The most important stories of 2026: #5 — The pitching!

Bryan Murphy analyzes the San Francisco Giants' pitching struggles as a primary factor in their 67-95 record during the 2026 season. Offseason additions such as Tyler Mahle, Adrian Houser, Sam Hentges, and Jason Foley generated only about 2 WAR total rather than providing an expected boost. Coupled with an injury to Logan Webb and poor development across the roster, the pitching staff produced just 9.8 fWAR.

The writer argues that the front office, led by Buster Posey, relied on flawed roster assumptions and faced discoordination among the coaching staff under first-year manager Vitello. Posey acknowledged that the team needed a clearer chain of command going forward through pitching coach Meccage, along with an organizational priority to acquire harder-throwing pitchers with better overall stuff.