Let's not sugarcoat the situation. The San Francisco Giants had yet another disappointing season.
They finished 65-97, their third-most losses since the franchise moved to San Francisco . That dates all the way back to 1958, by the way. On top of that, they missed the postseason again, making it the fifth consecutive time.
Tony Vitello is just finishing up his first year, and, likely, it did not go according to plan.
That doesn't mean that everything went wrong, though.
As the team enters into what should be an extremely important offseason, it is imperative to look back and recognize some of the developments that can come from the 2026 campaign.
Here are four things San Francisco got right.
Rafael Devers came into the 2026 season with big expectations. For the most part, Devers delivered, sometimes despite his team falling apart around him.
He finished with a slash line of .258/.340/.525 with 37 home runs and 98 RBI over 148 games. He led the organization in both home runs and RBI. It is particularly impressive given that late in the season it was revealed he had been dealing with a core muscle injury that would eventually lead to season-ending surgery.
He finished strong, hitting 12 home runs in his final 21 games before the Giants finally pulled him and placed him on the injured list.
Devers is under contract through 2033. After his first full season with the team, there really shouldn't be any question about whether he is a piece the team can build around.
What's the saying? I've got 99 problems, but... well, the Giants probably do have 99 problems, but Bryce Eldridge isn't one of them.
He is truly becoming the player they hoped he would. At just 21 years old, he hit .269 with an .825 OPS, 17 home runs and 57 RBI over 107 games.
Just as important as his stat line is recognizing that he didn't just get better with his bat.
Vitello even recognized him and said Eldridge's improvements defensively at first base was a big positive from his rookie season.
Unfortunately, as was the case for a lot of Giants players, his season was cut short after he had to enter the concussion protocol during the final week. It shouldn't matter, though. By the time that injury occurred, the Giants had already logged enough information to know that he is an important part of their 2027 lineup.
Casey Schmitt was a very encouraging development in the 2026 season.
He didn't walk into this year with a long-term role already carved out, but after his performance, Schmitt should have a secure place with the team.
He finished the year hitting .271 with 21 home runs, 55 RBI and a .784 OPS in just 98 games.
For Schmitt, the injury that ended his year was a torn meniscus. But by that point in the season, Schmitt had already paved his way to the future.
After spending several years trying to find an answer about which homegrown player would be the next to take over a competitive spot on the roster, San Francisco got a clear answer.
Schmitt's defensive versatility adds value to him, as well, moving forward.
With Devers, Matt Chapman , Willy Adames , Jung Hoo Lee and Eldridge already expected to play a large part for the team in 2027, Schmitt proved that he can give Vitello another solid option.
Ok, wait. Read on.
First of all, let's be honest here. The San Francisco pitching was a huge disappointment for the team in 2026.
Hayden Birdsong , Carson Whisenhunt and Trevor McDonald all underwent Tommy John surgery. Blade Tidwell suffered a UCL sprain late in the year. Adrian Houser finished the season with a flexor strain.
None of that qualifies as something the team did right. So, exactly where are we headed here?
Well, the Giants used those unfortunate circumstances to evaluate several pitchers who may not have had the chance to get the opportunity without the signficant number of injuries.
Anthony Molin was impressive after being acquired from the Atlanta Braves during the Tyler Mahle trade. Cesar Perdomo, Yunior Marte and Matt Wilkinson also got to take the mound and show their stuff.
Now, none of these should already be penciled in to the 2027 rotation just yet, and certainly it should be noted that several were functioning on a very small sample size.
But the Giants came into the final weeks of the season searching for pitching depth and they are walking away from the season with several additional candidates to evaluate more in Spring Training.
Searching for and finding four positives won't change what happened in 2026.
After the final game, Vitello met with reporters . "I think improvements are needed," Vitello said. "There's a lot of information. Information's power. You've got to take it, and you've got to make it useful."
Breaking that down, he's right. Painfully and obviously so. Improvements are needed.
San Francisco learned plenty about what doesn't work.
They also took some steps forward toward possibly a more successful 2027 campaign. The question remains whether they can take a few positives and turn them into a different result.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/giants/onsi as 4 Things SF Giants Got Right Despite Another Disappointing Season .
