Bringing in Tony Vitello as the first manager to make the jump directly from college to the MLB with no prior professional coaching experience is a big risk for the San Francisco Giants. Everyone knows it.
Vitello is a talented coach who accomplished a lot with the Tennessee Volunteers, but managing in the MLB is a whole different world than managing in the college ranks.
I think the Vitello hire has a good chance of working out for the Giants. I really like the energy and enthusiasm that he has approached the role with already, and I know he will be fun to watch all season long.
But if the Giants want him to actually compete in the National League West, why won’t they sign better talent this offseason?
Remember, this Giants roster went 81-81 last season. They are expecting to run it back with roughly the same roster and just change the coaching staff and somehow compete with the back-to-back defending World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers? That’s crazy talk.
President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey, general manager Zack Minasian, owner Greg Johnson and the rest of the Giants front office staff are failing Vitello. He took a big risk leaving Rocky Top to come to San Francisco, and they are not putting him in the best position to succeed.
Who have the Giants added?
The Giants have added two starting pitchers to the rotation, Adrian Houser and Tyler Mahle.
Houser had a nice season with the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays in 2025, going 8-5 with a 3.31 ERA in 21 starts. Mahle went 6-4 with a 2.18 ERA in 16 starts for the Texas Rangers.
Both are solid additions that round out the Giants’ rotation. But they are not superstars, and the Giants let Tatsuya Imai, an obvious fit, sign with the Houston Astros for cheap. They haven’t made moves for stars like Framber Valdez and Ranger Suarez.
The only notable position player the Giants have added is catcher Daniel Susac via the Rule 5 draft. Susac is a talented player who I believe will bring plenty of value to the Giants in 2026 as the backup to Patrick Bailey. But really, no one else?
The Giants have also added a couple of bullpen arms including Jason Foley.
Fans aren’t going to be happy if the Giants struggle
It was really hard for Tennessee baseball fans to lose Tony Vitello. Many of them loved him not just as a coach, but as a human being.
On the other hand, Giants fans were excited to get Vitello in the building because they thought it meant the Giants weren’t satisfied with their mediocre finish in 2026.
Don’t get me wrong, I think Vitello is going to win the Giants a few more games even if the roster stays as-is. But come on, Bob Melvin is not that bad. He wasn’t the only thing holding back this Giants roster. There are stars but there are also clear holes!
With just around a month left until Spring Training, the Giants need to step it up. They don’t need to sign every free agent left on the market. But the addition of even 1 star player would make Giants fans feel a lot better about the organization’s commitment to winning.
And it would make Tony Vitello’s job a little bit easier, something everyone would be in support of.
