SF Giants deservedly receive harsh grade from ESPN on 2026 season

Earlier this week, David Schoenfield of ESPN handed out final grades to all 30 major league teams. The SF Giants earned a harsh grade, as they were only one of three clubs to receive an F in 2026.

The Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners were the other two teams. All three teams have a strong case for the worst grade in baseball. In fairness, the entire AL West probably deserve an F given the season that the entire division is having.

At 79-80, the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers are tied for the top spot in the division. Someone has to go to the playoffs from each division, and whichever team does in the AL West will be one of the weaker playoff teams in recent memory.

The playoffs have not been a topic of conversation for the Giants pretty much since the beginning of the year. The season got off on the wrong foot after being shut out by Max Fried of the New York Yankees, and it has been almost entirely downhill since then.

At the very least, the Giants avoided losing 100 games, but this will go down as one of the worst teams in franchise history. The only surprise is that this was a team that had playoff hopes heading into the year. Those hopes were almost immediately dashed, and they need to figure out what went wrong.

The pressure will be on the front office to produce better results next year

David Schoenfield was quick to place the blame on Buster Posey and the rest of the front office:

"It's fair to say the first year of the Tony Vitello managerial era played out with all the fervor of fireworks on a rain-drenched Fourth of July. Did he get the most out of this team? No. Is the team's second 90-loss season since 2008 his fault? Also no. President of baseball operations Buster Posey has voiced his support, so Vitello will likely return for 2027, which puts the pressure on Posey to figure this out."

David Schoenfield on the 2026 Giants

Schoenfield also added that some underperforming contracts were weighing down the Giants. There is a good case to make for Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, and Jung Hoo Lee, but Rafael Devers was included as well. While his contract runs through 2033, it should not be viewed in the same light as the others.

After a slow start, Devers had a fantastic year before finishing the season on the injured list. In fact, he was one of the best hitters in baseball following a brutal April. While the Giants deserved a harsh grade, and Schoenfield made some valid points, I would push back on Devers being part of the problem.

Schoenfield finished by highlighting the club's promising future, including a strong rookie season from Bryce Eldridge and a much improved farm system. The pressure is on the front office to produce better results and a better grade next season.

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