{"id":134878,"date":"2026-01-05T13:46:41","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T13:46:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=134878"},"modified":"2026-01-05T13:46:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T13:46:41","slug":"giants-shocker-sf-giants-eye-familiar-arm-to-boost-thin-bullpen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=134878","title":{"rendered":"Giants SHOCKER: SF Giants Eye Familiar Arm to Boost Thin Bullpen"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

IMAGE: Atlanta Braves pitcher Pierce Johnson (38) pitches the ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at Truist Park. \/ Jordan Godfree \/ Imagn Images<\/div>\n

The San Francisco Giants have made it clear this offseason: they\u2019re going for volume in the bullpen, not necessarily star power. They\u2019ve brought in a handful of arms on low-cost deals, most of them coming off injuries, hoping to find value in the margins. But with the relief corps still looking thin and unproven, there\u2019s a name that makes a lot of sense for a reunion – Pierce Johnson.<\/p>\n

Now, Giants fans might not immediately light up at the mention of Johnson. His first stint in San Francisco back in 2018 wasn\u2019t exactly memorable – 37 appearances, a 5.56 ERA, and not much to hang your hat on. That season was forgettable for a reason, and Johnson probably wouldn\u2019t mind keeping it in the rearview mirror either.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the thing: Johnson isn\u2019t the same pitcher he was eight years ago. Since leaving the Bay, he\u2019s quietly rebuilt his career and turned into a reliable late-inning option.<\/p>\n

\"Pierce<\/p>\n

He found his groove with the Padres, and more recently, he\u2019s been a steady presence in Atlanta\u2019s bullpen. In 2025, he posted a 3.05 ERA across 65 appearances – a strong showing that speaks to both consistency and durability.<\/p>\n

Sure, Giants fans might remember one of those outings last season for the wrong reason – a walk-off homer he gave up to Matt Chapman. But zoom out, and you see a reliever who handled high-leverage innings in a playoff-caliber bullpen. That\u2019s the kind of experience the Giants could use right now.<\/p>\n

So far, the Giants\u2019 bullpen additions have followed a clear pattern: low-cost, high-risk. Sam Hentges, Jason Foley, Gregory Santos, and Nick Margevicius all fit the mold – talented arms, but each comes with question marks, mostly tied to health.<\/p>\n

The front office is clearly betting on upside, hoping that a few of these reclamation projects pan out. But it\u2019s a thin line to walk when your bullpen lacks a clear identity.<\/p>\n

Right now, Ryan Walker looks like the most likely option to close games, which isn\u2019t exactly a slam dunk after how 2025 ended. Walker has shown flashes, but relying on him as the anchor of the bullpen feels more like necessity than choice.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why a guy like Johnson makes so much sense. He\u2019s healthy, experienced, and effective – a rare trio in this market, especially at a potentially affordable price.<\/p>\n

He wouldn\u2019t need to be the closer, but he could absolutely stabilize the middle innings or serve as a setup man. And in a bullpen full of \u201cmaybe\u201d arms, adding a \u201cknown quantity\u201d could go a long way.<\/p>\n

\"\ud53c\uc5b4\uc2a4<\/p>\n

The Giants\u2019 approach this winter has been conservative, especially on the pitching side. They\u2019ve avoided the big-ticket free agents, instead opting for modest deals like Adrian Houser and Tyler Mahle in the rotation. And when it came to the bullpen, they stayed far away from the top-end closers on the market.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a gamble – if these budget-friendly moves click, the front office looks like a group of savvy roster-builders. If they don\u2019t, the criticism will come fast, especially from a fan base that watched the team fall short last season and expected more urgency.<\/p>\n

But if the goal is to build a competitive bullpen without breaking the bank, Pierce Johnson is the kind of move that fits the plan – and actually raises the floor. He won\u2019t fix everything, but he\u2019d give the Giants one more dependable option in a bullpen that badly needs a few.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

IMAGE: Atlanta Braves pitcher Pierce Johnson (38) pitches the ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at Truist Park. \/ Jordan Godfree \/ Imagn Images… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":134879,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nGiants SHOCKER: SF Giants Eye Familiar Arm to Boost Thin Bullpen - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=134878\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Giants SHOCKER: SF Giants Eye Familiar Arm to Boost Thin Bullpen - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"IMAGE: Atlanta Braves pitcher Pierce Johnson (38) pitches the ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at Truist Park. \/ Jordan Godfree \/ Imagn Images...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=134878\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-05T13:46:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Rinrin-32-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"XuanTan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"XuanTan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=134878\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=134878\",\"name\":\"Giants SHOCKER: SF Giants Eye Familiar Arm to Boost Thin Bullpen - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=134878#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=134878#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Rinrin-32-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-05T13:46:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-05T13:46:41+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac862d5ceb335ec8f1e374ed4bdb0c06\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=134878#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=134878\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=134878#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Rinrin-32-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Rinrin-32-1.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":1000},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=134878#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Giants SHOCKER: SF Giants Eye Familiar Arm to Boost Thin Bullpen\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac862d5ceb335ec8f1e374ed4bdb0c06\",\"name\":\"XuanTan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f0d0d8858cf9c64fc1f3105c62cff269864cf9a26f88149688bdf4dc953df45?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f0d0d8858cf9c64fc1f3105c62cff269864cf9a26f88149688bdf4dc953df45?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"XuanTan\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Giants SHOCKER: SF Giants Eye Familiar Arm to Boost Thin Bullpen - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=134878","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Giants SHOCKER: SF Giants Eye Familiar Arm to Boost Thin Bullpen - NEWS USA","og_description":"IMAGE: Atlanta Braves pitcher Pierce Johnson (38) pitches the ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at Truist Park. \/ Jordan Godfree \/ Imagn Images...","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=134878","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2026-01-05T13:46:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":1000,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Rinrin-32-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"XuanTan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"XuanTan","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=134878","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=134878","name":"Giants SHOCKER: SF Giants Eye Familiar Arm to Boost Thin Bullpen - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=134878#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=134878#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Rinrin-32-1.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-05T13:46:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-05T13:46:41+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac862d5ceb335ec8f1e374ed4bdb0c06"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=134878#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=134878"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=134878#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Rinrin-32-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Rinrin-32-1.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=134878#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Giants SHOCKER: SF Giants Eye Familiar Arm to Boost Thin Bullpen"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac862d5ceb335ec8f1e374ed4bdb0c06","name":"XuanTan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f0d0d8858cf9c64fc1f3105c62cff269864cf9a26f88149688bdf4dc953df45?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f0d0d8858cf9c64fc1f3105c62cff269864cf9a26f88149688bdf4dc953df45?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"XuanTan"},"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=134878"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134878\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":134880,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134878\/revisions\/134880"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/134879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=134878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=134878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=134878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}