3 dark horse candidates for SF Giants closer role as spring training nears

The SF Giants did not make a ton of additions to the bullpen this offseason and the ones they did make were fairly minor ones. The closer role is still very much up in the air with spring training just a few weeks away.

As of right now, Ryan Walker is the early favorite to be San Francisco's ninth-inning man in 2026. He began and ended 2025 as San Francisco's closer but in the middle the Giants used Camilo Doval in the role after Walker struggled and Randy Rodríguez replaced Doval after he was traded to the New York Yankees.

3 dark horses for SF Giants closer role with spring training approaching

Perhaps 2025 is a good reminder that the closer role can be very fluid and that whoever starts the year as your closer is not necessarily going to be the same guy who finishes the year as the closer. President of baseball operations Buster Posey has been candid about the fact that the bullpen is pretty wide open.

With that in mind, let's take a look at three pitchers who may be a little bit under the radar right now but who may end up closing games for the Giants in 2026.

Joel Peguero

Peguero was called up late in 2025 and impressed. He had a 2.42 ERA in 17 appearances and flashed some impressive velocity.

Control is always going to be the big question with Peguero. The "wild hair up his nose" as Mike Krukow would call it, is the reason he did not make his big league debut until the age of 28.

If he can stay in the strike zone, it would not be a shock to see him closing games for the team at some point this season.

Gregory Santos

Once upon a time, Gregory Santos seemed like a future Giants closer. Things didn't work out and he spent some time with the Chicago White Sox and Seattle Mariners but now he is back with the Giants and received a non-roster invite to spring training.

Santos is a flamethrower as well and has had big league success before. His 3.39 ERA in 60 appearances with Chicago in 2023 shows he can be a solid pitcher.

The fact he had eight walks and no strikeouts in seven innings of work does not inspire a ton of confidence, but if he can recapture his old form he could certainly close games.

Hayden Birdsong

This one may be a little out there, but hear me out. Birdsong began the 2025 season as a reliever and he looked great coming out of the bullpen. Things went haywire when he joined the rotation and he ended the year in Triple-A.

Maybe a return to the bullpen will get him back on track and he certainly has the stuff of a closer with a high velocity fastball and a wicked kick-change to go with it.

If being a starter is not in the cards for him, then maybe he can have the most impact as a closer.

Maybe Ryan Walker will be his 2024 self and all of this will be moot, but it would not be a huge shock if one of these pitchers ended up being a legitimate closer option in 2026.