JANIE McCAULEY Baseball Writer, Author at The Rapid City Post

FILE - San Diego Padres' Luis Arraez reacts after striking out during the third inning of Game 1 of a National League wild card baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Sept. 30, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Huh, File)

Luis Arraez and Giants agree on $12 million, 1-year contract, AP source says

January 31, 2026

Free agent infielder Luis Arraez and the San Francisco Giants have agreed to a $12 million, one-year contract, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal was subject to a successful physical and had not been announced. A three-time batting champion, Arraez led the National League in hits the past two seasons and is expected to be San Francisco’s second baseman for new manager Tony Vitello. The 28-year-old Arraez, a left-handed hitter, batted .292 with eight home runs, 61 RBIs, 181 hits and 11 stolen bases for the San Diego Padres last year.

FILE - Stanford coach Mark Marquess smiles before practice at the Sunken Diamond in Stanford, Calif., on March 11, 2014. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

Former Stanford baseball coach Mark Marquess, who won 2 College World Series titles, dies at 78

January 30, 2026

Mark Marquess, a National College Baseball Hall of Famer who coached Stanford to a pair of national titles over 41 years beginning in 1977, has died. He was 78. The school announced that Marquess died but provided no details on the cause. A fixture for more than four decades in the dugout at Sunken Diamond on campus, Marquess guided the Cardinal to consecutive NCAA championships in 1987 and ’88. Long known as “9” for his No. 9 jersey, he retired in 2017 and ranks as the fourth-winningest coach in Division I history with a 1,627-878-7 (.649) career record.

FILE - Philadelphia Phillies' Harrison Bader runs during a baseball game Sept. 26, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Giants and outfielder Harrison Bader agree to $20.5 million, 2-year contract, AP source says

January 26, 2026

Free agent outfielder Harrison Bader and the San Francisco Giants have agreed to a $20.5 million, two-year contract. That’s according to a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal was subject to a successful physical and had not been announced. The 31-year-old Bader batted .277 with 17 home runs, 54 RBIs and a .796 OPS in 146 combined games with Minnesota and Philadelphia last season — setting career highs in all those categories. He was especially productive for the NL East champion Phillies after they acquired him at the July 31 trade deadline.

Daulton Jefferies looks at the scar remaining from multiple right elbow surgeries, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Walnut Creek, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

After three Tommy John surgeries, pitcher Daulton Jefferies is trying for another MLB comeback

January 14, 2026

Plagued by injuries and arm issues, Daulton Jefferies had all but moved on from baseball and was working full-time in commercial real estate and taking college classes toward his sociology degree at the University of California at Berkeley. Only recently did he realize he was ready to go all in again. Now, he’s attempting a fourth baseball comeback following a third Tommy John surgery. He began throwing twice a week in a public park, and on Saturday in Arizona, he will hold a pro day so the experts can evaluate his progress. He’s hoping for one last shot.

FILE - Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington talks in the dugout before a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Anaheim, Calif., Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo, File)

Former Angels, Rangers manager Ron Washington joining Giants as infield coach

December 4, 2025

Former Angels and Rangers manager Ron Washington is returning to the Bay Area to become infield coach for the San Francisco Giants on new manager Tony Vitello’s staff. Washington tells The Associated Press the sides are still working out the final details. The 73-year-old took a leave of absence from the Angels this past season with his team at 36-38 to undergo quadruple-bypass heart surgery, and the club then moved forward at the end of the season by hiring Kurt Suzuki as its manager.

FILE - San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy stands in the dugout before a baseball game between the Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers in San Francisco, Sept. 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Bruce Bochy returns to San Francisco Giants in advisory role

November 10, 2025

Bruce Bochy and the San Francisco Giants are reuniting after all, with the club’s beloved former manager taking on a special advisor role for both the baseball and business sides following 28 seasons on the dugout’s top step. President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey is turning to his old skipper to help guide a new regime and direction for the club following a fourth straight season without a playoff berth. Posey hired Tennessee coach Tony Vitello for his first job in professional baseball, so Bochy should provide a strong sounding board for the first-time manager.

San Francisco Giants President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey, left, welcomes Tony Vitello as the new manager of the San Francisco Giants baseball team on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Benjamin Fanjoy)

Tony Vitello takes daunting step from college ranks to MLB dugout as Giants manager

October 30, 2025

New San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello seems unfazed by the pressure of his jump from the college ranks at Tennessee to the big leagues. Vitello was hired as the Giants’ manager with no professional playing or coaching experience, and the team introduced him on Thursday. He plans to get into spring training drills alongside his players, throwing batting practice or hitting fungoes in an effort to help improve some fundamentals. And he intends to lean on the veterans who have been doing it for decades.

San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin gives out autographs before an MLB baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Benjamin Fanjoy)

Giants fire veteran manager Bob Melvin after two years

September 29, 2025

Manager Bob Melvin has been fired by the San Francisco Giants after the club missed the playoffs for a fourth straight season. Giants President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey had shown his confidence in Melvin by exercising the veteran manager’s contract option for the 2026 season on July 1. But Melvin said after Sunday’s 4-0 victory against Colorado to conclude his second season that he had received no assurances about managing in 2026. The Giants finished 81-81 for one more victory than in Melvin’s first year.

FILE - Oakland Ballers players stand during the national anthem before a Pioneer League baseball game against the Rocky Mountain Vibes in Oakland, Calif., July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Oakland Ballers to use artificial intelligence to manage Saturday home game against Great Falls

September 3, 2025

The playoff-bound Oakland Ballers of the independent Pioneer League are turning to artificial intelligence to manage all aspects of Saturday’s home game against the Great Falls Voyagers at Raimondi Park. So it might be almost like a day off for manager Aaron Miles, whose lineup and in-game decisions will even be made for him. The starting pitcher is already set. He will leave it to AI to decide when to pinch hit or replace his pitcher.

Oakland Ballers' Lou Helmig cannot catch a home run hit by Rocky Mountain Vibes' Gary Lora Gonzalez during the third inning of a Pioneer League baseball game in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Ballers outfielder Lou Helmig represents deep baseball history in Germany

July 18, 2025

Lou Helmig carries a deep family history with every swing, and every catch, with every sprint around the basepaths. He has carried it at every level, in every new place he plays, on whatever continent it happens to be in a given moment. The larger-than-life right fielder for the independent Oakland Ballers is a third-generation German professional player trying to leave his mark, just like his grandfather, great-uncle, and Helmig’s own dad, Martin, before him.

San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin, right, talks with third base coach Matt Williams, left, before a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Sunday, June 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Giants exercise contract option on manager Bob Melvin for the 2026 season

July 1, 2025

The San Francisco Giants are showing their confidence in manager Bob Melvin, exercising his contract option for the 2026 season. San Francisco was 45-40 and in third place in the NL West heading into the second game of a four-game set at Arizona on Tuesday night. The 63-year-old Melvin left the San Diego Padres to return home to the Bay Area and manage the Giants last year for the job he always dreamed of doing as a former catcher with the organization. This is his 22nd year as a major league manager.

San Francisco Giants' Rafael Devers speaks at a news conference before a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in San Francisco, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Rafael Devers ready to put Boston situation behind and start fresh in San Francisco

June 17, 2025

Rafael Devers has been formally introduced by the Giants, days after being traded to San Francisco by the Boston Red Sox. Devers is set to be designated hitter batting third in the series opener against the Cleveland Guardians. He is determined to leave his own lasting mark on the franchise in what is a much-needed fresh start for him and a monumental mid-season acquisition for Buster Posey and San Francisco’s front office. Devers says he’s done discussing any issues he had with the Red Sox and eager to move forward with the Giants, insisting he will play anywhere and do whatever manager Bob Melvin and his staff ask.

JANIE McCAULEY Baseball Writer.