Things San Francisco Giants Fans Should Be Thankful For This Thanksgiving

Even after a losing season, the San Francisco Giants and their fans have plenty to be thankful this Thanksgiving.

Aug 31, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb (62) signs autographs for fans before the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Miami Marlins at Oracle Park. / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants and their fans were delivered a tough blow during free agency this offseason.

One of their stars, starting pitching Blake Snell, opted out of his contract a few weeks ago and is now gone for good. He agreed to a massive five-year, $182 million deal with their National League West rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

As if life wasn’t hard enough for the team having to go up against the World Series champs in their division, they now have to face one of their former players multiple times per season. Certainly a less-than-ideal outcome.

While that was less than ideal, there is still plenty for fans of the organization to be excited about. Here are three things Giants backers can be thankful for at Thanksgiving.

Return Of Legendary Player to Organization

After hovering around the .500 mark the last three seasons, a major change was made within the team’s front office. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi was replaced by legendary catcher, Buster Posey.

The three-time World Series champion is taking over for Zaidi, bringing a breath of fresh air into the organization. He has his work cut out for him to get the franchise back to the level of prominence they achieved when he was on the field for them.

As a former player, hopefully, he can help bridge the gap that has been created with free agents hesitant to sign with the franchise. That would be a good first step for a franchise that has made the playoffs only once in the last eight years.

Workhorse Ace and Stellar Bullpen

Stopping losing streaks is something that some teams struggle to do. Eventually, things snowball and the hole is too big to climb out of. 

The best way to avoid that is to have an ace you can rely on to take the ball every fifth day. They won’t go undefeated but will give you a chance to win every time they take the mound. That is what San Francisco has with Logan Webb.

One of the most reliable workhorses in the game, he has led the MLB in innings pitched two consecutive years. He has made at least 32 starts in three straight campaigns and has a 3.47 ERA or lower in four straight.

Piggybacking off of him and the other starters are a stellar bullpen group. Ryan Walker is their closer of the future with Tyler Rogers and Taylor Rogers also being reliable from the right and left side, respectively.

A Future Star in the Making

Luring free agents to the Bay Area has proven to be a difficult task. One way to avoid having to do that is to draft and develop talent well. That is what the franchise looks to have done with Bryce Eldridge.

A two-way star selected No. 16 overall in the 2023 MLB Draft, he has quickly risen through the system. Already in Triple-A, it may not be long before he is in the Major Leagues, as he is producing at an impressive clip.

Keep in mind, this ascension has occurred while becoming a full-time position player since joining the organization, as he wanted to try pitching along with hitting. Just scratching the surface of his potential, he could a middle-of-the-order bat for years to come.