A way-too-early SF Giants Opening Day roster projection as spring training nears

Projecting an Opening Day roster in January is a bit foolhardy. There can be injuries and guys can come out of nowhere and have a hot spring training to make the team.

Nonetheless, with spring training just a few weeks away it's fun to try and look ahead so let's try and guess the players who will make up the Opening Day roster for the 2026 SF Giants.

Most teams typically go with 13 pitchers and 13 position players, so we will first begin with what the lineup and bench could look like listing each player until we get to 26.

Projecting 2026 SF Giants Opening Day roster

The Lineup

We have taken a look at what a projected Giants lineup could look like after the addition of Harrison Bader and with some potential variation it will probably look something like this:

1. RF Jung Hoo Lee

2. SS Willy Adames

3. 1B Rafael Devers

4. 3B Matt Chapman

5. LF Heliot Ramos

6. DH Bryce Eldridge

7. CF Harrison Bader

8. 2B Casey Schmitt

9. C Patrick Bailey

Of course, this lineup could change if the Giants make a trade for a second baseman which they have been rumored to have interest in. It could also be different if the Giants choose to have Bryce Eldridge begin the year in Triple-A.

The Bench

10. C Daniel Susac

11. OF Drew Gilbert

12. IF Christian Koss

13. OF Luis Matos

The camp battle for backup catcher and backup outfield spots figure to be two of the more interesting battles to watch in Scottsdale. Luis Matos' roster standing was probably hurt most by the Bader signing but he is out of options so the Giants may put him on the team so they don't lose him on waivers.

The Rotation

14. RHP Logan Webb

15. LHP Robbie Ray

16. RHP Tyler Mahle

17. RHP Adrian Houser

18. RHP Landen Roupp

The five-man rotation seems to be pretty set at this point even though rumors are still swirling that the Giants might be interested in another starter. There are a lot of question marks with this group outside of Logan Webb so they will have to rely on their young depth throughout the year.

The Bullpen

19. RHP Hayden Birdsong

20. RHP Spencer Bivens

21. RHP Joel Peguero

22. RHP José Buttó

23. LHP Sam Hentges

24. RHP J.T. Brubaker

25. LHP Erik Miller

26. RHP Ryan Walker

The bullpen is always toughest to predict, especially with the bunch the Giants are rolling with. They added a number of low-cost relievers coming off injury in the offseason and the hope is that they can sort out the good from the bad in spring training and early in the regular season. This is just a best guess, but it would not be a shock if someone like Reiver Sanmartin or Nick Margevicius had a good spring and made the team.

Surely a few of these names will be on the Opening Day roster, but if I at least got 20 right I will be more than happy because there can be so much fluctuation in spring training.