This story was excerpted from Maria Guardado’s Giants Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
The Giants underwent a significant leadership change at the beginning of the offseason, with franchise icon Buster Posey stepping in to replace Farhan Zaidi as the club’s president of baseball operations.
Posey has spent the first couple of months of his tenure building out his front office, but the focus is expected to turn to roster construction once the Winter Meetings get underway in Dallas.
Unlike past winters, the Giants aren’t viewed as frontrunners for the top free agent on the market -- star outfielder Juan Soto -- but they could still make a run at other impact players who could help them improve from their disappointing 80-82 finish in 2024.
Here’s a look at what’s in store for Posey and new general manager Zack Minasian at the Hilton Anatole next week.
Key Events
Sunday: HOF Classic Baseball Era Committee results released
Tuesday: MLB Draft Lottery
Wednesday: Rule 5 Draft
Club Needs
Posey has said one of his top priorities is to find a shortstop, as the Giants struggled to find stability at the position after Brandon Crawford departed as a free agent last year. Rookie Tyler Fitzgerald seized the starting job midway through the 2024 campaign and enjoyed a breakout season at the plate, but he might be better suited to play second base or shift into a super-utility role.
Willy Adames and Ha-Seong Kim are the top free-agent shortstops available and should both draw interest from the Giants. Adames, 29, is expected to command a bigger deal after crushing a career-high 32 home runs this year, but San Francisco would have to give up a Draft pick to sign him since he turned down a qualifying offer from the Brewers last month.
Kim doesn’t have a QO attached, though he’s expected to miss the beginning of next season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Still, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported Thursday that third baseman Matt Chapman is willing to temporarily cover shortstop if the Giants sign the 29-year-old Kim, who is also close friends with center fielder Jung Hoo Lee and a favorite of manager Bob Melvin.
With Blake Snell leaving for the rival Dodgers, the Giants could also use another frontline starter to pair with Logan Webb and Robbie Ray at the top of their rotation. The biggest remaining free agents are Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, but middle-tier options such as Sean Manaea, Walker Buehler, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer figure to be in demand as well.
Potential Trade Candidates
The Giants didn't make many bold trades under Zaidi, but they might be more open to dealing off the big league roster now that Posey is calling the shots. The Giants recently agreed to a one-year, $9.25 million deal with outfielder Mike Yastrzemski to avoid arbitration and tendered contracts to first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. and reliever Camilo Doval, but all three have been mentioned as possible trade candidates and could be moved to address other roster needs this winter.
Prospect to Know
The Giants have a need for a power-hitting first baseman, but they could have an internal answer coming in the form of Bryce Eldridge, a 20-year-old slugger who climbed from Single-A San Jose to Triple-A Sacramento in his first full professional season. San Francisco’s No. 1 prospect has played only 17 games above High-A Eugene and still needs to work on his defense, but he’s viewed as a potential star in the making and could reach the Majors as soon as next year.
Rule 5 Draft
With 39 players on their 40-man roster, the Giants will have the ability to make a Rule 5 selection and try to replicate the success they enjoyed with Blake Sabol, who managed to stick on the big league roster after being taken from the Pirates in December 2022.
Shortstop Aeverson Arteaga and right-hander Will Bednar are among the most notable Giants prospects who were left exposed to the Rule 5 Draft, though neither is likely to be taken by another team.
Arteaga, the club’s No. 11 prospect, hasn’t played above High-A and missed most of the 2024 campaign after undergoing surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. Bednar, the Giants’ 2021 first-round Draft pick, has struggled with injuries and recorded a 6.00 ERA over 32 appearances (13 starts) between Single-A San Jose, High-A Eugene and Double-A Richmond this year.
Burning Question: Will the Giants give out any deals bigger than Chapman’s extension?
The Giants locked up Chapman by signing the five-time Gold Glove winner to a six-year, $151 million extension in September, but it remains to be seen if the club will make that type of financial commitment to another free agent this offseason. San Francisco is already showing signs of restraint by seemingly sitting out the bidding for Soto, creating questions about its ability to land other highly coveted targets like Burnes or Adames.