Kurtenbach: There's so much going right for the SF Giants this spring. Then there's the bullpen.

"The lineup has a pulse - mostly because Bryce Eldridge is a monstrous human being who looks poised to legitimize the bottom third of the lineup with glove-exploding exit velocities. The rotation? Completely usable, if not impressive. Logan Webb is still a horse, Robbie Ray found a mechanical tweak to unlock his best stuff, Adrian Houser and Tyler Mahle look solid, and there are enough warm bodies in camp to field a legitimate No. 5 starter."

"Bullpens are like a football team's offensive line: mysterious to most, but instrumental to team success. The Giants' bullpen is certainly a mystery. A 'hot mess' might be another way to put it. I've always subscribed to the adage that bullpens win divisions."

"San Francisco isn't a squad built to blow out teams. No, the Giants are going to play a grueling slate of tight, ulcer-inducing baseball games, as is tradition around these parts. And in 2026, when asking a starting pitcher to go six innings is treated like a human rights violation, bullpens are the only way you survive those tight games."

The San Francisco Giants show promise in spring training with a functional roster. The lineup features Bryce Eldridge, whose power potential strengthens the bottom third of the order. The rotation includes reliable arms like Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Adrian Houser, and Tyler Mahle, providing adequate depth. However, the bullpen presents a critical weakness. Given modern baseball's reliance on relief pitchers for tight games, the Giants' relief corps could become the deciding factor in their playoff hopes. While the team may not contend for the NL West division title, their ability to secure a wild-card spot depends heavily on bullpen performance during close contests.

Read at The Mercury News