Non-tender candidates: Knizner, Doval, Foley, Wick, Walker, Butt\u00f3<\/p>\n
Free Agents<\/p>\n
The Giants finished at .500 in 2025, continuing a four-year stretch of mediocrity since winning 107 games in 2021. The hope for 2026 was that they could take a step forward and challenge the Padres and Diamondbacks for the title of second-best in the NL West. With a new voice atop the dugout in Tony Vitello and Luis Arraez<\/a> joining a solid core of infielders, it wasn\u2019t totally unreasonable for San Francisco to aim for a Wild Card spot.<\/p>\n The season that followed was the worst-case scenario. The Giants lost on Opening Day, never made it above .500, and finished with a dreadful 65-97 record. A 12-13 July was their best month of play. They were the second-worst team in the National League and were only spared from last place by the ongoing ineptitude of the Rockies.<\/p>\n It was definitely a rude awakening for Vitello. The former head coach for the University of Tennessee Volunteers got a three-year deal last October to replace the outgoing Bob Melvin. Although the Giants\u2019 collapse was a stark contrast to his success in the college ranks, it\u2019s difficult to pin the blame for it solely on Vitello. The front office remains confident in him, as president of baseball operations Buster Posey has said that Vitello will return<\/a> as manager in 2027. \u201cI get to see his work ethic day in and day out all year, and I still believe in his ability to lead,\u201d Posey told reporters, including Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle<\/a>.<\/p>\n Posey struck a balance between acknowledging the team\u2019s underperformance and expressing optimism that the Giants can still contend. \u201cI guess if you\u2019re asking, \u2018Do you think that we can contend next year?\u2019 I do. I do believe that we can,\u201d he told the media. That\u2019s an understandable position to take publicly. For his part, Posey was frank about needing to improve the bullpen and other areas of the roster. \u201cWe don\u2019t have blinders on the wins and losses. We\u2019re still not there with [the current] group,\u201d he said in the presser. Of course, that was the stance he took last year before pivoting to a quieter offseason strategy, but perhaps there\u2019s more urgency this time since Posey is entering the last year of his own contract.<\/p>\n
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