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Giants To Hire Justin Meccage As Pitching Coach

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The Giants are expected to add Justin Meccage as their pitching coach, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. Meccage has spent the majority of his coaching tenure in the Pirates’ organization. He was most recently a minor league coach in the Brewers’ system.

After a brief playing career, Meccage got his coaching start in the college ranks. After seven years spent between the University of Texas-Pan American and Arkansas State University from 2004 to 2010, Meccage headed to the pros. He became a minor league pitching coach for Pittsburgh in 2011. Meccage moved through multiple levels of the minors before taking over as minor league pitching coordinator in 2017.

Meccage got his first big-league gig in 2018 as assistant pitching coach for the Pirates. He transitioned to bullpen coach in 2020, a role he held through 2024. Meccage was a Triple-A pitching coach for Milwaukee this past season.

New manager Tony Vitello’s staff is slowly coming together. San Francisco added Hunter Mense as hitting coach last week. Meccage will replace pitching coach J.P. Martinez, who was hired by Atlanta to be their bullpen coach. Martinez had been on the Giants’ staff since 2021.

San Francisco ranked 10th in ERA last season. The staff will be headlined by Logan Webb and Robbie Ray, though the options beyond that tandem are uncertain. The bullpen lost closer Camilo Doval at the trade deadline, then saw replacement Randy Rodriguez go down with an injury that led to Tommy John surgery. General manager Zack Minasian said the offseason plan will involve adding pitching depth.

Photo courtesy Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images

Mets, Tigers, Giants Interested In Devin Williams

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The Mets have expressed interest in signing reliever Devin Williams, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. The Tigers and Giants are also interested, per Jon Morosi of MLB Network. It had previously been reported that roughly a dozen teams were in on Williams, including the Red Sox, Reds, Dodgers, and Marlins. The Mets, Tigers, and Giants can now be counted among his suitors.

Williams, 31, is coming off an uneven season for the Yankees. The Brewers traded the star reliever to New York in exchange for Nestor Cortes, Caleb Durbin, and cash considerations in December 2024. At the time, he was long established as an elite closer, having posted a 1.83 ERA across 235 2/3 innings for Milwaukee from 2019-2024. In that time, his 39.4% strikeout rate and 27.6% K-BB rate were fourth- and fifth-best among qualified relievers, respectively. Though he did walk 11.8% of hitters in that span, the elite strikeout numbers were more than enough to compensate. All told, Williams was worth 7.6 fWAR during his time in Milwaukee, which placed sixth among qualified relievers. Ryan Pressly, who ranked fifth ahead of Williams, was worth 8.0 fWAR but pitched 74 more innings.

The Yankees were surely hoping for more of the same from Williams in his final year before free agency. Instead, he posted a 4.79 ERA in 62 innings while being shifted in and out of the closer role due to his performance. His first 12 games of the season were abysmal, as Williams struck out an uncharacteristically low 20.0% of hitters across March and April while walking 16.0% and allowing an opposing batting line of .300/.420/.400. The strikeout and walk numbers returned to normal the rest of the way, but Williams continued to post uneven run prevention numbers, with an ERA of 0.93 in June followed by ERAs over 4.90 in July and August, then settling down to 3.72 in September and October. Though his contributions were still worth 1.4 WAR according to FanGraphs, the bottom-line results were clearly not what Williams was hoping for in his platform season.

That said, he is still garnering a lot of interest, largely due to his excellent peripheral stats. Despite the below-average ERA, Williams still got strikeouts at a rate of 34.7% in 2025, which was tied for eighth-best among qualified relievers. His 9.7% walk rate, while still higher than league average, was actually his best mark since 2020 and down from 12.5% in 2024. He also continued to induce groundballs 44.6% of the time, above the league average of 42.3% for relievers. His expected stats, including a 3.07 xERA and a 2.95 xFIP, also paint a much better picture than just his ERA. In terms of stuff, Williams’s signature changeup remained a plus pitch by run value, while his four-seam fastball velocity only declined slightly from 94.7 mph in 2024 to 94.1 mph this year.

Those signs point to Williams still being an elite closer, so the high amount of interest is hardly surprising. Among the three new teams mentioned, the Mets are an interesting case. Their president of baseball operations, David Stearns, is familiar with Williams due to their shared years in the Brewers organization. The Mets bullpen ranked 15th with a 3.93 ERA and 13th with a 22.8% strikeout rate in 2025. Owner Steve Cohen is clearly willing to spend big, and the pressure to win will be higher in 2026 after a lackluster 83-79 season and playoff miss this year.

Meanwhile, the Tigers bullpen posted a 4.05 ERA (17th in the league) but an 11.3% K-BB rate that ranked 27th. The team surely wants to capitalize on Tarik Skubal’s final year of team control, so their interest in Williams makes sense. As for the Giants, their bullpen was slightly better than Detroit’s but still below-average with a 12.8% K-BB rate (20th) this year. We at MLBTR rated Williams as the 16th-best free agent this offseason and predicted that he will sign a four-year, $68MM contract.

Photo courtesy of Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images

Giants To Hire Hunter Mense As Hitting Coach

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The Giants are going to hire Blue Jays assistant hitting coach Hunter Mense as their hitting coach, reports Mitch Bannon of The Athletic. Yesterday, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reported that the Giants were targeting Mense.

Mense, 41, played baseball at the University of Missouri at the same time as new Giants manager Tony Vitello. Mense was drafted by the Marlins and played in the minor league system for a while, then spent some time in indy ball. Once his playing days were done, he pivoted to coaching, working in the Blue Jays’ minor league system.

He was promoted to the major league staff ahead of the 2022 season. It’s always tough to give one coach credit for the performance of several players, but for what it’s worth, the Jays have performed well during his time as an assistant hitting coach. Over the past four years, the Jays have a .257/.326/.416 line and 109 wRC+, which puts them fourth-best in the majors.

Last week, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said there would be no “proactive subtractions” from the coaching staff. However, it seems Mense has been lured to San Francisco by his former college teammate offering him a promotion. The Giants have had Pat Burrell as their hitting coach for the past two years. It was reported last week that he would be staying with the Giants but in a different role.

The Giants have been hovering around .500 for the past four years. In 2025, they hit .235/.311/.386 for a wRC+ of 97. Perhaps a full season from Rafael Devers and/or a breakout from Bryce Eldridge will help them break through, but Mense will also try to do his part to help. The Jays will presumably look to add an assistant to replace Mense, whether that’s an internal promotion or external hire.

Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images

Royals Acquire Mason Black

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The Royals announced that they have acquired right-hander Mason Black from the Giants. Minor league righty Logan Martin heads in the other direction. The Giants designated Black for assignment last week. The Royals’ 40-man roster count climbs from 36 to 37.

Black, 26 next month, joins a new organization for the first time in his career. The Giants took him with a third-round pick in 2021. As he climbed the minor league ladder, he was generally regarded as one of the club’s top ten prospects.

He hasn’t yet delivered much at the big league level. Between 2024 and 2025, he tossed 40 1/3 innings for the Giants, allowing 6.47 earned runs per nine. His 8% walk rate in that time was around average but his 19.1% strikeout rate subpar.

His work in the minors has been better but he’s coming off a poor season. From 2022 to 2024, he logged 320 minor league frames with a 3.77 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate and 9.5% walk rate. In 2025, he pitched 119 1/3 Triple-A innings but with a 5.81 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He struck out 21.5% of opponents and walked them at an 11.7% pace. That got him bumped off San Francisco’s roster but Kansas City will take a shot on him.

Black still has one option season remaining, so the Royals don’t need keep him on the big league roster. He could be kept in Triple-A Omaha as rotation depth. It’s also possible they experiment with him in a relief role. Black has mostly been a starter in his career but his final five appearances in 2025 were out of the bullpen for Triple-A Sacramento. In those, he faced 25 batters, striking out six while giving out two walks.

To get Black aboard, the Royals are parting with Martin. He was their 12th-round pick in 2023. Last year, he tossed 102 innings at the Single-A level with a 3.62 ERA, 22.9% strikeout rate and 7.5% walk rate. This year, he moved up to High-A and logged 91 1/3 innings with a 3.45 ERA, 20.6% strikeout rate and 9.5% walk rate. He has been pitching in the Arizona Fall League of late, though with 12 earned runs allowed in 11 innings. Back in May, Eric Longenhagen and James Fegan of FanGraphs gave Martin an honorable mention on their list of the top prospects in the Royals system.

Martin is a bit of a lottery ticket since he hasn’t yet reached Double-A but the Giants are surely happy to get any kind of chance at a return for a player they designated for assignment. Martin will be Rule 5 eligible a year from now, so the Giants can use that time to decide if he’s worth a roster spot. The Royals, meanwhile, weren’t going to get anything from Martin in the near term whereas Black has a chance to contribute to the big league club in 2026. The Royals presumably also hope that Black has the greater upside as a former third-round pick and notable prospect.

Photo courtesy of Dennis Lee, Imagn Images

Braves Add Tony Mansolino, J.P. Martinez To Coaching Staff

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Nov. 11: Mansolino will serve as the bench coach and work with the team’s infielders rather than his previously reported role of third base coach, according to David O’Brien of the Athletic. Instead, the Braves have hired Tommy Watkins to be the third base coach, per Dan Hayes of the Athletic. Watkins was a long-time Twins coach and was given permission to interview for the role with the Braves. O’Brien adds that Eddie Perez will be remaining as a major league coach for Atlanta. The club also officially announced Dustin Garneau as catching coach, Darnell Coles as assistant hitting coach, and Tony Diaz as a major league coach.

Nov. 7: The Braves on Friday announced the hiring of former Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino as their new third base coach. He’ll take over for Fredi Gonzalez, whose departure from the staff was reported earlier in the week. Atlanta also hired former Giants pitching coach J.P. Martinez — not to be confused with the former Braves outfielder of the same name — as their new bullpen coach.

The 43-year-old Mansolino took over for O’s skipper Brandon Hyde after Baltimore dismissed him back in mid-May. He’d been Hyde’s third base coach prior to that appointment — a role he’d held dating back to the 2021 season. Mansolino was previously a hitting coach and infield coordinator in Cleveland prior to being hired in Baltimore. A 26th-round pick by the Pirates back in 2005, he played professional from 2005-10 as an infielder Pittsburgh’s system and later on the independent circuit.

Mansolino guided the O’s to a 60-59 record, but that wasn’t enough to erase a disastrous start to the season. Baltimore finished last in the AL East with a 75-87 record. He was in the running for the Orioles’ full-time managerial gig moving forward, but that job went to Guardians associate manager and bench coach Craig Albernaz.

Martinez, also 43, was San Francisco’s pitching coach in 2025 and an assistant pitching coach with the Giants from 2021-24. He broke into the coaching ranks in the low levels of the Twins’ system back in 2015. He served as a pitching coach with Minnesota’s Rookie-level and High-A affiliates before being named the organization’s overall minor league pitching coordinator in 2018 — a role he held until being hired by the Giants in the 2020-21 offseason.

Giants Hire Bruce Bochy For Special Assistant Role

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Nov. 10: The Giants formally announced Bochy’s hiring as a special assistant to the baseball operations department.

“Having Boch back in the organization means a great deal to all of us,” Posey said within this morning’s press release. “His experience, leadership, and feel for the game are unmatched, and his perspective will be invaluable as we continue building towards sustained success.”

Nov. 5: Bruce Bochy is nearing a deal to return to the Giants in an advisory role. CEO Greg Johnson first told Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday that the sides were working on a deal. Bochy confirmed to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic this evening that he’s in the process of finalizing a special assistant position. He’ll be on hand as an excellent resource for first-year manager Tony Vitello. Bochy will join another future Hall of Fame manager, Dusty Baker, as special assistants in San Francisco.

The 70-year-old Bochy has spent the past three seasons managing the Rangers. He led Texas to a World Series in 2023, the fourth title of his career. Bochy famously led the Giants to three World Series in a five-year span between 2010-14. President of baseball operations Buster Posey was a face of the franchise for most of Bochy’s 13 seasons at the helm. Only Hall of Famer John McGraw, who managed for 31 years between 1902-32 when the team was still in New York, has won more games in Giants’ history.

This might close the book on Bochy’s managerial career. “I would say that’s where I’m at right now,” he told Baggarly when asked if he expects that his stint with the Rangers would be his last one in the dugout. “I’ll add you don’t ever rule anything out. You don’t, you know? But I’m content with what I’m doing now. … This is what I want to do. I want more time for myself and family but also to contribute to a game that I love.”

Bochy is sixth all-time with 2,252 managerial wins between his stints with the Padres, Giants and Rangers. He and Baker are the only two skippers within the top 10 who have not been inducted into the Hall of Fame. That’s only because both men were managing within the past couple seasons. It’s a matter of time before they’re in Cooperstown. (The same is true for Terry Francona, who is 12th on the all-time list and now the winningest active manager with Bochy back in an advisory role.)

Managers are only inducted into Cooperstown via the Era Committees. Managers who are 65 and older are eligible for Hall of Fame consideration six months after they retire. Baker and Bochy would only be up for consideration by the Contemporary Baseball Era Non-Players Committee. That’ll come up during the 2026-27 offseason. Baker should get into the Hall next winter. Bochy could be eligible for that cycle if he officially retires within the next few months, but it seems he prefers not to shut the door entirely just yet.

There’s also some news on Vitello’s coaching staff. Baggarly reports that Twins bench coach Jayce Tingler has agreed to join the San Francisco staff in some capacity. He’ll bring a decent amount of experience, as he managed the Padres between 2020-21 and had been Rocco Baldelli’s top lieutenant in Minnesota for the last four years. The Twins fired Baldelli and hired Derek Shelton to manage, so it’s not surprising there’ll be some coaching turnover. Tingler and Vitello go back more than two decades. They were teammates at the University of Missouri in the early 2000s.

Giants “Briefly Considered” Patrick Bailey Trade At Deadline

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The Giants were 2-12 in the 14 games leading up to the trade deadline, a cold stretch that convinced the team to deal away some impending free agents (i.e. Tyler Rogers, Mike Yastrzemski) and a controllable asset in Camilo Doval.  According to Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Giants also “briefly considered” the possibility of trading another notable player under longer-term control — catcher Patrick Bailey.

The way Rubin phrases the club’s thought process could mean that the Giants front office was simply doing due diligence in assessing its trade chips heading into the deadline, or perhaps another team made an interesting enough offer to at least get Buster Posey and company mulling the idea.  “There isn’t a strong motivation to trade” Bailey, Rubin writes, which makes sense given Bailey’s defensive excellence and pre-arbitration status.

Bailey was the 13th overall pick of the 2020 draft, and his emergence and Joey Bart’s struggles led the Giants to opt for Bailey as the team’s proverbial “catcher of the future.”  Through three Major League seasons, Bailey has hit only .230/.287/.340 over 1253 plate appearances, but he has won the last two Gold Gloves and Fielding Bible Awards for his superb glovework.  In addition to his latest Fielding Bible Award, Sports Info Solutions also named Bailey the defensive player of the year in all of baseball for the 2025 season.

Bailey fell just a couple of days short of Super Two status and an extra year of arbitration eligibility.  As a result, his first trip through the arb process won’t come until next winter, and he isn’t eligible for free agency until the 2029-30 offseason.  There’s no rush for San Francisco to move the 26-year-old, and trading Bailey would then leave the Giants trying to find a new backstop within a thin catching market.

Creating a new roster need probably doesn’t appeal too much to the Giants, whose offseason to-do lists includes a focus on both starting and relief pitching, plus right field or second base as areas of concern around the diamond.  That said, Rubin suggests the incoming Automated Ball-Strike challenge system might give the team some reason to move Bailey before the ABS system is implemented next season.  While Bailey is a strong all-around defensive catcher, his elite framing skills are his bread-and-butter, and Bailey’s ability to frame pitches (and steal strikes) could be hampered now that opponents are allowed to challenge umpire calls.

It remains to be seen exactly how the ABS system will impact day-to-day play in the majors, though we’ve already seen the system in use at the Triple-A level over the last four seasons, and big leaguers got a taste at last year’s Spring Training and in the All-Star Game.  It may be that the effect on Bailey or other excellent framers will be relatively minimal, though it could be argued that anything that diminishes his glovework has an outsized impact on his overall value, since Bailey isn’t providing anything at the plate.

San Francisco’s catching position should get some attention anyway this winter since the team might non-tender Andrew Knizner, creating the need for a new backup.  The Giants are likely to bring in a veteran or two to compete for the job in Spring Training, plus Jesus Rodriguez is an internal candidate for the role.  Rodriguez was one of the four prospects acquired from the Yankees for Doval, and Rubin notes that Rodriguez would’ve made his MLB debut with the Giants last year if Rodriguez hasn’t been set back by a shoulder injury.

Minasian: Giants Will Prioritize Adding Pitching Depth

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The Giants finished 2025 at an even 81-81, their fourth consecutive season without posting a winning record. The club, which recently hired Tony Vitello as its new manager, is clearly hoping to improve that performance in 2026. General manager Zack Minasian said as much in speaking to John Shea of the San Francisco Standard, noting that the Giants will be active in acquiring pitching depth during the offseason.

“Right now there are holes,” Minasian said. “It’s not to say that some of those holes can’t be filled from within… But obviously, if we can bring some pitching in from the outside to continue to build up depth and try and find quality, we’re going to look at that as much as possible.” Minasian later added that the club will be cautious of adding pitchers on long-term deals due to the risk of injury.

San Francisco pitchers had a 3.84 combined ERA in 2025, ranking 10th-best in the majors. The team’s 45.3% ground ball rate was the third-highest in the league, and they also did well at limiting hard contact, with a 39.6% hard hit rate that was sixth-best. In the rotation, much of that success came from ace Logan Webb, who posted a 3.22 ERA in 207 innings and got grounders at a well-above-average 53.2% clip. He was worth a career-high 5.5 fWAR.

Robbie Ray, Justin Verlander, and Landen Roupp gave solid performances behind Webb, each having an ERA under 4.00. However, the club’s depth was sorely tested throughout the season. Hayden Birdsong had a 4.80 ERA in 11 starts before he was optioned in July. Jordan Hicks made nine starts before being sent to the Red Sox as part of the Rafael Devers trade. Beyond Webb, Ray, Verlander, and Roupp, no other Giant reached 100 innings. Roupp went on the injured list twice with right elbow and left knee inflammation, and 10 pitchers (including Hicks) made between one and nine starts.

The Giants could also use a few more arms in the bullpen. That unit was a strength for the team until it was gutted by trades and injuries. San Francisco shipped Camilo Doval to the Yankees and Tyler Rogers to the Mets at the trade deadline. Standout setup man Randy Rodriguez stepped into the closer role, only to suffer an elbow injury that ultimately required Tommy John surgery. The Giants ranked second in bullpen ERA through July. They sank to 13th over the final two months of the season. As Shea pointed out, Ryan Walker and Spencer Bivens were the only relievers on the Opening Day roster to make it through to the end of the season.

Minasian and company have plenty of names to choose from on the free agent market, though any long-term commitments seem unlikely. Team chairman Greg Johnson recently mentioned trepidation about signing a pitcher to a nine-figure deal, and Minasian echoed those sentiments. “I would just say it’s important for us to make good decisions no matter what players are making,” Minasian said, “but also understanding when you’re getting into very lengthy deals, I think you do approach it with some caution because if there is a major injury, it becomes a very difficult hurdle.”

San Francisco hasn’t handed out more than $100MM to a free agent pitcher since handing Johnny Cueto a six-year, $130MM deal back in 2015. The approach could rule out the Giants from shopping in the Dylan Cease/Framber Valdez tier, making them more likely to dabble in the Zack Littell range. A reunion with Verlander would fit the short-term strategy, and president of baseball operations Buster Posey has said he’d be open to bringing the veteran back.

Johnson didn’t give a firm answer regarding spending, though the club’s financial situation is in a decent spot. FanGraphs’ RosterResource tool has them at around $170MM for next year’s payroll. The recent signings of Willy Adames, Matt Chapman, and Jung Hoo Lee, along with the midseason addition of Devers’ massive contract, will eat up a significant portion of the payroll for the next several seasons, but Webb is the only pricey commitment on the pitching side. Ray’s deal is expiring at the end of 2026. There should be room for additions in the rotation and in the bullpen.

Photo courtesy of D. Ross Cameron, Imagn Images.

Giants Part Ways With Coaches Garvin Alston, Damon Minor; Pat Burrell “Unlikely” To Return To MLB Staff

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The Giants’ coaching staff continues to be overhauled, as Shayna Rubin and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle report that assistant hitting coach Damon Minor and bullpen coach Garvin Alston won’t be part of the 2026 staff.  Hitting coach Pat Burrell is also “unlikely to be part of the major league staff” but he’ll remain in the organization in another capacity.

Alston has been the bullpen coach for the last two seasons, and was pitching coach for the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate from 2021-23.  Prior to arriving in San Francisco, Alston was the Twins’ pitching coach in 2018, a bullpen coach for the Diamondbacks in 2016 and the Athletics in 2017, and worked with the A’s in a variety of different minor league coaching and coordinator roles from 2005-15.

Minor will leave his role after just one season, but his time in the Giants’ organization stretches back a full decade due to nine years as the hitting coach at Triple-A Sacramento.  It isn’t known if Minor could also be retained in a different capacity, or if the Giants are moving on entirely.

Assistant hitting coach Oscar Bernard will be the only member of the hitting coach trio remaining if Burrell also departs.  “Pat The Bat” was the first overall pick of the 1998 draft, and his 12-year playing career concluded with two seasons with the Giants (and a championship ring as part of their 2010 World Series squad).  Post-retirement, he remained with the Giants as a special assignment scout and then as a hitting coach with A-level San Jose beginning in the 2020 season.

San Francisco batters hit a collective .235/.311/.386 in 2025, with a 97 wRC+ that ranked 17th of 30 big league teams.  The Giants similarly finished below the league average in all three slash line categories, as well as 19th in home runs (173).  While the challenges of hitting at Oracle Park are well-known, a lot more was expected from a Giants lineup that added Willy Adames last winter, and Rafael Devers at midseason.

Bottom-line numbers aren’t always the reason why a team might be inspired to make a coaching change, yet the Giants’ decision to part ways with Alston is unusual since the team’s bullpen was a strength in 2025.  Even after Camilo Doval and Tyler Rogers were dealt at the trade deadline, San Francisco still finished the season with the fourth-best bullpen ERA (3.48) in baseball.  One weak point, however, was the bullpen’s lack of strikeouts, as the relief corps’ 21% strikeout rate ranked 25th in the league.  This isn’t necessarily a strike again Alston’s work, of course, and if anything it could be viewed as a positive that he was able to get strong results out of a pen that didn’t miss many bats.

A managerial change usually leads to changes on the coaching end, so it isn’t too surprising that a lot of new personnel will be joining Tony Vitello as fresh faces in the San Francisco dugout.  Burrell, Minor, and Alston join J.P. Martinez, Ryan Christenson, and Matt Williams as coaches departing the staff.  Martinez is going from the Giants’ pitching coach to a bullpen coach job with the Braves, and Christenson is going from being the Giants’ bench coach to becoming the Athletics’ new first base coach.  In terms of incoming coaches, Jayce Tingler is the only new coach known to be joining the Giants’ ranks to date, with Tingler’s role yet to be revealed.

Giants’ Chairman Downplays Possibility Of Long-Term Deals For Free Agent Pitchers

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Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey kicked off his team’s offseason last month by declaring that pitching would be his focus this offseason. That led to plenty of speculation about the possibility of the Giants being major players at the top end of the free-agent rotation market, but chairman/owner Greg Johnson threw some cold water on those hopes this week. In a Q&A with Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, Johnson pushed back against the idea of a long-term deal for any pitcher this offseason and specifically called out a preference for shorter-term arrangements.

“We’re in need of one, possibly two [starting pitchers],” Johnson told Slusser. “We’ve got a lot of options in the organization and hopefully somebody emerges, but I’m not sure you can count on that at this point, and it’d be nice for some of those younger arms to get another year of experience in Triple-A as well. As Buster has said, I think we’re hesitant about any pitcher on long-term deals when we have a young core sitting there. So it’s a question of what is available in the marketplace and what we can do on a shorter term basis.”

Certainly, the definition of “shorter term” is subjective. That doesn’t mean the Giants will traffic exclusively in one-year contracts when looking to address the rotation. However, it seems quite clear that at least for the time being, ownership doesn’t have a strong appetite for the weighty long-term deals expected to be commanded by top free agent names like Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease and star NPB right-hander Tatsuya Imai (assuming Imai is ultimately posted for MLB clubs).

The Giants’ rotation is headed by ace Logan Webb. He’s followed by veteran Robbie Ray and 2025 breakout righty Landen Roupp. After that trio, free agent Justin Verlander — whom the Giants have interest in re-signing — was the only other San Francisco pitcher to start more than 10 games this season. The Giants thinned out their rotation depth this summer when trading longtime top prospect Kyle Harrison to the Red Sox as part of the Rafael Devers blockbuster.

As Johnson alluded to, the Giants have plenty of in-house options, but there’s no certainty among the group. Hayden Birdsong shined in the bullpen early on but struggled so much after a move to the rotation that the Giants optioned him to Triple-A. He was tagged for a 6.23 ERA in another 10 Triple-A starts. Right-handers Kai-Wei Teng and Trevor McDonald got looks late in the season, but the former struggled badly while the latter made only two MLB starts after posting a 5.31 ERA in 29 Triple-A outings. Prospect Carson Whisenhunt and deadline pickup Blade Tidwell have varying levels of upside but haven’t proven themselves in the majors yet. Righty Keaton Winn missed much of the season due to injury and was hit hard in Triple-A when healthy.

Both the trade and free agent markets offer plenty of rotation possibilities for Posey & Co. to explore. Seven of the top ten names on MLBTR’s list of the offseason’s top 40 trade candidates were starting pitchers. Another 16 starting pitchers cracked our Top 50 Free Agent list. Not all of the free agents will command long-term deals, and none of the trade candidates in question are signed beyond the 2028 season.

If the goal is to pursue shorter-term arrangements — presumably three or fewer years — the free agent market would have options like Merrill Kelly, Chris Bassitt, Nick Martinez, Zack Littell and Tyler Mahle, among others. A reunion with Verlander remains possible, and plenty have already pointed out the fact that new Giants skipper Tony Vitello coached Max Scherzer in college. Right-hander Cody Ponce set the single-season and single-game records for strikeouts in the Korea Baseball Organization this season and has drawn MLB interest. His brother-in-law is a plenty recognizable name in San Francisco: George Kittle.

Suffice it to say, there’s a wide array of options on the market even if the plan is to forgo lengthy commitments. An aversion to another long-term deal is somewhat understandable, given that the Giants have Devers signed through 2033, Willy Adames signed through 2031, Matt Chapman signed through 2030, Jung Hoo Lee signed through 2029, and Webb signed through 2028. That said, there’s room on the payroll for another hefty contract, particularly with Ray’s contract drawing to a close at the end of the 2026 season (thus subtracting a $25MM salary from the 2027 books).

At present, RosterResource projects the Giants for a payroll of roughly $170MM. That’d be right in line with last year’s Opening Day figure. That mark includes projected arbitration salaries for non-tender candidates Andrew Knizner, Joey Lucchesi and JT Brubaker. Dropping that trio would lower the projected mark, but only by a few million dollars. Still, the Giants trotted out an Opening Day payroll as high as $208MM just two seasons ago, in 2024. Johnson was amenable to raising payroll when asked by Slusser and even acknowledged that he’s comfortable crossing the $244MM luxury tax threshold “in the right situation.” The Giants’ current tax number sits just north of $193MM.

The rotation stands as just one area of need. San Francisco clearly has needs in the bullpen — Johnson acknowledged as much to Slusser — and has holes in the lineup at second base and in right field. Unless the team puts together a trade for one of its currently weighty contracts, the Giants will have to increase payroll to meet those needs. Of the contracts on the books, only Ray’s $25MM salary seems plausible to move. (The Giants aren’t going to consider trading Webb.) However, trading Ray would only further create a need for innings, making that scenario at least somewhat counterproductive.

One way or another, the Giants will need to add at least one starter (ideally two), multiple relievers and at least one bat (again, ideally two). It’s a long to-do list for Posey and general manager Zack Minasian — one that portends an active winter in the Bay Area.

Readers — Giants fans and otherwise — are highly encouraged to read the entire Q&A. It’s packed with candid comments from Johnson on a variety of topics, including his thoughts on the forthcoming implementation of the ABS challenge system, Posey’s first year on the job as president, and his early impressions of Vitello — among many other points.

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