Last season, ESNY pegged the San Francisco Giants as a high-upside hitting team that could support suspect pitching.
Instead, the hitting experiment largely failed due to injury and ineffectiveness. The pitching behind ace Logan Webb suffered severe growing pains. What should have been a clear vision became a muddled mess. Middling numbers were posted across the board, and the Giants ranked 19th in MLB with a 97 wRC+
But here we are in 2025 and the Giants are trying again. The data-driven Farhan Zaidi is gone while veteran manager Bob Melvin remains. Former Giants great and MVP Buster Posey is now running the show.
And on the baseball side, nothing has really changed in terms of how the Giants succeed. They need to hit. Plain and simple. If they can, a late run to the playoffs isn’t out of the question.
Greatest Addition: Willy Adames. The Giants’ lineup boosted itself immensely when Adames signed his seven-year, $182 million contract this offseason. Adames had been with the Brewers the previous three seasons and hit .251 while setting career highs in home runs (32), RBI (112), and stolen bases (21). He’s also a solid glove despite his uncharacteristically bad year in the field last season, and should solidify the left side next to Matt Chapman.
Fans should temper their expectations for Adames for one reason: Oracle Park is not American Family Field. Adames is a natural pull hitter and Oracle’s power gap to left center is 399 feet compared to American Family’s 371. A lot of home runs could turn into outs or doubles, given those circumstances.
Lucky for the Giants, Adames is still only 29. They can look forward to some more prime seasons from him.
Greatest Loss: Blake Snell. The two-time Cy Young winner signed late with the Giants last year, and it showed. The lack of a proper spring camp plus injuries meant a 6.31 ERA in the first half, highly uncharacteristic. Luckily, Snell returned to ace form and had a remarkable 1.45 ERA after the All-Star Break, including a no-hitter over the Reds in August.
That was enough for Snell to opt out of his two-year deal and try free agency again. The defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers called, and Snell signed for five years and $182 million.
San Francisco’s pitching was uncertain even with Snell at his best. Imagine what will be since Posey decided to add 42-year-old Justin Verlander in his place.
Greatest Strength: Exciting young bats. This all goes back to the idea of the Giants having a high upside lineup. San Francisco has enough talented bats to finish with a wRC+ above 100. That is, if everyone stays healthy.
For example, Jung Hoo Lee was a .340 lifetime hitter in Korea before signing a six-year, $113 million deal with the Giants last year. He only managed 37 games before a season-ending shoulder injury. He’s still just 26 and primed for a comeback year if his shoulder is healthy.
Meanwhile, Chapman still slugged 27 home runs even if 18 of them were on the road. Heliot Ramos broke out with 22 home runs in 121 games. Infielder Tyler Fitzgerald should also build off of a solid rookie campaign. If this core hits, the Giants can make some unexpected noise in the NL West.
Greatest Weakness: Rickety pitching staff. The support behind Logan Webb was the pitching staff’s problem in 2024, and so it is again in 2025. The only difference is now they added an aging Verlander fresh off of his worse season in almost two decades. Behind him, the Giants are hoping Kyle Harrison shakes off a middling rookie year and that Jordan Hicks suddenly becomes an effective starter.
No. 4 team prospect Carson Whisenhunt struggled in Triple-A last year, but could debut as soon as the upcoming season. But even then, the Giants need some innings eaters and leadership alongside Webb. Verlander can’t keep defying age forever.
San Francisco Giants, Take 2? It’s certainly looking that way. Lee’s return from injury helps the lineup and so does adding Adames’ pop. There are really only two keys to San Francisco’s success: Health and pitching. The lineup has to stay healthy, and the pitching staff has to perform up to par.
And even under the best of those circumstances, it’s hard to see these Giants doing more than getting hot late and somehow sneaking into the Wild Card. The Dodgers are too strong and the Padres and Diamondbacks are stacked in different ways.
Think about it. The Giants’ ceiling is probably a low Wild Card, and we still don’t know how capable their lineup actually is. Can Verlander stay moderately healthy? San Francisco probably looks better in 2025, but it’s hard to see them shaking up the standings.
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