies in batting practice in Scottsdale. That’s not exactly on-the-job training. When he gets promoted, he’ll be a first baseman and DH.
Given the Giants’ defensive issues at first base, they’re probably best served by giving Devers a chance to settle at the position and incorporating Eldridge as the DH. If their lefty hitters continue to struggle against right-handers, then it’ll become more and more appealing to call up Eldridge. He’s hitting .360 with a homer in his first 13 games for Triple-A Sacramento. He’s also striking out in 38 percent of his at-bats. I really don’t think we’ll see Eldridge in the majors until he can improve that strikeout rate in the Pacific Coast League. If it’s an issue down there, it’ll definitely be an issue up here.
Bryce Eldridge has made 11 starts at first base and three as the DH for Triple-A Sacramento. (Norm Hall / Getty Images)
What is this team’s strategy for spending (on players)? From my perspective, it seems paradoxical: on the one hand, they have entered into some huge contracts with a handful of players, yet they seemed uninterested in spending far less to bring back Tyler Rogers, Dominic Smith, etc. (and in the past, Kevin Gausman). Imagine right now if we had Dominic Smith playing defense at first base (who is batting .353 for the Braves so far!) … Tyler Rogers as a reliable arm in the bullpen, etc. I’m having a hard time understanding their allocation of resources. — Christopher A.
Is Dom Smith better than the current and future 1B options? — Vince C.
Boy oh boy, Dom Smith would be a perfect fit on this roster. I’d imagine the Giants’ front office would agree with me on that. I also think they’d be quick to point out that player acquisition and retention are usually not that simple. The Giants probably felt that they couldn’t offer a guaranteed contract to Smith when they had Devers at first base and Eldridge on the way. And Smith, if he had to sign a non-guaranteed contract, probably felt he’d have better opportunities elsewhere. That’s how the offseason goes sometimes. It’s just a shame because Dom Smith sure makes a lot of sense as a Giant right now.
As for Tyler Rogers, the Giants weren’t in the market to give three-year, $37 million contracts to any relievers this past winter. We’ll have to check back and see if that decision was a mistake.
What was the point in losing Luis Matos and sending down Drew Gilbert for the sake of keeping Jared Oliva if Oliva was barely going to be used? Oliva’s selling point was speed, but the Giants, as usual, are dead last in stolen bases. — Barry G.
Oliva isn’t here to start games, although he’ll need them on occasion. I’d agree with you if you feel that the bench hasn’t been incorporated well thus far. Christian Koss shouldn’t have to wait for the 13th game of the season to get his first plate appearance. The problem has been that there simply haven’t been enough spots to use these guys as pinch runners or for late-inning defense. The Giants haven’t scored enough early runs to make those kinds of moves. And you don’t take out your core guys when you’re constantly playing catch-up.
Unfortunately for Oliva, the timing of his hamate fracture couldn’t have been worse. He worked hard and persevered to earn his first big-league experience in five years. The game can get taken away from you so suddenly and heartlessly.
Jesus Rodriguez is intriguing for his own sake, but if he were promoted to the Giants for a utility role, it could also free up (Daniel) Susac to pinch hit or even DH sometimes, since there would be a third catcher. What do you think is the plan for Rodriguez? — Dana F.
We’re on the same wavelength here. Rodriguez gives you so much more versatility off the bench in addition to a nifty contact bat and he allows you to expand Susac’s role. I still think they need another lefty hitter more than anything. But Rodriguez could be the next guy we see from that Sacramento roster.
The Giants have the fourth pick in this year’s draft. Four of the top six prospects are shortstops, but one of the six is a pitcher, Jackson Flora, from UC Santa Barbara. What do you see the Giants doing with this pick? — Russell M.
You don’t draft for need, but the Giants’ system is so tilted toward position players. Regardless, after talking to amateur scouting director Michael Holmes the other day, the Giants are confident that they’ll get a potential franchise player. I don’t think they’d let the Joey Bart experience scare them off from taking another Georgia Tech catcher, Vahn Lackey, if he’s the top guy on their board.
With ABS providing a more definitive strike zone and the ability for both sides to challenge any given pitch, how badly does this downgrade Patrick Bailey’s value in his elite framing ability and open the door for Susac (or Jesus Rodriguez) to become the primary option at catcher? — Jeff W.
Well, Codify Baseball posted on social media Tuesday morning that Bailey has already caught 40 out-of-zone pitches this season that were called strikes and unchallenged. I counted a few more in Tuesday’s game with Robbie Ray on the mound at Cincinnati. So Bailey continues to do valuable things behind the plate.
Why do fans of the Dodgers (and presumably other teams as well) troll Giants threads so much, and why do so many Giants fans fall for it? Seems it really ramped up after the 2021 season. — Anonymous U.
If I had to guess, I’d say … hey! Wait! Are you a double agent?
Why do you hate Skyline Chili? — Justice D.
Thank you for your question, totally random reader named Justice D. You know the answer to this. We can talk about it the next time you rope me into appearing on your podcast.
If the moon were made outta cream cheese, would you eat it? — Craig T.
If my choices were moon cheese or Skyline, I go moon cheese every time.
Will the Giants ever give me a reason to go on? — Jeff D.
That’s your decision. Free will is a wonderful thing. But this Mailbagg will go on no further. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions and continues to engage with our coverage!