At a time when many clubs are caught in the middle and will take as much time as possible before deciding whether to buy or sell aggressively, the Giants have something unusual – if not necessary – clarity. They are salesmen. President of baseball operations Buster Posey has already acknowledged that things are trending that way. It’s always possible that a torrid hot streak will change their thinking, but this club gives absolutely no indication that such a run is in the tank this year.
The Giants currently hold a 35-49 record – the fourth-worst in all of baseball. San Francisco entered the season hoping to compete. They are up there with the Mets, Tigers and Red Sox for the most disappointing club of the 2026 season.
The San Francisco coverage wasn’t great but it wasn’t bad either. Giants starters are 15th in the majors with a 4.35 ERA, while their relievers also rank 17th with a nearly identical 4.30 earned run average. The rotation is top-heavy, however, with little production coming beyond their top three starters. The bullpen just lost its most effective arm, the breakout righty Keaton Winnin the stress of the right elbow – although there is no structural damage, according to the team.
The case is another matter. The major leaguers ranked fourth in baseball with a combined .256 batting average and fifth with a .417 slugging percentage. However, the offense as a whole is inconsistent with walks, resulting in a .308 percentage in the 26th spot. Their overall walk rate of 6.4% is the worst in baseball in percentage terms.
Given that context, it should come as no surprise that so many of the Giants’ extra-base hits came with empty bags. They are 26th with 341 runs and tied for 19th in home runs (89). A whopping 59 of those 89 home runs (66.3%) were solo shots. No team in Major League Baseball has seen a higher percentage of home runs come with the bases empty.
With a -51 run differential – the fifth worst in the sport – and what can best be described as a mediocre offense, run and defense, there isn’t much hope that the Giants will get out of their current hole. Posey has already admitted as much. FanGraphs projects their playoff chances at a slim 1.9%. How will the Giants continue?
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