Barely two players from their Opening Day roster were still with the San Francisco Giants’ 26-man squad by September. That is not a typo. Seriously, think about that for a second. The Giants just wrapped up a 2026 season that was, by all accounts, a complete disaster, leaving everyone scratching their heads and wondering what the heck just happened in the Bay Area.
The Collapse Was Unfathomable
It’s tough to spin this one. Coming into 2026, the Giants weren’t projected to be world-beaters, maybe just a .500-ish team, which has been their vibe lately. But injuries and pure ineffectiveness torpedoed any shot at that. They ended up with their worst season since a brutal 98-loss campaign back in 2017. Rookie manager Tony Vitello told The Athletic that everyone felt like they’d “take the world by storm,” but when that didn’t happen “right out of the chute,” it put everyone on their heels, including him. It’s a rough scene when your team is running out the string with a lineup that looks more like a Triple-A squad. They currently have a mind-boggling **17 players** on the 60-day injured list. No team, and I mean *no team*, has the depth to cover that kind of injury plague. Between that injury bug and the inevitable trade deadline sell-off, it’s no wonder their roster was unrecognizable by the end.
Vitello’s Rookie Season Was a Rocky Ride
Buster Posey, in his front office reign, isn’t afraid to go big or go home, and hiring Vitello straight from college was a massive risk. We’re talking about the first guy to jump from a college dugout directly to an MLB managerial gig with zero prior professional playing or coaching experience. And let’s be real, Vitello’s first season was anything but smooth. He made headlines early on for all the wrong reasons, from a “fire and brimstone” speech before Opening Day to letting old college grudges mess with his relationships with umpires. He even questioned his team’s effort level back in May, which, while some fans might like to hear it, probably didn’t sit well with the veteran players. His on-field strategizing was hit-or-miss, sometimes brilliant, sometimes totally questionable. After a season like this, the pressure on Vitello to show some major improvement in Year 2 is going to be intense.
What’s Next for 2027?
So, where do they go from here? The roster is locked into some big contracts with highly paid veterans on long-term deals, meaning this team is almost forced to be a win-now squad. A full rebuild just doesn’t make sense with the payroll they’re carrying. The good news, and yeah, there’s some good news, is that the Giants do have a solid talent base, including several interesting young players in the pipeline. Plus, the third wild-card spot is pretty forgiving, so contention isn’t completely out of reach. But man, the question hanging over everything is massive: can Vitello learn from this absolutely brutal first year and lead a turnaround in 2027? Posey took a chance, and now everyone’s waiting to see if it pays off.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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