Buster Posey hints that SF Giants will have open competition for bullpen roles this spring

The SF Giants bullpen was a liability by the end of last season, and they have done little to improve that unit this offseason. Buster Posey hinted that they would hold an open competition in camp for bullpen roles.

Buster Posey hints that SF Giants will have open competition for bullpen roles this spring

On Thursday, Posey joined the Murph and Markus Show on KNBR to kick off the new season. He was asked whether the bullpen has any defined roles heading into the season, and responded with “all options are on the table.”

Posey mentioned the volatility of relievers, which is true. The year-over-year performance for bullpen arms can vary widely. Teams that invest heavily in the bullpen do not always get the return on investment. 

That said, teams can protect against that volatility to some degree by bringing in competition. You never know when a reliever might come out of nowhere and record a 3.50 ERA in 50 appearances. It happens every year.

The Giants probably could have done more of that. They added Sam Hentges and Jason Foley on a pair of one-year deals. Gregory Santos and Michael Fulmer were brought in on non-roster deals to add some competition to the mix. Both Santos and Fulmer have had success against major league hitters in the past, but dealt with injury setbacks as well.

Posey highlighted Ryan Walker and Joel Peguero in his interview. He had mentioned several times in the offseason that they are hoping for a rebound season from Walker, and complimented the progress Peguero made in 2025. Of course, Walker is coming off a down season after being one of the better relievers in baseball in 2024, and Peguero flashes premium velocity, but only has 22.1 innings to his ledger.

There is a good chance that those two relievers compete for the closer role this spring. Currently, Walker likely has the edge due to his experience in that role. 

Erik Miller might have the only concrete role in the bullpen, and that is the leverage reliever against left-handed hitters. The rest of the bullpen highlights a larger issue with the Giants, which is that they have too many middle relievers and not enough leverage arms.

How will that shake out? Bullpens tend to be relatively fluid, so the one that starts the year will look different from the one that ends the season. However, it sounds like the Giants will rely on spring training performances to influence how the bullpen hierarchy will look at the start of the season.