San Francisco Giants Slide in Way-Too-Early Power Rankings After Ace Opts Out

The San Francisco Giants will need a lot of help to improve upon their 2024 campaign, especially if they are unable to re-sign their ace in free agency.

San Francisco Giants Michael Conforto (8) reacts after hitting a 3-run home run off Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt (32) in the third inning at Chase Field in Phoenix on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants find themselves in a rough spot after another disappointing season just three years removed from winning 107 games.

They have yet to climb back to that peak in performance, with many calling it a fluke.

Another blow was struck to the Giants when ace Blake Snell opted out of his contract, becoming a free agent for the second time in as many years and potentially leaving the club should he sign elsewhere.

There is a lot of work to be done if San Francisco has any hopes of contending in the NL West division next season, potentially the second-best division in baseball, with the San Diego Padres and the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers atop the group.

In a recent article for The Athletic, Stephen J. Nesbitt, Rustin Dodd, and C. Trent Rosecrans gave their way-too-early power rankings for Major League Baseball heading into 2025, with the Giants ranking 23rd.

"The Giants have some nice pieces, the types who would play important parts in a playoff run," writes Nesbitt, "but they did not yet have the superstar at the center. Maybe [Buster] Posey will make a splash."

If the team has any hopes of contending, even for a Wild Card berth, their new president of baseball operations will most certainly need to make a splash.

While the playoffs are expanded now with three teams making it by way of the Wild Card, San Francisco still needs to worry about getting around one of the Padres or Dodgers, as well as the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, and Atlanta Braves since those five teams should be in the mix every year as five of the best teams in the National League.

Losing Snell to another team this offseason would be a massive blow to the Giants' chances moving forward, even with the emergence of Tyler Fitzgerald and Heliot Ramos and the extension Buster Posey gave Matt Chapman.

Posey and his staff have a lot of work to do heading into next year and might need to spend a lot more money than they originally intended to help alleviate their weak pitching staff.

San Francisco currently sits at a crossroads as they try and determine what moves need to be made to improve this team so they contend with the five best NL teams.

It will be interesting to see what the Giants and Posey determine to be the right moves for their franchise this winter.