The SF Giants’ bullpen problem is real, and the fixes remain unclear

The SF Giants have been an inconsistent baseball club so far this season. When the bullpen was, to many people's surprise, one of the league's best back in April, their full-of-promise offense ranked last among all 30 teams in runs scored. And when the bats finally started to get rolling, the relief corps began to unravel, posting a 5.35 ERA over the last month and a half of action.

Following the departures of Camilo Doval and Tyler Rogers at last year's trade deadline and the unfortunate injury to Randy Rodriguez in August, the area of concern was clear. But it wasn't addressed, at least not in a tangible way. The front office did add a few pieces in Caleb Kilian, Sam Hentges, Jason Foley, Reiver Sanmartín, Ryan Borucki, and Gregory Santos. It all just felt a little light compared to the anticipated need.

Now two and a half months into the 2026 campaign, Kilian has been the only addition to make a real impact — or any kind of impact, really. Hentges joined the big-league club in mid-May after spending over 15 months on the injured list due to knee and shoulder injuries that required surgeries. Foley, who is still recovering from a shoulder injury he suffered in April 2025, has yet to make an appearance with his new team. Fresh off the 60-day IL, Sanmartin made his Giants debut against the Nationals on Wednesday, picking up his first win in orange and black. The hard-throwing Santos appeared in just three games before being sent back down to Sacramento. And lefty-specialist Borucki was released by the team on June 6 after posting a 4.94 ERA in 21 games this season.

Over the last two weeks alone, the bullpen has blown three separate leads: a three-run advantage in Colorado against the Rockies a couple of weeks ago, a fragile one-run lead in Chicago against the Cubs last week and a Webb-backed two-run lead at home against the Nationals on Monday. Throw in the near-implosion against the Brewers last week, and the verdict becomes clear: this group needs changes.

It's time for the Giants to settle the closer question

The first order of business would be to find a clear-cut closer, something the front office opted not to do in the offseason, instead choosing to go with a closer-by-committee approach.

Erik Miller, Blade Tidwell, Keaton Winn, Ryan Walker and Caleb Kilian have all tried on the closer’s shoes, but they have not really fit any of them just yet. With Walker still in Triple-A, Winn and Kilian have been Vitello's go-to guys. Both have had solid seasons, as long as they're not pitching in the ninth. In his 5 2/3 innings in the final frame this season, Winn has posted a 7.94 ERA and 1.94 WHIP compared to a 2.16 ERA and 0.76 WHIP in other innings. Kilian's 1.00 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in the sixth, seventh, and eighth inning combined has ballooned to an 8.38 and 1.34 when operating as the closer.

Winn's most recent meltdown happened against the Nationals this week, when he allowed three runs in the ninth after Logan Webb had built a 3-1 lead during the previous eight innings. That fiasco came on his third straight day of pitching in tense situations, which points to the limited trust Tony Vitello has in the rest of his relievers when it matters most — and understandably so. Nearly every pitcher who has worked the ninth this season has endured some kind of collapse.

Kilian cost the Giants what seemed like a get-right win against the Rockies at Coors Field, allowing five runs in the bottom of the ninth including the walk-off two-run homer. Gage surrendered the game-losing three-run shot to Ketel Marte back in Arizona a few weeks ago. And Walker also blew a couple of one-run leads back in April before being sent down on May 10.

Walker is now back in the big leagues after spending a month in Sacramento, where he posted a 1.93 ERA in seven appearances. That gives Vitello another arm he knows can get it done in the late innings. The 30-year-old righty recorded 17 saves last season and posted a 1.91 ERA in 79 games in 2024. Walker pitching to his usual standard — one he's proven he can meet — could go a long way for this group.

Help is on the way, so are more questions

Both Gage and Tyler Mahle have started throwing again and are expected to be back by the end of June. That does not solve the closer dilemma, and it even creates a few more problems.

Assuming the Giants want to go with three lefties in their pen, one of Miller, Hentges or Sanmartin will be the odd man out. The easiest decision would be to demote Sanmartin, who just got off the 60-day injured list, back to Sacramento to give him more reps. Performance-wise, though, it should be one of the other two.

Both Miller and Hentges have struggled mightily with their command, with Miller issuing 17 walks in 19 1/3 innings and Hentges issuing 13 in 9 1/3 innings. One key detail of that decision lies in the minor-league options those players still have. Both Miller and Sanmartin still have at least one — Miller actually has three — Hentges doesn't have any left. Given that, the decision very likely narrows down to Miller and Sanmartin. Whether Vitello goes by merit or upside remains to be seen.

As for Mahle's role, it gets even more complicated. The options are easy to lay out, but the decision is a lot tougher. On one hand, they could go with the veteran they signed to a $10 million contract during the offseason and send Trevor McDonald — who has been solid but still has a minor-league option — back to Sacramento, despite Mahle's undeniable struggles so far. On the other hand, McDonald could stay in the rotation, and Mahle could occupy a bulk-reliever role in the bullpen. The last possibility does not entirely depend on the Giants. If the market for Mahle is strong enough, they could ship him before July 31 trade deadline.

Selling high on Luis Arraez could be one way of acquiring some help, but otherwise, the reinforcements will have to come from within. Arraez is largely expected to be traded, and given how he's fared this season, the return could be appealing.

Jason Foley is also expected to make his debut at some point during the second half of the season. He recently got pulled from his ongoing rehab assignment but should return to the mound over the weekend. Foley hasn't pitched in a major-league game since his last season with the Detroit Tigers in 2024, when he recorded 28 saves — the fifth-most in the American League — and posted a 3.15 ERA in 69 appearances.

Giants manager Tony Vitello has a lot on his plate right now. From his team’s recent offensive resurgence and the lineup decisions that come with it to the constant tinkering with his bullpen, his first season in professional baseball has not been the calm, smooth experience he probably hoped for.

There are reasons to be optimistic about this team, though. The lineup has proven it can keep them in basically any game — even when down by eight runs in the eighth inning with the odds stacked against them. Therefore, an average bullpen should be enough for this team to string together some wins and see where it takes them. The question becomes: Can this group of arms be average? Probably not as currently constructed.

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