Brian Wilson thinks Oracle Park change may be to blame for SF Giants' bullpen woes

Former SF Giants closer Brian Wilson typically stays out of the spotlight these days, but he recently made an appearance on KNBR and was asked about the team’s current bullpen struggles.

Here is part of what he said: “There was a team chemistry where we didn't have a bullpen, where the bullpen guys would be segregated from the hitters. We were all in the dugout, and the last year that happened, I think, was 2014. So just saying, maybe we get rid of the bullpens and have the whole team in the dugout.”

He’s referring to the fact that the Giants used to have their bullpens at Oracle Park in foul territory and all of the relievers would just be in the dugout during home games and then would go out to the mounds in foul territory to get warmed up.

The Giants remodeled things due to safety concerns and in order to bring the fences in slightly by moving the bullpens beyond the wall in center field. That change was instituted after the 2019 season so Wilson was a little off on the year but he raises an interesting point.

Many would scoff at the notion that team chemistry played a role in how well a bullpen performs but maybe there’s something to be said about the team unity that comes with having the entire roster in the same dugout at once.

Wilson's theory doesn't quite hold up but it's still interesting

Of course, one could easily point to 2016 when the Giants’ bullpen imploded on a regular basis as evidence that the team’s bullpen wasn’t always great before the mounds were moved. Plus, the Giants had an elite bullpen in the first half of 2025 so they’ve proven they can have great relievers after the change.

It really has to do with the fact that the Giants have a bunch of mid-tier arms in the bullpen right now and do not have a clear pecking order. Last season in the first half the Giants had pretty clearly defined roles for their pitchers but this season the roles have become jumbled.

Wilson was also asked about whether he liked having defined roles in the bullpen and he said: “I personally enjoyed defined roles because it wasn't a hierarchy. It was everybody understood their role in the team.”

Jeremy Affeldt, another key reliever from the team’s championship years, said the same thing about defined roles ahead of the season. It seemed like maybe the Giants would slowly figure that out over the course of the year but no pitcher has been consistent enough to hold onto ninth inning duties and when a team doesn’t have a defined closer it’s tough for everything else to click into place.

Yet, it doesn’t seem like the Giants are going to invest real money into the pitching staff anytime soon so maybe they should take Wilson’s advice and move the relievers back into the dugout. 

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