SF Giants reportedly bring back familiar face as part of low-cost bullpen remodel

The SF Giants made some bullpen moves today as they reportedly signed a familiar face in right-handed pitcher Gregory Santos to a minor league contract and signed right-handed pitcher Jason Foley to a one-year contract.

The Santos news was reported by MLB insider Mike Rodriguez and the Foley news came via Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle.

SF Giants add two bullpen arms as part of low-cost remodel

These additions are in keeping with San Francisco's low-cost approach to rebuilding the bullpen going into 2026. While other teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers are giving three-year deals to Edwin Díaz and Tyler Rogers is signing a lucrative contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, the Giants are going the opposite direction by adding cheaper arms on one-year deals.

This may end up being a prudent way to build a bullpen, but it definitely puts more pressure on rookie manager Tony Vitello who has never managed a big league bullpen before and will be thrown into the fire right away as he has to manage a lot of arms and will have to, along with his coaching staff and the front office, determine what the pecking order will be in the late innings.

They could have made things a little easier of Vitello by getting an established closer so he did not have to think about who would be pitching the ninth inning on a nightly basis, but maybe this approach is wiser given how volatile relief arms can be.

The Foley acquisition does give the Giants a closer candidate as he recorded 28 saves and pitched to a 3.15 ERA with the Detroit Tigers in 2024 but that was his first season serving as a regular closer and he spent 2025 mostly either in Triple-A or on the injured list so we will see if he can bounce back in 2026.

The Santos addition is particularly intriguing because he was with the Giants organization for some time and debuted with them back in 2021. He was a flame-throwing right-hander who had no control at all and had an astounding 22.50 ERA in three appearances his rookie year.

In 2022 with San Francisco he pitched in just two games and was eventually traded to the Chicago White Sox where he had his best season in 2023. That year he had a 3.39 ERA in 60 appearances with 66 strikeouts and 17 walks in 66 innings pitched.

The last two seasons he has spent mostly on the injured list with the Seattle Mariners. He only made eight appearances each of the last two seasons.

The Giants are clearly making a bet that he will be healthier next season and can earn a spot in the team's bullpen. It figures to be a wide open competition so Santos has as good a chance as anyone to be a key part of next year's bullpen for the Giants.