Posey: After 97 Losses, Giants Will Start by Fixing Bullpen… Future of Lee Jung-hoo's $22 million Salary Undecided

After a 97-loss season, San Francisco named bullpen reinforcement its first task. President Posey accepted responsibility and confirmed that manager Vitello will return. No decision has been made on selling high-priced position players such as Lee Jung-hoo.

Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.

Three-Line Summary

At its year-end press conference after the 2026 season ended with 97 losses, San Francisco acknowledged responsibility for failing to build the bullpen.
President Posey said the team will reinforce the bullpen first and review the starting rotation afterward, and he confirmed that manager Vitello will return.
Lee Jung-hoo's base salary for the 2026 season is $22 million, and no trade of any specific position player has been finalized.

The morning of September 29, 2026, at Oracle Park in San Francisco. The Giants, who had just finished the regular season, held their season-ending press conference. This season's report card was 97 losses. According to the NY Post, Buster Posey, president of baseball operations, reportedly said that day, "There's a lot we need to do, clearly."

Posey's Year-End Press Conference: Accepts Bullpen Responsibility, Vitello to Stay as Manager

According to NBC Sports Bay Area, Posey personally acknowledged responsibility for the failure to build the bullpen that day. He also named the bullpen as the first task of the offseason. "I plan to start with the bullpen." He said this at the press conference the same day. He reportedly meant that reinforcing the starting rotation will be considered after the bullpen.

Three routes to reinforcement came up. According to the NY Post, Posey mentioned free-agent (FA) signings, trade discussions, and a review of internal options.

Manager Tony Vitello keeps his job. Posey confirmed that day that Vitello will stay on as manager.

Total Contract Values of Five Key San Francisco Players, and Summer Trade Talks Afterward

According to NBC, the club discussed trades involving high-priced position players before the summer trade deadline. However, the same outlet reported that no signal of a major overhaul of the position players came out of this year-end press conference. Discussing a trade does not mean a sale has been decided.

Rank	Player	Original Contract Size	Notes
1	Rafael Devers	10 years, $313.5 million	Original contract signed in Boston
2	Willy Adames	7 years, $182 million	Total nominal value of the contract
3	Matt Chapman	6 years, $151 million	Total nominal value of the extension
4	Lee Jung-hoo	6 years, $113 million	Total nominal value of the contract
5	Logan Webb	5 years, $90 million	Total nominal value of the extension

This table compares only the total nominal value of each player's original contract (including extensions), based on MLB.com contract reports. It differs from the order of current salaries or remaining guaranteed money. Devers' $313.5 million is about 2.8 times Lee Jung-hoo's contract ($313.5 million ÷ $113 million). Lee ranks 4th of the five, and his contract is $23 million more than pitcher Logan Webb's.

Some observers also think a deal will not be easy. Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area, citing anonymous officials from other clubs, reported that trades of high-priced position players could be hard to complete. This is an outside assessment, not the club's official position.

Lee Jung-hoo's $22 million Salary: Batting Average Rebounds to .276 in Third Year

Per the Giants' announcement, the 6-year, $113 million contract was made public. It includes a $5 million signing bonus, and he can use an opt-out (the right of a player to give up the rest of his contract and go to free agency) after the 2027 season. His 2024 debut season ended after 37 games because of a shoulder injury.

Season	Games	Batting Avg.	Home Runs	RBIs
2024	37	.262	2	8
2025	150	.266	8	55
2026	143	.276	10	57

In 2025, he played 150 games and hit 12 triples. That ties Ichiro Suzuki for the most in a single season by an Asian player. This year, in 143 games, he recorded 149 hits, 31 doubles and an OPS of .724. His batting average rose by .010 in a year, and his home runs and stolen bases (10 to 12) each increased by 2.

Season	2024	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029
Base salary (in tens of thousands of dollars)	700	1600	2200	2200	2050	2050

MK Sports data shows that this year's base salary of $22 million is $6 million (37.5%) more than last year's. Adding the $5 million signing bonus to the 2024–2026 salaries of $45 million makes $50 million. For 2027–2029, $63 million remains, and the two amounts together make the $113 million total.

What was confirmed at the press conference was the direction of reinforcing the bullpen first and the plan to keep Vitello as manager. No announcement was made that day that any specific position player, including Lee Jung-hoo, would be sold. The club has not yet decided whether to fill the bullpen through free agency, trades or internal options. Lee still holds an opt-out right after the 2027 season.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is Lee Jung-hoo's salary for the 2026 season?

His base salary is $22 million. He will also receive $22 million in 2027, and his base salaries for 2028 and 2029 are $20.5 million each under the contract. However, he can opt out after the 2027 season.

Q. Has a Lee Jung-hoo trade been finalized?

It has not. There were reports that the club discussed trades of high-priced position players over the summer. However, no signal of a major overhaul of the position players came out of the September 29 year-end press conference.

Q. What is San Francisco's top offseason priority?

The bullpen. President Posey said, "I plan to start with the bullpen," and reportedly said the starting rotation will be reviewed after that.

Related Official Sites

San Francisco Giants official website — Check the club's official offseason signing and trade announcements
MLB Lee Jung-hoo official player stats — Check season-by-season batting stats and latest results

Featured image · Archival photo · Not an on-site photo of a current game in this article · Photo composite · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Turned UP Media), CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (SD Dirk), CC BY 2.0