SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
2025 finish: 81-81 (3rd in NL West)
Manager: Tony Vitello (1st season)
Leading the front office: Buster Posey, president of baseball operations (2nd season)
DOLLARS AND SENSE
Largest luxury tax hit: 1B Rafael Devers ($27.5 million)
Top returning players: SS Willy Adames (4.0 fWAR), 3B Matt Chapman (3.7), C Patrick Bailey (3.2)
Top returning starting pitchers: RHP Logan Webb (5.5), LHP Robby Ray (2.2), RHP Landen Roupp (1.1)
Top returning relievers: RHP Randy Rodriguez (1.4), RHP Ryan Walker (0.6), Matt Gage (0.5)
ROSTER WATCH
Key additions: 2B Luis Arraez (free agent), OF Harrison Bader (free agent), RHP Tyler Mahle (free agent), RHP Adrián Houser (free agent), LHP Sam Hentges (free agent), RHP Jason Foley (free agent), RHP Rowan Wick (free agent), C Daniel Suac (trade), RHP Michael Fulmer (minors), C Eric Haase (minors), OF Will Brennan (minors), LHP Nick Margevicius (minors), RHP Gregory Santos (minors)
Key losses: RHP Justin Verlander (free agent), 1B Dominic Smith (free agent), C Andrew Knizner (free agent), LHP Joey Lucchesi (free agent), 1B Wilmer Flores (free agent), LHP Scott Alexander (free agent), C Tom Murphy (free agent), RHP Kai-Wei Teng (trade)
Baseball America top-100 prospect(s): 1B Bryce Eldridge (18), SS Josuar Gonzalez (30), OF Bo Davidson (87), SS Jhonny Level (98)
San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello watches from the dugout before a spring training baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Peoria, Ariz. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
KEEP AN EYE ON
While Pat Murphy is a two-time NL Manager of the Year after a successful career at Notre Dame and Arizona State, he worked his way to the majors after time in the Padres’ minor league system. It is, however, exceedingly rare for a college coach to jump directly to the majors as Tony Vitello is doing after leading Tennessee to its first national title in 2024 and going 341-131 with the Vols. Vitello is replacing Bob Melvin, who went 161-163 in two years after leaving the Padres for the Giants.
Luis Arraez had won three straight batting titles before setting career lows in batting average (.292) and on-base percentage (.327) in his walk year with the Padres. That forced the 28-year-old Venezuelan to take a pay cut ($12 million) on a one-year deal in his first foray into free agency. He’ll try to get his numbers up with the rival Giants while trying to hold down second base.
The Giants sold off RHPs Tyler Rogers (1.80 ERA) and Camilo Doval (3.09 ERA) last year, leaving the team to remake the bullpen this year. They’ll have to do so without RHP Randy Rodriguez (1.78 ERA), who’ll miss most of the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. RHP Ryan Walker (4.11 ERA) was 17-for-24 in save situations and will open the season as the closer. LHP Erik Miller (1.50 ERA) hopes to be healthy after a UCL sprain cut his season short in July.
Fangraphs projection: 82.4 wins