The San Francisco Giants are completely noncompetitive despite a $191 million payroll, saddled with several exorbitant "star" contracts that have aged like milk. Their bold investments in Willy Adames, Matt Chapman and Rafael Devers have all gone belly up, and none of those albatross deals will be easily shed.
Buster Posey, an all-time great player turned president of baseball operations, was meant to give the Giants an edge with his recruitment skills. Instead, he has led the Giants astray, expending their resources in all the wrong ways. Stuck in financial purgatory and without an elite farm system, it could be years until the Giants are able to sustainably compete. San Francisco is three losses away from elimination; these players might not stick around long after that.
OF Harrison Bader
The Giants inked Harrison Bader to a backloaded two-year, $20.5 million contract after a phenomenal half-season run in Philadelphia. Few mid-tier signings proved more disastrous, as Bader's campaign was cut short by plantar fasciitis, which he aggravated in an off-field scooter accident. The Giants subsequently suspended his pay.
San Francisco is still on the hook for $13 million next season, but it wouldn't be the least bit shocking if the Giants either cut bait or look to trade Bader's expiring contract. Plenty of teams need right-handed pop or elite outfield defense, both of which Bader still provides. He's clearly a poor fit for the Giants ballpark and that situation has become untenable given Bader's off-field behavior.
RHP Jason Foley
Jason Foley missed all of 2025 and most of 2026 to rehab from shoulder surgery before the Giants added him to the mix in July. The veteran right-hander has struggled immensely, with a 4.67 ERA and 1.62 WHIP across 17.1 innings.
Foley is still, somehow, one of the better relievers in a horrid Giants bullpen, plus he's under cheap club control for the next two years. That said, the Giants ought to explore his value in trade talks, as proven relievers are always in demand and Foley has the track record — 28 saves with the Tigers in 2024, his last healthy campaign — to encourage interest league-wide.
The Giants have made a conscious effort to infuse their pitching staff with youth and upside down the stretch. It's unclear if Foley, 30, really fits the timeline. He's probably worth more as a trade chip than a middle-innings bullpen arm.
RHP Adrian Houser
Adrian Houser has spent the majority of his career as a solid fourth or fifth starter, which earned him a two-year, $22 million payday from the Giants in free agency. Houser could not deliver, with a 4.02 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 109.2 innings before a forearm strain ended his season. The Giants started him through mid-June, but eventually moved Houser into a long relief role. He performed quite well out of the bullpen.
Houser's numbers honestly don't fully encapsulate his struggles, however, as his 4.92 expected ERA places him in the 17th percentile among qualified pitchers. That said, he still wields a decade of major league experience and finished his season strong enough to garner trade interest, especially given his modest $11 million salary for next season (with a $12.5 million club option for 2028, which gives his next team some leverage).
A sinkerballer whose bread and butter is limiting hard, flyball contact, there's still a world in which Houser can succeed. The Giants just need to clear space in their rotation for the next generation, and Houser has probably worn out his welcome with San Francisco fans.
OF Jung Hoo Lee
Jung Hoo Lee was a popular name in trade rumors leading up to the deadline, although his contract complicates things. San Francisco could have more luck this offseason, with Lee guaranteed $23.5 million in 2027 before an opt-out clause (worth an additional two years, $41 million if he opts in). Lee's decision to opt in or out could come down to the wire, as he's both extremely flawed and undeniably productive.
Lee's middling defense in right field is the main reason he isn't more highly regarded. MLB has gone away from slap-hitting outfielders in recent years and Lee does not impact the game enough with his glove or his base-running to offset low slugging numbers. Even so, Lee's contact skills are elite, and there's still value in someone who can flirt with .300 and an over-.700 OPS every season.
There was a time not long ago when Lee would've been a dream leadoff hitter. Now, he's better viewed as a cleanup bat a la Luis Arráez in Philadelphia. Lee exhibits otherworldly bat control and is constantly putting the ball in play. Put him in a better lineup, where he's consistently hitting with runners in scoring position, and Lee will find ways to deliver. His contract might become more palatable in the process.
RHP Logan Webb
Logan Webb has been a cornerstone of the Giants rotation for the past half-decade and he is absolutely beloved, so this is a tough sell. While Webb has never wielded the most electric stuff, he's a prodigous groundball pitcher whose durability is damn near unmatched. Webb has consistently pitched deep into games for the Giants; this season will be the first in four years that Webb will not cross the 200 innings threshold.
While Webb is still incredibly valuable, even in a down year with his inflated 4.21 ERA, the Giants need to induce radical change. Devers, Adames and Chapman — their other big-ticket stars — are all sunk costs who will be hard, if not impossible to move off of. Webb is approaching the penultimate year of his contract and contenders would line up around the block to acquire such a stablizing force. A Webb trade would infuse the Giants' needy farm system with several high-end prospects.
This would require Buster Posey to look in the mirror and accept the error of his ways, but logically, now is the time to trade Webb — with two full years of club control left, and before any further injuries or regression tanks his value.
Add us as a preferred source on Google