The San Francisco Giants might have some points of optimism amid a brutal season.
A brutal 2026 campaign for the San Francisco Giants continued on Sunday with a 3-1 series-concluding loss to the Detroit Tigers, and even though San Francisco is 3-7 in its last 10 games, the outlook for it has not changed.
According to updated power rankings by Bleacher Report, the Giants remain at No. 26. The outlet acknowledged San Francisco’s struggles and pointed out that it had been shut out three times in its last nine games, but that did not compel the outlet to demote the organization any further.
For the Giants, there are plenty of reasons for pessimism, but there might also be a couple of points of positivity that are not only keeping them from dropping in the rankings but also from hitting rock bottom.
Strength of schedule
Bleacher Report believes the remainder of the season for San Francisco could be a slog, and while that is very possible given that this is a team 20 games below .500, there is also a chance they could find some success.
That is because the Giants are not facing world-beater opponents down the stretch of the 2026 campaign. Sure, six of their final nine games are against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but other than that, there are a lot of poor or mediocre opponents on the list.
San Francisco will face teams such as the Colorado Rockies, the New York Mets and the Cleveland Guardians over the next several weeks, and they will provide a chance to string together some wins.
The Giants’ postseason hopes are gone at this point, so they should focus on finishing the season on as strong a note as possible. The remaining schedule presents a good opportunity to do so.
Promising young players
Bleacher Report pointed to 25-year-old infielder Osleivis Basabe as a player to watch as he has played well for the Giants so far.
Since having his contract selected by San Francisco on July 28, Basabe has appeared in 10 games and has logged a .258 batting average with a .854 OPS. He has flashes of what it can take to be a productive player in the majors, and he could be a promising roster piece for the Giants moving forward.
There is also Bryce Eldridge, who has shown his own potential at just 21 years old. Through 75 games and 266 at-bats, Eldridge is hitting .248 with a .768 OPS and 11 home runs.
It is worth pointing out that even though the Giants sold at the MLB Trade Deadline, they did not tear down what they have entirely. Veteran players such as Logan Webb, Willy Adames and Rafael Devers remain.
Perhaps the Giants just need to get through this season and start over, but they could make the best of what is left of this summer.
