The San Francisco Giants' disappointing 2025 season ended on Sunday with an 81-81 record, the second time in franchise history they have achieved such an ordinary record. On Monday, the Giants announced that they had “dismissed” manager Bob Melvin after two subpar seasons. And thus is how the Giants' offseason began. Not the best way to start things, but like a phoenix from the ashes, the Giants, too, can rise again.
That potential rise began on Wednesday, when Giants President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey and General Manager Zach Minasian took questions from the Giants press corp. Buster did most of the talking during the roughly 25-minute-long press conference that took place in the postgame media room deep in the bowels of Oracle Park.
Below are some of the more notable things he said during the presser, and my thoughts on those things that he said.
“The record is the record. That's where we finished. You could probably make a case that we left some out there. I think any team probably can look back on their season and say that they left some wins out there.”
This was in regard to comments players have made, mainly Logan Webb, that this Giants team had the talent to be better than the 81-81 record suggests. There is evidence that suggests that is true. A team with guys like Matt Chapman, Rafael Devers, Willy Adames, Heliot Ramos, Jung Hoo Lee, Robbie Ray and Webb is a team that should, in theory, be better than just .500.
While the line “The record is the record” does not hit quite as hard as Bill Parcells' line of “You are what your record says you are,” the words still hit. A team finishes 81-81 for a reason. Most of that reason took place in July and August, when they lost 15 of 16 games at home. They went 13-26 against the Dodgers, Padres and Diamondbacks. Rafeal Devers hit a combined .140 in 100 at-bats against the Giants' chief division rivals.
That is a great way to finish 81-81
“I think we made the best decision with information we had at the time. The way the team had been playing up until that point, we'd had a pretty consistent stretch of not playing good baseball, and felt like, as we say at the time, there was an opportunity for us to improve organizationally with some players.”
Buster was asked if the Giants' “strong” finish to the season made him regret moving relievers Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval along with outfielder Mike Yastrzemski at the trade deadline. I respect Buster for both choosing a direction at the deadline (something his predecessor could not do) and then standing by that decision when it was all said and done. It is not easy to do.
Buster should not regret his decision. Could Rogers and Doval have helped the bullpen woes late in the year? Possibly, though the way the bullpen faded in the final weeks might have been too much for those two to overcome, not to mention the tepid trust Giants fans had for Doval in the 9th inning. But let’s not discount the arrival of Drew Gilbert and the energetic shot in the arm his presence gave this team. Let’s not discount the impending arrival of catcher Jesus Rodriguez (acquired in the Doval trade), who is set to provide some serious catching depth next season.
“Consistency. John [Shea] mentioned, outfield play needs to be better, just defensively overall. We've talked about that. What we believe is the recipe to success is great pitching, great defense. So, we know we need to be better there. I do think when that's your formula, it a lot of times can eliminate some of those tough stretches.”
Buster preached the importance of “crisp, clean baseball” in his introductory press conference a year ago. That was not always the case this season, especially with the outfield. Ramos and Lee both had stretches where their defense either shined or made Giants fans wince in pain. Ramos at times had range issues. Lee was susceptible to the occasional bad route to a ball. Defensive miscues extend innings, which hurt pitchers who are then forced to throw more pitches, and the domino effect continues from there.
If the Giants want to avoid the streakiness that plagued them this year, then a more consistent defensive effort will be needed.
“We want whoever the next manager is to have agency in the decision.”
We don’t know who the next manager will be. We know who it won’t be, but more on that in a minute. But whoever the next manager will be, Buster and the Giants front office plan to give that person the leeway and agency to build their own coaching staff.
Two coaches, bench coach Ryan Christensen and third base coach Matt Williams, have already been let go since Bob Melvin was fired. The next manager could be the one who lets other coaches, like hitting coach Pat Burrell and pitching coach J.P. Martinez, know that they have to go find jobs elsewhere. Is it possible those coaches could be back? It would be foolish to assume there is no chance (some coaches could find themselves in different roles), but the decision could come down to whoever ends up taking the head job. So for Giants fans still waiting to hear the news that [INSERT COACH HERE] has been let go, stay tuned.
“Jung Hoo [Lee], it was a really important year for him. It was, I think, a very much a learning year, just to be able to navigate an entire Major League season, the travel, the intensity of the games coming off of an injury where he didn't play very much. I thought that he was one of those guys who started off hot, scuffed a little bit, and really played pretty consistent down the stretch. I think Jung Hoo knows that part of his value is his defense as well. And it's something that will be emphasized going forward.”
At times, you could be forgiven if you forgot that this was Lee’s first FULL BIG LEAGUE season after missing two-thirds of last season. Lee was always going to be fighting an uphill battle adjusting to the major league level. He discussed that struggle and the pressure that came with it earlier this week. The Korean Baseball Organization is not on the level as MLB, and so it is fair to expect some time for Lee to make the adjustment. But the fact is, it would have been so much more convenient for this year's Giants team if Lee had been able to go through these growing pains last year.
Alas, he injured his shoulder, missed most of 2024, and this season essentially became his rookie year 2.0. A big part of the Giants' success next season will ride on him taking a leap in what will be his third season in the big leagues. He finished strong over the last two months of the season, and looked much better on defense as well. Those are encouraging signs, but he will need to be more ready to handle the rigors of a full 162-game season.
“Chapman, Devers, Adames, we believe are a really solid group of core veteran players. [We are] optimistic because, as I mentioned before, I think there's a lot of meat on the bone with some of our other players to continue to improve.”
The Giants, despite their struggles, still were three wins shy of playing the Dodgers in Dodger Stadium this week. The playoffs were not THAT far off. So it is not that crazy to expect the Giants to take another step forward and make the playoffs next year.
“I fully expect Willy [Adames] to take another step,” said Chapman when I asked him this question this past Sunday. “Rafi [Devers] is going to be able to take another step, because he's going to be more comfortable.”
Having both Adames and Devers comfortable and locked in next year will go a long way to getting over the hump and making the playoffs next year. Adames getting off to a hotter start could also help, though that could be a big ask considering his history of poor hitting in April.
Robbie Ray will also be another year removed from Tommy John surgery, and after pitching 32 innings in 2024, jumped up to 182 innings this year and admitted to some fatigue down the stretch. A full, healthy year from him would go a long way for the Giants.
And then there is the bullpen, which blew far more saves than the seven Giants fans focus on from Ryan Walker. The Giants do need a better solution for the back innings than they had in September. But if there is one thing I trust the Giants to be able to do, it is to build a bullpen.
“The way I think things are coming into picture in my mind with where we want to go next, I don't see us going that route with [Bruce Bochy]”
Buster is making it clear: Bruce Bochy is not walking through that door to save this team. And I think this is a good thing. Buster mentioned consistency in the field, and later talked about stability in the front office and the coaching staff. When he was a player, he played for just one manager: Bochy. He was here for 13 years from 2007 through 2019. Buster, I am guessing, is hoping his next hire will be here for that long, too. Bochy is 70 years old and has already stepped away from managing once for the betterment of his health. Even if Bochy did come back next season and manage the Giants, how long would he be here? If Buster is looking for long-term stability, going with an option that would, for better or worse, require him to find another manager four years from now is clearly not a path he wants to go down.
Why do I say this? Well because Tim Kawakami (who asked the Bochy question that prompted the above response) followed up by asking if the reason for not bringing back Bochy was due to a plan to find out who would be here long term, Buster quickly responded, “I think that plays into it for sure.”
So there you have it.
“We'll try and stay open minded. You know, [we will] still be going to spring training with the idea of what's best for the Giants and what's best for Bryce.”
Technically Zach Minasian said this, but it is still important. Bryce Eldridge is set to undergo surgery on his wrist. The good news is it is now serious, as Minasian made clear in his appearance on Willard and Dibs on Wednesday afternoon.
When he does show up to spring training though, there are no plans to make him a starter on the big league roster right away. Recall a couple years ago when Farhan Zaidi made news when he declared that Marco Luciano would be the Giants opening day shortstop going into 2024. That was the plan, and baseball has a way of taking ones plans and skipping rope with them. Luciano was not able to take hold of the starting shortstop job, resulting in Giants fans becoming far more familiar with Nick Ahmed than they ever anticipated. The Giants are avoiding any such promises blowing up in their face this time.
My Bryce Eldridge prediction for next spring: he will NOT be on the Opening Day roster, but he will be up on the big club by the end of May.
“I think we're open, yeah. That's obviously [one of the] places that you can look to and say that there's some room for improvement there. We will first start and look at what we have internally and see if we see a path forward with that before we went that route, but we're open.”
This was in response to the idea of pursuing a closer in free agency. Any Giants fan who lived through the Armando Benitez Era will agree with Giants fans who lived through the Mark Melancon Era: free agent closers are a MASSIVE risk. They get paid a lot of money, and, as far as the Giants and the fans are concerned, never pan out. The best Giants closers over the last few years (Brian Wilson, Sergio Romo, Camilo Doval among others) all came from within the Giants organization. The problem is, the internal candidates are not promising. Ryan Walker is not a safe 9th inning option. Randy Rodriguez struggled with the 9th inning before Tommy John surgery ended any chance of him taking over that job. Joel Pegruero has the stuff to be a closer, but does he have the accuracy?
Ryan Watson and Miguel Diaz had nine saves apiece for Triple-A Sacramento this year. Tyler Vogel was 6 for 6 in save opportunities for the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels while posting a 1.13 ERA in 16 innings. None of those options are moving the needle for you right now.
On the free agent market, Mets closer Edwin Diaz tops the list. Phillies reliever David Robertson or Dodgers reliever and former closer for the Rangers and Padres Kirby Yates could be an option too.
“I wouldn't close the door just based on what Dom [Smith] did here, and he does have a little bit of versatility, having played some outfield as recent as last year.”
Mark Willard asked the question a lot of Giants fans have: is Dom Smith (the REAL Big Dom as I like to call him) going to be back next year. Smith was a shot in the arm for the Giants when he was signed off the scrap heap back in May, and he was very much an asset at first base and DH for this team. His fit could be tough with Devers and Eldridge on the team next year, since all three hit left handed. But if Smith can find some playing time in the outfield, it could help secure a return from a guy who became a fan favorite very fast.
“We're lucky to have the ownership group we have. We are trying to put a product on the field, a winning group of players on the field. So, yeah, they're committed.”
The Giants have been accused in the past of not opening up their wallets, which is not exactly a true thing to say. They have tried on numerous occasions to make free agents take their money, but those players decided to bet on other teams instead. Greg Johnson and the Giants ownership have always been steadfast that they will open up the coffers if a move makes sense and will make the team better. Buster reiterating that commitment should tell Giants fans that the plan is to add to this team, not stand pat or subtract from it. At that point, it is on Buster to get these players to say “yes” to the money they are being offered.
“[Hayden] Birdsong, [Blade] Tidwell, [Carson] Wisenhunt, [Trevor] McDonald, even someone like Keaton Wynn, who I still consider somewhat young, how they fit in, I think, remains to be seen.”
This was another Minasian line, but one to keep an eye on. The Giants need starting pitching. As of right now, you can pencil Webb, Ray and Landen Roupp into the rotation next year. Roupp, despite looking very good this year, is still not a proven commodity. Ray, now two years removed from Tommy John surgery, faded at the end and will be 33 next year. Webb is the only sure bet in the rotation. The Giants had 10 pitchers make three or more starts from them this year. Then you have two opener starts from Matt Gage and two spot starts from Trevor McDonald at the end of the season.
You can never have enough starting pitching, and running out of starting pitching was a hallmark of the Zaidi Era. So if the Giants are hesitant to trust their young starters going into next year, that suggests they will be heavily involved in the free agent pitching market, which carries its own type of risks. I expect the Giants to sign a few veteran starters, regardless of whether or not Justin Verlander comes back next year.