Giants claim Camilo Doval off waivers from Pirates in bullpen reunion

What happened

The Giants announced they have claimed right-hander Camilo Doval off waivers from the Pirates, bringing the former San Francisco closer back to Oracle Park. Pittsburgh had designated Doval for assignment earlier this week, and per MLBTR contributor Ethan Hullihen, the move was aimed at saving roughly $98K. The Giants obliged by making the claim.

To open a 40-man roster spot, San Francisco transferred righty Blade Tidwell to the 60-day injured list. Tidwell had been recommended for UCL surgery — a development that, per the club's announcement, ends his 2026 season and likely all of 2027 as well. The 60-day IL removes a player from the 40-man count under general league roster rules, making it the appropriate mechanism here.

Why it matters

The reunion carries a certain narrative weight. Doval spent his best years in San Francisco before control issues pushed him toward the exit. The Giants dealt him to the Yankees at last year's trade deadline, receiving prospects Jesús Rodríguez, Trystan Vrieling, Parks Harber, and Carlos De La Rosa in return. Doval then struggled through a year in New York before being traded again, this time to Pittsburgh.

Per Darragh McDonald at MLB Trade Rumors, this claim has nothing to do with the final weeks of 2026. The Giants are playing out a lost season, and any appearances Doval makes before the final out will be in meaningless games. The more plausible read, per the report, is that San Francisco either intends to tender him a contract for 2027 or explore a trade this offseason. Buster Posey, the club's president of baseball operations, has acknowledged that the bullpen will be a priority for upgrades heading into next year — through free agency, trades, or both. Doval, per the report, represents one arm added ahead of that schedule.

The numbers

Doval is earning $6.1MM this season and is eligible for arbitration, which would allow the Giants to retain him for 2027. His current ERA of 4.30 limits his leverage in that process, but per the report, a figure somewhere in the range above his current salary is a reasonable expectation. That is a modest price for a reliever with his track record.

The context for that track record: from 2021 to 2023 with San Francisco, Doval logged 162 1/3 innings with a 2.77 ERA and a 30.2% strikeout rate — a stretch that established him as one of the better late-inning arms in the National League. The current version is a different, more uncertain proposition, but the underlying profile is not without appeal.

The Giants' collective bullpen ERA this season sits at 4.18. Most of the arms currently working out of that pen are inexperienced, and the two relievers with at least three years of service time — Sam Hentges and Jason Foley — are both returning from notable injury absences. That is the environment Doval is walking back into, and it is the environment Posey has said the club intends to address.

Where the club stands

San Francisco sits at 65-94 (.409), fourth in the NL West and 32.5 games back in the division. The Giants have been eliminated from both the division race and the Wild Card race, and they carry a two-game losing streak into a closing homestand. The final three games of the regular season bring the Los Angeles Dodgers to Oracle Park, with Yunior Marte lined up as the probable starter Friday against a Dodgers starter to be determined.

What we don't know yet

Whether the Giants intend to tender Doval a contract for 2027 or move him in the offseason remains unconfirmed — the report frames both as possibilities rather than settled plans. The precise nature and timeline of Tidwell's UCL situation, beyond the recommendation for surgery and the expectation that he misses the remainder of 2026 and likely 2027, has not been detailed further in the available reporting.

What to watch

The offseason bullpen rebuild Posey has flagged is the real story here. Doval's arbitration case will be one of the first decisions that shapes it. If the Giants tender him and he returns to something resembling his 2021–2023 form, the claim looks shrewd at a modest cost. If they move him, the return would tell you something about how the front office values what remains of that arm. Either way, the waiver wire just handed San Francisco a low-stakes option with meaningful offseason implications — which, at 65-94, is about the best you can ask for in late September.