— Yahoo MLB Filter —
Bold predictions for San Francisco Giants' 2026 season
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by Yahoo
March Madness is rolling in college basketball, but Major League Baseball has its own version of madness in March: roster finalization, anticipation and preparation for a lengthy season — and a series of predictions to go with it.
The 2026 MLB season begins with the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees playing at Oracle Park at 5:05 p.m. PT (8:05 p.m. ET) on March 25. There’s lots for the Giants hopeful to be excited for ahead of the 2026 season, but die-hards might not be so optimistic.
San Francisco has a new manager in Tony Vitello, a standout college baseball coach who rose to fame during his eight-year tenure at Tennessee, where he won an NCAA Tournament championship, two SEC Tournament championships and two regular-season titles.
It is his first year ever as an MLB manager, the Giants hiring him in October 2025. With zero MLB experience, the talk is whether Vitello is the answer to the Giants’ recent mediocracy, or whether his hire puts a stamp on who they’ve been the last five years.
They didn’t make any splash signings, but the Giants front office didn’t just sit on their tails and hibernate during the winter. Despite not landing Japanese pitching sensation Tatsuya Imai, losing out on the sweepstakes to the Houston Astros, the Giants still managed to land effective players.
San Francisco brought in pitcher Tyler Mahle on a one-year deal, infielder Luis Arráez on a one-year deal, and Harrison Bader, to name a few.
Still, it’ll be a roller coaster to see how they fare in the NL West against the San Diego Padres or arch rival Los Angeles Dodgers, who are coming off back-to-back World Series championships.
Here are some bold predictions for the San Francisco Giants during the 2026 season.
Giants aren’t as mediocre, but will still (barely) miss wild card
Giants fans can expect some life out of this new-look Giants team. The new additions will provide temporary excitement, but this team doesn’t seem to have addressed its main issues: the bullpen, a closing lineup that’ll make noise, and securing the outfield.
Personal drive, momentum swings, other teams being bad, are all legitimate reasons why the Giants won’t be as bad as some think. But none of their offseason moves scream out NL West title, let alone World Series title … but they can be more competitive than previous seasons.
In 2025, the team was the definition of mediocre at 81-81. They were just outside of a wild card spot.
This season, they will win more games, but others will, too, after improvements to their teams. Not sure if this is even a 90-win team, but nothing is off the table.
The Giants finish just under 90 wins at 85-77, which might not be enough for a wild card berth but it does provide more excitement this season. There will be times throughout the season where you ask yourself whether this team is a contender.
It could swing either way. MLB.com predicts the Giants will be a wild card team when it’s said and done, with the second-best record in the NL West, behind the Dodgers.
Luis Matos, Bryce Eldridge, other prospects emerge
The Giants have been investing in their prospects and one of them will emerge as a rotational guy.
Bryce Eldridge is a 6-foot-7 first baseman who showed the potential he has in spring training, bombing a three-run home run. Was it a fluke or a sign of more to come?
In 40 at-bats during the 2026 spring training, Eldridge compiled nine hits, eights runs, a homer and 6 RBIs. His OPS was .830, with a batting average of .225.