There have already been and figure to be dozens upon dozens of articles about which free agents the San Francisco Giants should or could target this offseason, but before getting too deep into that, I figured it’s worth asking which security blankets new manager Tony Vitello might seek out as he undertakes his first year as a major league manager.
Y’know, besides Max Scherzer.
A new manager should be looking to surround himself with some familiar faces even if the downside could be detrimental to the team.
Bob Melvin’s stale staff was borderline cronyism, for example. But, in in the tradition of Bruce Bochy bringing in Ryan Klesko and Bob Melvin dragooning Lou Trivino, let’s take a look at some players from across Tony Vitello’s coaching tenure to see who the Giants might acquire.
By my count, there have been 93 players drafted who were coached by Tony Vitello over the past 11 years. 52 of them are from his run as Tennesse’s manager. A total of 20 between Arkansas and Tennessee have made their major league debut. Scherzer is from before this time period and the only other player of a similar age is Kyle Gibson, who announced his retirement earlier this season — unless reliever Brandon Finnegan, who retired last season, decides to come out of retirement. The Giants already have Drew Gilbert, Blade Tidwell, Maui Ahuna, and now Gavin Kilen from Vitello’s Tennessee time, but what’s the fun in thinking that’s enough?
Putting together a list required some assumptions and editoralizing by me, so it’s not all-inclusive. I crossed off players who hadn’t played in a couple of years and those who might’ve last played in 2024 were kept in consideration, especially if they’re a pitcher because that’s Vitello’s area of strength (as is the Giants’, theoretically). I also kept in some players who might’ve been recruited by him or scouted by Vitello before he left (as in their first season was after he left). The fun of all this might be a couple of random players who have been out of the game for a while making a comeback in hopes of getting on Vitello’s radar or a Spring Training invite. Yes, it’s fun for me to imagine Tony Vitello’s installation as Giants manager becoming a jobs program for wayward minor leaguers. Relationships are a key part of the industry.
Other filters:
- The Boston Red Sox gave up a lot to trade for Garrett Crochet, so he’s off the list
- Even though I think the Minasian brothers connection makes it a little more likely, I’ll presume that the Angels won’t trade Ben Joyce (Tennessee, 2022); or, that
- Colorado will send any of Seth Halvorsen, Chase Dollander, or Jordan Beck to a division rival.
That gave me a list of 39 players. 25 of them have never played in the majors. That doesn’t mean the Giants won’t try to add some of these as minor league free agents or via the Rule 5 draft or through a straight trade, but I’ll save those names for a separate post. Here are the remaining 14, ranked worst to best by fWAR, and then notes on whether or not they’d be a fit on the roster and the ease of acquisition:
Heston Kjerstad, OF | 2026 age: 27 | career fWAR: -0.8 (106 G)
Vitello connection: It’s thin, but he’s another player who kicked off his college career in 2018, suggesting that Vitello might’ve been involved in some way towards recruiting him.
Roster fit: If he was performing like the highly-ranked prospect version of himself, then the Giants would be in great need of a high-contact, gap-to-gap, on base machine. Unfortunately, he’s slashing .218/.284/.365 in his brief major league career. At present, his future with the Orioles is an open question. He’s suffering from an undisclosed medical issue that’s sapped his power.
Ease of acquisition: Given the thin connection, poor performance when he has been able to get on the field, and the tough customer of a trade partner that is Orioles’ exec Mike Elias (as ruthless a sabermetrician as it gets), it’s not going to happen. Maybe he shouldn’t even be on this list!
Trey Lipscomb, IF | 2026 age: 26 | career fWAR: -0.7 (64 G)
Vitello connection: Tennessee, 2019-2022 (.331/.410/.647 in 103 games)
Roster fit: I’m sure Tony Vitello would love to have a star from one of his recent teams. The Nationals have played him all over the field since drafting him, though he was a third baseman at Tennessee. MLB Pipeline’s scouting report on him for 2023, when he was the Nats’ #19 prospect, isn’t glowing, but it’s interesting:
[…] shows an advanced approach that helps him swing at pitches he can drive to all fields, even though a flat bat path may hinder him to just average power in the pros. […] has the reactions and above-average arm to play a solid third base, and he should stick there, particularly if he improves his instincts with more playing time.
The following season, he ranked 16th, and his bat profiled as average power though tempered by lots of chase (“Unless one of his tools becomes truly plus, he profiles best as a utility infielder who slots in wherever needed most.) His defense is what interests me, though:
The former Volunteer is a surehanded defender on the dirt, and his reactions and strong arm at third base helped him capture a Minor League Gold Glove Award in his first full season.
I don’t know, is there maybe a chance of an upside guy challenging Casey Schmitt for second base? Or at least becoming an adequate back of the depth chart guy (he has an option left)?
Ease of acquisition: He is damaged goods. The Nationals outrighted him off the 40-man roster today to their Triple-A team. That plus his .268/.317/.402 line in exactly 1,400 plate appearances indicates he’s damaged goods. Nobody is going to accuse the Nationals of being a well-run organization at this point, though, and it’s entirely plausible that a slightly better development program — and I would hope that we can all agree the Giants do have that over the Nats — might draw out a better performance from a guy who doesn’t turn 26 until June. Maybe the Nats will swap Lipscomb for Marco Luciano and/or Luis Matos and Tony Vitello can put his arm around the guy and remind him he’s a gamer?
Alex Young, LHP | 2026 age: 32 | career fWAR: -0.2 (177 G)
Vitello connection: His college career began at TCU in Vitello’s final season there (2013) and he was a stellar reliever: 2.66 ERA in 40.2 IP (37 K).
Roster fit: He’s a former Giant! Do you remember that he was traded from the Reds in exchange for Austin Slater? He was pretty okay, too: 2.39 ERA / 2.96 FIP in 26.1 IP. But as a soft-tossing lefty, with limited upside, it does seem like Matt Gage and/or Joey Lucchesi are already superior options.
Ease of acquisition: The Reds have his rights at the moment and he’s likely to miss the start of the 2026 season due to elbow surgery.
Andre Lipcius, IF | 2026 age: 28 | career fWAR: -0.2 (13 G)
Vitello connection: On the Vols beginning in 2017, so, before Vitello arrived, but hit 17 home runs for him in 2019. He’s also the fraternal twin of Luc Lipcius, who redshirted and played for Vitello at Tennessee from 2018-2022, and those two would seem to have a lot of memories together, so maybe that’s the connection?
Roster fit: A 28-year old right-handed corner bat (though, he has played some second base, including in 2025) would not seem to be a great fit for the Giants’ roster, but in 2024 for the Dodgers’ Triple-A team (140 G), he slugged 25 homers and had a 10.7 BB% to a 22.8 K%. With the White Sox’s Triple-A team (106 G), he had 18 homers and an 8.8 BB% to an 18.3 K%. Even his brief taste of major league action (2023) was pretty okay: .286/.342/.400 in 38 PA (13 games) with a homer, a double, and 3 walks to 8 strikeouts. According to Statcast, he’s a pure pull hitter.
Ease of acquisition: As a flyer on a minor league deal? Yeah, why not?
Grant Koch, C | 2026 age: 29 | career fWAR: -0.1 (3 G)
Vitello connection: Another Arkansas player, who caught for them from 2016 to 2018.
Roster fit: Well, the Giants could probably use another backup catcher. He was a slugging backstop (~.470 slug%) with good plate discipline (1.5 K/BB, 18 K%) when Vitello was his hitting coach. He made it to the Pirates in 2024, but got into just 3 games (0-for-7 with a walk).
Ease of acquisition: Here’s a perfect guy to have on this list. He didn’t play organized baseball in 2025. Is he retired? I’m not sure. He was drafted in the 5th round by the Pirates, but slashes just .204/.286/.322 in 1,221 plate appearances. Another player with solid plate discipline, though (118 walks to 280 strikeouts). This draft day video doesn’t suggest a high ceiling here or secret potential to unlock, but on the other hand: might he be lured back by his ex hitting coach to at least catch some bullpens for major league pitchers?
Isaiah Campbell, RHP | 2026 age: 28 | career fWAR: -0.1 (41 G)
Vitello connection: Pitched for Arkansas Vitello’s last two seasons (2016 & 2017). Vitello was the hitting coach at Arkansas but he was the pitching coach at Missouri when Max Scherzer was there. So, you know, Vitello can do it all.
Roster fit: He’s the exact kind of reliever the Giants have been targeting since 2019: 95+ mph fastball and 2,500+ rpm slider.
Ease of acquisition: Unfortunately, Andrew Bailey got to him first. The Red Sox signed him as a free agent last offseason and still hold his rights. A minor trade isn’t out of the question, but if he winds up on waivers, the Giants should be all over it.
Dominic Fletcher, OF | 2026 age: 28 | career fWAR: 0.1 (112 G)
Vitello connection: Made his college debut in Vitello’s final season with Arkansas (2017), so he almost certainly knows what the raw talent looks like.
Roster fit: A contact hitter with average/sub-average footspeed and is best suited for a corner outfield spot? I’m not seeing it. On the other hand, something happened to him after the Diamondbacks traded him to the White Sox before Spring Training 2024. In college and post-draft minors, he was a slugging outfielder around .475-.500 and after taking some lumps in 2021 post-COVID minor league shutdown his strikeouts to walk ratio was below 2:1. Some of that has stuck as he’s gotten older and toiled in the White Sox’s system. The major league results have been very poor, though:
Arizona (2023): .301/.350/.441 (102 PA), 22 K / 7 BB
White Sox (2024-2025): .208/.254/.282 (275 PA), 60 K / 13 BB
The Giants really need a centerfielder. On the other hand, maybe this is one of those reclamation projects that might show off some of Tony Vitello’s development value.
Ease of acquisition: He’s a major league free agent now and still has an option year remaining. He doesn’t have to be on the top of Buster Posey’s shopping list, but he probably should be on there at least as a split deal.
Colin Poche, LHP | 2026 age: 32 | career fWAR: 1.0 (239 G)
Vitello connection: His last year at Arkansas was Vitello’s first season (2014).
Roster fit: This one is a lot shakier than the last few only because the connection appears, on paper, to be pretty thin. He also looks to be another victim of Tampa Bay’s pitching philosophy and has had an injury addled career to this point. Still, if I was simply looking at a list of relievers — no consideration of a direct relationship with the manager — I might flag him as a potential project for the Giants’ pitching lab. Then again, that’s sort of what the Reiver Sanmartin pickup is.
He’s a two-pitch pitcher (four seam, slider) who gets lots of swing and miss.
Ease of acquisition: A major league free agent who might be available in the $1.5-$2 million range
Zach Jackson, RHP | 2026 age: 31 | career fWAR: 1.3 (73 G)
Vitello connection: Another Arkansas guy (2014-2016).
Roster fit: A righty reliever who has gotten a lot of swing and miss in his pro career thanks to a decent fastball and slider. But he’s had trouble staying around the strike zone. Still, despite all the walks, he strikes out a lot of hitters and doesn’t surround many hits and even fewer home runs. An interesting lottery ticket — when healthy.
Ease of acquisition: The Athletics still appear to have his rights, but he didn’t pitch in 2025, suggesting an injury. I would not be surprised to see him pop up in relation to the Giants at some point, though.
Trevor Stephan, RHP | 2026 age: 29 | career fWAR: 2.1 (180 G)
Vitello connection: Pitched for Arkansas in 2017, Vitello’s final year with the program. He came to them after failing to agree to terms with the Red Sox after the 2016 draft.
Roster fit: Well, the Giants do need to rebuild their bullpen and Stephan is another 95+ mph fastball, 2,500+ rpm slider guy. He logged the 10th-most innings of any reliever in the sport in his first three seasons (2021-2023) and was one of the more valuable relief pitchers at the time.
Ease of acquisition: You’ll notice I’m talking about him in the past tense. He had Tommy John surgery right at the end of Spring Training in 2024. He did make it back this season to begin his rehab for the Guardians, and pitched 23.2 innings. The Giants have certainly taken flyers on post-TJ guys. Could he be John Brebbia 3.0? He’s owed $3.5 million for 2026 and Cleveland holds a pair of options for 2027 & 2028 — it’s plausible they might look to dump salary. On top of the $3.5 million guaranteed for 2026, the 2027 option contains a $1.25 million buyout if declined (no such condition for 2028’s option). That’s $4.75 million total, and the notoriously skinflint Guardians might be just craven enough to dump it.
Tyler Alexander, LHP | 2026 age: 31 | career fWAR: 2.5 (195 G)
Vitello connection: He pitched for TCU beginning in 2014. Vitello was an assistant there from 2011 to 2013. It’s plausible that he helped recruit Alexander and knows him that way.
Roster fit: He started 2025 with the Milwaukee Brewers on a free agent deal, but after sporting a 6.19 ERA through his first 36.1 innings, they cut him. He got picked up by the White Sox and posted a 4.26 ERA in 61.1 IP. The year before that, he had a mixed role with the Rays, pitching 107.2 innings in 23 games, which included 9 starts. He’s a soft-tossing lefty (90.8 mph avg four-seamer) with a great sweeper (25.6 Whiff%); so, not quite a left-handed Jakob Junis, but an interesting look to sport out of the bullpen and cover innings.
And just to go back to that sweeper, he’s done something meaningful with it, because last season it was only around 18% for whiffs. He sported the best FIP (3.64) of his career in 2025, too. Even during those tough Milwaukee innings. On the other hand, this is pretty close to the role Joey Lucchesi already has.
Ease of acquisition: He’s a free agent, so, he’d only cost money. Somewhere in the $1-2 million range.
Jalen Beeks, LHP | 2026 age: 32 | career fWAR: 2.8 (263 G)
Vitello connection: University or Arkansas (2013).
Roster fit: He’s a solid major league reliever with a track record of some success and left-handed pitchers are always welcome, but it would appear that the Tampa Bay Rays squeezed out a lot of his value earlier in his career, as evidenced by his steadily declining velocity matching up to his steadily declining strikeout rates. He’s already transitioning into a crafty lefty reliever, and I think between Matt Gage and Joey Lucchesi that the Giants are already well-covered there. Still… he’s very solid, he doesn’t allow many home runs, and Oracle Park could help him out a lot. Historically, he’s been solid against all the NL West opponents save the Rockies. There’s something here.
Ease of acquisition: A major league free agent who might be available in the $1.5-$2.5 million range.
Brian Anderson, IF/OF | 2026 age: 33 | career fWAR: 8.9 (630 G)
Vitello connection: His last year at Arkansas was Vitello’s first season (2014).
Roster fit: I’m pretty sure he’s retired, but I haven’t seen anything confirming this. He had a .797 OPS in Tacoma for the Mariners to start the 2024 season, then was granted his release. He signed a deal with Atlanta, was released by them and then re-signed and managed to get into 3 games (0-for-5). So, given that and the shaky connection, there’s probably nothing to this. He’s mainly remembered as a Marlin and his heyday was 2018-2020, when he posted a line of .266/.350/.436 with 42 homers in 341 games.
Ease of acquisition: He’s a free agent, so, I’m sure if he wants to play and there’s interest, he could land a Spring Training invite in the Jake Lamb mold. The stat sites have never liked his outfield defense even though he’s played there for many innings. His infield defense is much better, but the Giants already have a great third baseman and probably don’t want or need a right handed option at first base. He and Vitello would’ve had to really bond to make this seem plausible.
Andrew Benintendi, OF | 2026 age: 31 | career fWAR: 11.0 (1,147 G)
Vitello connection: Probably the star player during TV’s time at Arkansas. He hit 20 home runs in 65 games for the 2015 squad and was the 7th overall pick by the Red Sox in that year’s draft. This article from 2015 goes into great detail about how a swing change — guided, in part, by Vitello — transformed him into one of the best players in the SEC. So, you know…
Roster fit: Was Benintendi the inspiration for this entirely too long post? Yes. I’m not ashamed to admit that. He has been so bad for so long that I thought it made sense in a darkly funny way to connect him to the Giants. To be fair, he made his major league debut just a year after being drafted and through his first three seasons in Boston had an .806 OPS in 333 games (1,437 PA; 113 wRC+) — he was just 23 years old!
Then he sort of disappeared in that year’s postseason in which Boston won the World Series over the Dodgers, and his 2019 season was a big step back for someone who was just 24 — a 100 wRC+. He was so bad in the COVID year (.103/.314/.128 in 14 games & 52 PA) that Chaim Bloom traded him the first chance he got. His first two post-Red Sox years were took him to the Royals and then the Yankees (half a season) and, you know what? He was fine! .289/.348/.421 (112 wRC+) and 3.4 fWAR in value.
The White Sox signed him to a huge deal (5 years, $75 million) and it was an immediate flop. But, you know what? So are the White Sox. He’s homered 20 times in each of the past two seasons and kept his walk rate around 8% and strikeout rate around 18%. He’s a league average hitter and a dreadful defender.
It would have to take Vitello & staff figuring out a way to flip Heliot Ramos’s defense from bad to good in either center or right and doing the same with Jung Hoo Lee (for either position) to make Benintendi work in left field. It’s a long shot. And one they should not take. Still, it’s really funny to imagine the Giants continuing their oversteer from “too analytics” to “too old school” to such a degree that they wind up with Andrew Benintendi.
Not funny like a man getting hit in the groin by a football, though, where it’s a surprise, but sadly funny like the time Bart Simpson kept electrocuting himself to get a cupcake.
Ease of acquisition: I’m sure Chris Goetz would love to shed the remaining $32.2 million of his deal. I just don’t know where the Giants would play him and I’m not sure Buster Posey or Tony Vitello should expend that much of their trust capital on acquiring a player whose contract has had FLOP burned onto its broadside for three years. Even if there might be a narrative of reuniting a guy with his old hitting coach. Those types of redemption stories are usually reserved for one great hitter trying to bounce back from one bad year later in his career.
Oof. I’m tired. That’s a long post. After going through all that if the industry assumption about 41-year old Max Scherzer taking his talents to San Francisco comes to pass, thenhe’ll be the best former player of Vitello’s he would manage in his first season.
