SF Giants still have not addressed critical matchup issue from 2025

The SF Giants put up a 78 wRC+ against left-handed pitching in 2025. That was a critical roster flaw that has not necessarily been addressed with the signing of Harrison Bader and the reported addition of Luis Arráez.

SF Giants still have not addressed critical matchup issue from 2025

That 78 wRC+ was the third-worst mark in baseball. Only the Pittsburgh Pirates (76 wRC+) and Colorado Rockies (75 wRC+) put up a worse mark against left-handed pitching in 2025.

Teams will face more right-handed pitchers than left-handed pitchers, so teams can get by with these struggles. However, struggling that much on one side of the matchup leaves the Giants' lineup vulnerable in a three-or five-game series, or late in games. Opposing teams will be able to deploy their left-handed pitchers without much hesitation if they do not show improvement in this area.

The additions of Bader and Arráez do not help much in this regard. Bader has put together a solid .760 OPS against left-handed pitching throughout his seven-year career. He is coming off a career year at the plate, but tallied just a .689 OPS in these matchups. Over the past two years, he has slumped to a .651 OPS against left-handed pitching.

The right-handed bat has a lengthy track record in his favor. Recent history has not been as favorable against left-handed pitcher. The Giants signed Bader in large part due to his defense. He has ranked as one of the best defenders since he made his debut with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017.

On the other hand, Arráez has generally been better against right-handed pitching. That is not too surprising for a left-handed bat. The veteran hitter has recorded a .673 OPS against southpaw pitchers across seven seasons. The 2025 season was more of the same, as he put up a .644 OPS in 204 plate appearances in these matchups.

The Giants hope that some key players can return to form. Heliot Ramos put up a respectable .743 OPS against left-handed pitching in 2025, but this was also a sharp decline from the 1.189 OPS he put up in 2024.

Matt Chapman slumped to a .674 OPS against left-handed pitching, and Rafael Devers had a .582 OPS in those matchups. Willy Adames has typically demonstrated reverse platoon splits, so the Giants likely are not expecting that to change.

The Giants would benefit from platooning Jung Hoo Lee and Patrick Bailey against left-handed pitching, but that seems unlikely for different reasons with both of these players.

On paper, the Giants' roster will continue to have some soft spots in the lineup against lefties. That is just how the roster is currently constructed, and they just have not done much to address that this offseason. They hope that some of their core players will return to form. There is a good bet that some of them will, but hope is also not a good strategy for a team that has invested quite a bit of money into this roster.