One low-hanging fruit to upgrade the SF Giants offense in 2026

Earlier this week, we looked at three roster areas the SF Giants need to upgrade this offseason. On offense, one low-hanging fruit that they need to show improvement on is their production against left-handed pitcher.

One low-hanging fruit to upgrade the SF Giants offense in 2026

Giants hitters struggled badly against left-handed pitching in 2025. The offense put up a .214/.279/.351 line (78 wRC+) in those matchups, which was tied for the third-worst mark in baseball.

Only the Pittsburgh Pirates (76 wRC+) and Colorado Rockies (75 wRC+) performed worse in those matchups. That is not where the Giants want to be.

Plus, they invested a lot of money into the roster. They have a lot of everyday players in the lineup, but roster construction was an issue as well.

The Giants missed the playoffs by just a couple of games. Among the many factors for why they felt short of that goal, production against left-handed pitchers is near the top of that list.

When they faced left-handed pitching, you knew it was going to be a tough day at the plate. Incredibly, Heliot Ramos (107 wRC+) was the only Giants hitters with an wRC+ above 100 with at least 50 plate appearances against left-handed pitching.

That means that Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, and Rafael Devers all had below-average production against southpaw pitchers. In the case of Devers, he struggled in those matchups with a 65 wRC+. They have an expensive core, and they need that core to perform better against lefties.

They cannot be this vulnerable in these matchups and expect to be competitive. Interestingly, the Giants' lineup put up a 104 wRC+ against right-handed pitching, so that part of the lineup did just fine.

The good news is that improving against left-handed pitching should be easy. They were one of the most aggressive teams in platooning a couple of seasons ago. I doubt they go back quite to the extreme, but they do need to raise the floor.

While it should be easy to add hitters who give them leverage against left-handed pitching, there is one complication. The Giants already have a lot of right-handed hitters, so some of that improvement needs to come from the current group. 

There are plenty of soon-to-be free agents who thrived against lefties last season. Paul Goldschmidt put up a 169 wRC+ in those matchups last year. While there is limited playing time at first base and DH, it would be a fun idea to see Goldschmidt in a Giants uniform after spending so many years torturing their pitching. Admittedly, the fit is not great for either side.

There will plenty of low-cost additions available such as Starling Marte (109 wRC+) and Willi Castro (109 wRC+) who performed well in those matchups in 2025. The Giants cannot remake the lineup, but the goal should be to provide better insulation.