SF Giants 2026 spring training preview: outfielders

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — The Giants had obvious needs when the offseason began. They needed starters. They needed relievers. And they really needed an outfielder.

San Francisco never filled the vacancy during the regular season after trading Mike Yastrzemski to the Kansas City Royals at the trade deadline. The Giants cycled through numerous options in August and September, and the production from that group was underwhelming.

There was a point in the winter when the Giants had 10 outfielders on the 40-man roster. They acquired Joey Wiemer and Justin Dean, then cut ties before they made it to camp. Marco Luciano is gone, too. Weeks before spring training, they signed center fielder Harrison Bader to a two-year, $20.5 million deal, then moved Jung Hoo Lee to right field.

Bader isn’t in the same class of free agent as Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger, but he improves an outfield defense that was among the worst in the majors. And if Lee and Heliot Ramos can take leaps forward, this outfield could emerge as one of the better units in the National League.

Additions: Harrison Bader (Free Agent), Will Brennan (Free Agent)

Subtractions: Joey Wiemer (DFA), Justin Dean (DFA), Marco Luciano (Waivers), Wade Meckler (DFA)

Projected LF WAR Ranking: 19th

Projected CF WAR Ranking: 14th

Projected RF WAR Ranking: 15th

Bader, a one-time Gold Glove Award winner, provides the Giants with the true defensive savant that they lacked last season in the outfield. Since 2017, no outfielder has accumulated more outs above average, a range-based defensive stat. That caliber of defender was needed after San Francisco’s outfielders finished last in the majors in OAA and 28th in defensive runs saved.

“He’s a very active thinker, and he is very self-confident,” said manager Tony Vitello. “A lot of it it’s because he’s put in time to think about it. He’s got a lot of conviction to what he believe. … You want a quarterback in center, but all three guys got to kind of dance together.”

Lee, in particular, rated out as a poor defender in center field. He didn’t have defensive lowlights and looked fine enough, but he ended last season with -18 defensive runs saved and -5 outs above average. While the Giants paid Lee $113 million over six years to play center field, Lee said his conversation with the team about moving to right field was “smooth.”

“I know that bringing in (Harrison) Bader is going to make the outfield way better,” Lee said through team interpreter Justin Han. “It wasn’t hard to make a decision saying that I’ll move over to right field. Whatever it takes to help the team out.”

Bader enjoyed the best offensive season of his career with the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies, posting career-highs in batting average (.277), on-base percentage (.347), homers (17), doubles (24) and RBIs (54). It made for a great season when also accounting for his defense, but the 31-year-old is likely due for some regression.

Not only will Oracle Park suppress Bader’s offense, but Bader had the second-highest difference between his actual batting average and expected batting average, as well as the sixth-highest difference between his actual slugging percentage and expected slugging percentage. But if Lee and Ramos can take steps offensively, the Giants can live with some regression from Bader.

Lee and Ramos had fine seasons, though neither came close to touching their offensive ceilings. The former played his first full season in the majors after an injury-shortened 2024, posting a .735 OPS (110 OPS+) with eight homers and 10 steals over 150 games. The latter took a step back after earning an All-Star appearance in 2024, ending the year with 21 homers and a .728 OPS (108 OPS+).

President of baseball operations Buster Posey is correct in his assessment that there’s still “meat on the bone” with Lee and Ramos. Lee has more extra-base hit potential than he produced, and he’s yet to utilize his above-average speed to swipe more bags. Ramos still hit the ball very hard last season (87th percentile average exit velocity), but didn’t consistently elevate the baseball at opportune angles.

“To me, he looked unsure,” Vitello said. “I know there’s mechanics to it and what pitch it was and, depending on what guy he’s facing, crazy arms in the league. But there were moments where he looked unsure. … Everyone acts like a pro, but he’s one of the few guys that has assessed what he thought he needed to do in order to have a better season.”

Jerar Encarnacion barely played last season due to numerous injuries, but it’s hard to imagine him not being on the Opening Day roster.

Encarnacion, 28, showcased elite power during his stint with the team in 2024 and can play both corner outfield and first base. Top prospect Bryce Eldridge isn’t trending toward a spot on the Opening Day roster (more on that in the designated hitter preview), so Encarnacion could very well be this team’s DH on March 25 against the New York Yankees.

As far as the traditional fourth outfielder, the Giants have two left-handed hitters capable of playing all three outfield positions: Drew Gilbert and Will Brennan.

Brennan was a late addition to the 40-man roster, signing a one-year deal with the Giants when camp had already started. He only played six games with the Guardians last year, undergoing Tommy John surgery to repair the UCL in his left elbow last June and sports hernia surgery in September, but has 269 games in the majors under his belt over four seasons.

The 28-year-old has a career .267/.307/.373 slash line with 14 homers and has traditional splits, owning a .720 OPS against right-handed pitchers compared to a .453 OPS against left-handed pitchers. Brennan’s offensive profile is vaguely similar to Lee’s in that he rarely walks (4.4 percent walk rate) and limits strikeouts (12.7 percent strikeout rate).

Gilbert, 25, has the obvious connection of having played for Vitello at Tennessee, but his qualifications for the Opening Day roster go beyond familiarity. He didn’t provide much offense (.598 OPS) but he flashed excellent defense in a small sample, totaling +2 outs above average over 271 innings as an outfielder.

Neither Brennan nor Gilbert is the obvious choice for the fourth outfielder spot, so the Giants could use Cactus League play as a means of making a decision.

While Brennan and Gilbert have minor-league options, Luis Matos is completely out of minor-league options and could be looking at the final days of his Giants career.

Matos, 24, has flashed his talent in limited spurts over the last three seasons but has never been able to snatch a starting role in the same way Ramos did. There wasn’t a clear path for Ramos when camp started, and the team’s signing of Brennan pretty much ensures that the Giants will part ways with Matos at some point in the coming weeks.

“I really don’t think about that,” Matos said through team interpreter Erwin Higueros. “It’s part of the business. I can’t go out there and be thinking about it. … If I don’t get an opportunity here, then obviously, maybe somewhere else.”