With the SF Giants missing the playoffs for the fourth straight season, changes are likely to come this offseason. Giants insider Alex Pavlovic teased some potential big changes that could be coming at key positions.
Pavlovic posted a video to his YouTube account briefly breaking down what went wrong for the Giants this season and what may be done to try to remedy things in 2026. The full video can be seen here.
SF Giants insider teases big changes for the Giants this offseason
One interesting snippet at the end of the video is when Pavlovic says, “There are a couple positions where I am hearing things, some interesting things that we’ll get to in the offseason about what they might do.”
Obviously, this is very vague and brief but it leads one to believe there may not just be a potential coaching shakeup this offseason, but there could be some big roster shakeups as well. What could those shakeups look like?
The Giants clearly have a core with Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, Rafael Devers, and Jung Hoo Lee. Those four guys are going to be in the lineup just about every day and constitute a substantial chunk of the team’s payroll. Even if the Giants wanted to make a change there it would be tough to do so.
Patrick Bailey has struggled offensively this year but he has been coming around and his defense behind the plate makes him too valuable. Plus, Bryce Eldridge should see a lot of action next year either at first base or as the team’s designated hitter even though his big league career has gotten off to a slow start.
That means there are six spots of the lineup that are pretty reasonably accounted for in the lineup for 2026. Three spots that are more up in the air are left field, right field, and second base.
There is room for some creativity here. Heliot Ramos has been solid offensively the last two seasons, but his defense has been atrocious. Casey Schmitt has had a very respectable season but he is a guy who could be traded.
The Giants need starting pitching and they need more contact-first hitters in a lineup that has far too much swing and miss in it. What about a trade with the Cleveland Guardians that sends Ramos, Schmitt, and Luis Matos, whose future with San Francisco is very much in question, to Cleveland in exchange for starting pitcher Tanner Bibee and outfielder Steven Kwan?
Then, to address second base the Giants could go out and sign Luis Arraez, a guy who has struck out just 21 times in 611 at-bats this season. We know president of baseball operations Buster Posey wants guys who can put the ball in play and don’t strike out a ton. Kwan and Arraez fit that bill perfectly.
This is just one idea but this sort of boldness may be what the front office is envisioning as they take a look at what went wrong this season for the Giants.
Pavlovic just gave a brief tease of changes to the roster, but perhaps we will find out more concrete info on what Posey has in mind in the coming weeks.
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