The San Francisco Giants have had one winning season and one playoff berth in the last eight seasons. Four years removed from their 107 wins in 2021, we now know how big of an outlier that season was.

A shortage of successful prospects in the farm system and a laundry list of poor free agent signings have halted the Giants from returning to their 2010-2014 glory days. 

A change in the front office was imminent if the Giants wanted to turn things around.

After another losing season in 2024 and a below-average farm system, the Giants shook up the front office by firing former general manager Farhan Zaidi and replacing him with future Hall of Fame catcher Buster Posey.

The signing of Zaidi in 2018 turned into a disastrous move for the Giants. Zaidi was a baseball mind who was commended for his ability to draft well and construct a roster during his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers. But he did none of those things during his tenure in San Francisco.

Posey, however, had been the face of the Giants franchise since his rookie season in 2010 when he was awarded National League Rookie of the Year and MVP. The seven-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion is regarded as one of the best players in franchise history. 

Instead of controlling the game as a catcher on the diamond, he will now be constructing a roster and pulling the strings for the Giants’ front office. His first big move as general manager was making free agent shortstop Willy Adames the highest-paid player in Giants franchise history, signing a seven-year $182 million contract.

Adames is coming off of the best season of his career in 2024, setting career highs in hits, runs, RBIs, doubles, home runs and stolen bases. He finished 10th in the National League MVP voting and should be a big bat in the middle of the Giants lineup and play above-average defense at short.

Posey has enjoyed his first few months as the Giants’ new general manager and talked about the importance of signing his shortstop of the future, Adames.

“Our primary goal was to acquire a shortstop. Willy checks so many boxes for us,” Posey said on 95.7 The Game. “His excitement about coming to San Francisco and embracing the Bay Area as a whole has been really encouraging.”

The most exciting facet of the 2025 Giants will be their pitching and defense. 

The addition of Adames shores up the left side of the infield, playing next to the best defensive third baseman in baseball, Matt Chapman. Giants fans can also look forward to the reigning 2024 Gold Glove catcher Patrick Bailey, as well as Korean star Jung Hoo Lee in center field.

Lee was the biggest acquisition the Giants made last season, coming over from the Korean Baseball Organization and signing a six-year $113 million contract with the Giants. The “Grandson of the Wind” signed with the Giants after a phenomenal KBO career, winning Rookie of the Year in 2018, an MVP in 2022 and five Gold Glove Awards.

Unfortunately, Lee suffered a torn labrum just 37 games into his rookie year and missed the rest of the regular season. When healthy, he can be expected to hit at the top of the Giants’ batting order. Lee has displayed exceptional contact hitting and elite defense in center field.

The starting rotation will be the most intriguing aspect of this team, as Giants fans know they can rely on their ace Logan Webb. The fans will also be able to watch veterans Robbie Ray and Justin Verlander, as well as promising stars Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison and Hayden Birdsong.

Verlander is the oldest player in Major League Baseball at the ripe age of 42 but comes to the Giants with his Hall of Fame resume, which includes three Cy Youngs, an MVP and two World Series rings.

He has already been seen giving pointers to Birdsong, a 23-year-old pitcher who is coming into his second year with aspirations to be a future arm the Giants can rely on for years to come.

Another second-year starter for the Giants is Kyle Harrison, a Bay Area native who was the top prospect in the organization last season. Harrison had his struggles during his rookie campaign in 2024 but showed enough flashes of excellence for Giants fans to be excited about.

The Giants have the 28th-ranked farm system in baseball, according to MLB.com, but a bright spot for the organization is the rising prospect Bryce Eldridge. 

Posey has already let the fans know that he would prefer Eldgridge to make his MLB debut in 2026. However, his strong play in the minors may force the team’s hand in calling him up to the big leagues sooner.

The biggest question for the Giants this season is whether or not these new additions are enough to compete against their divisional foes. They will have their work cut out for them with arguably the greatest roster assemblage of all-time in the Los Angeles Dodgers and a pair of young, star-studded teams in the San Diego Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Giants will once again be serious underdogs this season, but with Posey at the helm, fans can feel assured that the team is headed in the right direction.