No One Has Been an 'Ace' for the Giants This Season

The San Francisco Giants have had a myriad of problems throughout the 2026 Major League Baseball season. When you're more than 20 games out of first place by mid-July, there are plenty of holes.

But one particular troubling aspect of the season has been the alarming inconsistency in the starting rotation. Even the man who has been anointed the ace hasn't truly looked like one, in what has become a bizarre year for baseball by the Bay.

The Giants have been lacking in several areas, but they've only been sporadically picked up by big pitching performances. Even their top performers like Logan Webb and Robbie Ray don't look like frontline guys on an MLB staff in 2026. At this point, the entire five-man group is beginning to look like a deck full of deuces and treys... but no aces.

That's the hand that first-year manager Tony Vitello was dealt when the Giants gambled on the former Tennessee Volunteers coach, plucking him from a successful NCAA program. While he anticipated some upheaval when taking over any team, he felt confiddent that the rotations would be fine. However, he's seen the cracks in the armor there, as well.

"We expected to kind of take the world by storm to start the season, and it didn't happen right away," Vitello said recently to the San Francisco Chronicle (subscription required). "There was early frustration right away and a multitude of other things, but those days are gone. All we got is the second half in front of us."

The Giants Need a True, Dominant Starter

SF Mound Meeting — The Giants, having a conference on the mound | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Webb, who is just 5-7 on the year, has good stuff, but he's not a true ace on a staff that could win a World Series anytime soon. In the second slot? He's dangerous. But in a larger role, he can't compare to the best starters in baseball. And even he has admitted that 2026 has been a rough year for him and the rest of his cohorts.

"We know we are capable of better, and we keep pushing ahead," Webb stated recently.

But how much better can any of them truly be at this point?

That No.1 slot must be filled from somewhere, and it doesn't appear that the Giants have someone who can slam the door on a losing streak or save the bullpen with a late-inning gem. Try as he might, Webb can't carry this team. They need a true workhorse in that role.

Maybe they drafted that name in the 2026 MLB Draft, when they selected Jackson Flora. Or perhaps it's another minor leaguer in the system. And maybe (just maybe) you chip out some big money for a free agent who can step in and immediately be the hammer. Whatever route they take, they must land an ace if they ever want to play their best hand in the postseason.

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