By Jack Loder
Buster Posey thinks the Giants can contend next year. That’s fine. He’s just going to have to prove it.
The Giants just wrapped up a 65-97 campaign, the third worst mark since the club moved to San Francisco in 1958. Pretty much everything that could go wrong did go wrong during a nightmarish six months that featured lows on and off the field. In an end of season press conference held Tuesday at Oracle Park, Posey calmly confirmed that yes, it is his belief that the Giants will contend in 2027.
Sure they can. But they’ll have to almost completely overhaul the starting pitching staff. They can be in the mix, but they’ll have to execute a total bullpen rebuild to fix what was an embarrassingly bad unit in 2026. The Giants will have to count on an aging core of expensive veterans to suddenly produce and stay healthy after a year in which Matt Chapman and Willy Adames were underwhelming at the very best.
There are plenty more questions that Posey, Minasian, and apparently the very same coaching staff will have to answer in order to fulfill Posey’s confident prophecy. How will the club handle the situation at first base, where Bryce Eldridge and Rafael Devers both reside defensively? Arguably the two best hitters in the organization, how will the brass determine who gets the lion’s share of defensive reps? Would Devers be willing to relinquish his duties in the field? If not, is it healthy for Eldridge to develop into his prime without a true home on defense?
Where does Casey Schmitt, one of the lone bright spots in an unfortunately shortened 2026 season, fit in in that expensive and crowded infield? “That’s a good question,” Posey answered when asked that question on Tuesday. How about Harrison Bader, whose embarrassing scooter crash aggravated a foot injury which led to a team investigation into its circumstances. Is he a part of the Giants plans for 2027? “He’s under contract for next year,” said Posey.
There’s also Drew Gilbert, who surged at times, especially late. He ended up posting an encouraging .724 OPS, popping 11 homers in plenty of extended playing time in the last two months of the year. Does he allow the Giants to gladly cut ties with Bader? Jung Hoo Lee is also ready to return for his third full season in orange and black. He’s slowly progressed as a big leaguer, but has been prone to headache-inducing slumps.
It’s not just that Giants pitching was bad in 2026, it’s that they also suffered arm injuries at an alarming rate. Carson Whisenhunt, Trevor McDonald, Adrian Houser, and Blade Tidwell will all go under the knife after leaving games with elbow discomfort that MRIs later confirmed as UCL tears. Who will join Logan Webb and Landen Roupp in the rotation in 2027? That’s a legitimate question. And a monumental task for Posey and Minasian. Is Matt Wilkinson ready to take on a consistent role? Yunior Marte? Cesar Perdomo? Anthony Molina? Maybe one of those four who ate innings to end the year. The rest will need to come via free agents, and trades. Posey and Minasian will have to prove they can acquire big league pitching if the Giants want to contend in 2027.
When Posey said he thinks the Giants can contend next year, in a way he was asking a frustrated fan base to trust him and his front office. Because there’s not much more than that to lean on if you agree with him.
