SF Giants' failure to upgrade key roster area continues to haunt them in 2026

The SF Giants had a 6-3 lead over the Colorado Rockies in the ninth inning of Friday's game, but were unable to hold it. Caleb Kilian blew the save while allowing five earned runs to score, serving as yet another reminder that the Giants' decision to not upgrade the bullpen continues to haunt them in 2026.

They went into the season hoping that Ryan Walker could regain the form that made him one of the more valuable relievers in baseball in 2024. However, he struggled and is now pitching for the Sacramento River Cats.

On the other hand, Kilian joined the club on a minor league deal in the offseason. There was no assurance of winning a roster spot, but he threw the ball well in spring training and made the team.

Since Walker's demotion, the Giants have used Kilian in the closer spot. There were a lot of ways to draw up the bullpen hierarchy heading into the season, but Kilian emerging as the closer so quickly was not a likely scenario.

That said, the right-handed pitcher thrived in April, posting a 0.64 ERA in 13 appearances. He followed that up with an 8.18 ERA in 10 appearances this month. Kilian has the stuff to be a closer, but the control leaves something to be desired.

The SF Giants did not plan to fail, but failed to plan with the bullpen

It is hard to put any real blame on Kilian. He was thrust into a role that is tough on an inexperienced pitcher. Pitching in high-leverage spots and closing out games has a totally different dynamic to it.

It is hard to put much blame on Tony Vitello for that loss, too. I always look at bullpen decisions in the context of the process that led to those moves. Judging by the results is often an unfair way to evaluate the manager.

Vitello did not make any egregious process decisions on Friday night. He pulled many of the right strings, but still did not get the results. There were just not enough good levers to pull.

That falls squarely on the front office. They knew the bullpen was a liability going into the offseason, but did little to upgrade. The bullpen does not have enough length to it, and Friday's loss was another example of that.

They did not have to go out and add one of the top closers in free agency either. There were plenty of bargain options available that would have added reliable length to the bullpen. Having even one or two more reliable relievers would help Vitello's margin for error with his decisions. Right now, there is none.

Who does Vitello even trust with the lead at this point? Keaton Winn might be one of the few exceptions, but it highlights the fact that he does not have much to work with, and that is the front office's fault. The Giants are on pace to lose more than 90 games this year, and there will be a case that some of those defeats could have been avoided with a marginally better bullpen.

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