Can San Francisco Giants Make a Push for MLB Playoffs in 2025?

Will the San Francisco Giants snap their playoff drought in 2025?

Sep 29, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald (49) heaves an autographed baseball into the stands following the final game of the season, a 6-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at Oracle Park. / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants spent a lot of money ahead of the 2024 MLB season. Unfortunately, almost none of the moves panned out as well as they had hoped.

The only move that went well was the addition of third baseman Matt Chapman.

Signed to a three-year, $54 million deal, he performed at an incredibly high level all year. In his last piece of business as president of baseball operations, Farhan Zaidi signed Chapman to a six-year, $151 million extension.

The other moves made leading into the season, such as signing outfielders Jorge Soler and Jung Hoo Lee, acquiring Robbie Ray in a trade from the Seattle Mariners and signing reigning Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, were not as fruitful.

Soler was traded to the Atlanta Braves, along with Luke Jackson, ahead of the deadline. Lee and Ray ended the season on the injured list. Snell, after a brutal start, regained his form from July on, but it was too little too late and he is likely to hit free agency again.

With Buster Posey now leading the front office as Zaidi’s replacement, what can we expect to see from the Giants in the offseason? 

It is anyone’s guess how he will operate, as he still needs to find a new general manager. That uncertainty, along with several holes on the roster to fill, are why former MLB executive Jim Bowden doesn’t view the team too highly heading into the offseason.

Over at The Athletic, he wrote a piece ranking the 18 teams that missed this year’s playoffs. He discussed how well-positioned they are for 2025, and San Francisco isn’t in a great spot.

“The Giants shook up their front office at the end of the season, firing Farhan Zaidi and hiring three-time World Series champion Buster Posey as president of baseball operations; he plans to hire a GM who will report to him. The Giants will try to retain soon-to-be free agent Blake Snell, which will not be easy considering he’ll be looking for a long-term deal after not getting one last offseason. They have a core of solid starters led by veterans Logan Webb and Robbie Ray to go along with lefty Kyle Harrison and righties Hayden Birdsong and Keaton Winn. They were able to extend third baseman Matt Chapman, which was an important move, but they have a lot of work to do to build the middle of their lineup around him if they want to contend next year.”

Bowden ranked the Giants No. 12, placing them easily in the bottom half. But as he noted, there is some stuff to like.

Shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald and outfielder Heliot Ramos emerged as legitimate building blocks. A potentially deep and talented starting rotation will automatically make them competitive, even if they are unable to fill every hole in their lineup.

It might take more than one offseason to address all the needs, but at least San Francisco has some foundation to build upon this winter.