ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Giants had plenty to celebrate at the Winter Meetings this year.
Franchise great Jeff Kent was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame via the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee on Sunday and hinted that he plans to go into Cooperstown with a Giants cap on his plaque.
Matt Chisholm, the club’s vice president of media relations, earned the 2025 Robert O. Fishel Award, which honors excellence in public relations. Brad Grems picked up the Home Clubhouse Manager of the Year Award, while Gavin Cuddie snagged the same prize among visiting clubhouse managers.
Despite the abundance of industry-wide recognition, the Giants ultimately departed the Signia by Hilton resort without making many moves to bolster their roster, which still has several big holes for president of baseball operations Buster Posey and general manager Zack Minasian to fill this offseason.
BIGGEST REMAINING NEEDS
1. Starting pitching
The Giants still need multiple starters to fill out a rotation that doesn’t have any locks behind Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and Landen Roupp. They don’t appear keen on giving out nine-figure contracts to top free-agent pitchers like Framber Valdez, Ranger Suárez or Tatsuya Imai, but they could be fits for other options that won’t break the bank, such as Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Chris Bassitt, Justin Verlander or Max Scherzer. More possibilities exist on the trade market, where the Brewers’ Freddy Peralta, the Nationals’ MacKenzie Gore, the Reds’ Hunter Greene or the Royals’ Kris Bubic could be available.
2. Outfield
San Francisco currently has nine outfielders on its 40-man roster, but only two -- Heliot Ramos and Jung Hoo Lee -- are projected to have everyday roles next year. Drew Gilbert, Luis Matos, Jerar Encarnacion, Joey Wiemer, Justin Dean and Grant McCray will be in the mix for the third outfield spot, but the Giants are expected to look for possible upgrades outside the organization.
Agent Scott Boras implied that the Giants are among the teams who have expressed interest in Cody Bellinger, though they could also make a run at fellow free agent Harrison Bader or try to acquire another veteran outfielder like the Guardians’ Steven Kwan via trade.
3. Second base
Incumbent second baseman Casey Schmitt recently underwent left wrist surgery, though the Giants believe the procedure will only set him back by one or two weeks during Spring Training. Still, San Francisco could certainly stand to get more production out of that spot next year, which could draw the club to trade candidates such as the Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan, the Cubs’ Nico Hoerner or the Rays’ Brandon Lowe.
HE SAID IT
While sitting in the Giants’ suite on Monday, Posey and Minasian were asked if it felt any different to be back for their second Winter Meetings at the top of the baseball operations department.
Before they could answer, new manager Tony Vitello felt the need to interject.
“Not as different as it feels for me,” Vitello quipped. “I don’t know what’s going on.”
It’s been seven weeks since Vitello became the first college coach to be elevated to Major League manager without having any prior experience in pro ball, but it’s clear he’s still adjusting to his new role with the Giants. He’s currently in the midst of putting the final touches on his coaching staff and is expected to travel to the Dominican Republic and South Korea to meet with the likes of Rafael Devers, Willy Adames and Lee in the coming weeks.
DRAFT LOTTERY
The Giants will have the fourth overall selection in the 2026 MLB Draft after getting lucky in the fourth annual Draft Lottery on Tuesday. It’ll be their highest selection since they took Joey Bart with the No. 2 overall pick in 2018. More >>
RULE 5 DRAFT
The Giants didn’t make a selection during the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft, but they ended up landing one after acquiring catcher Daniel Susac from the Twins in exchange for catching prospect Miguel Caraballo.
Susac, the younger brother of former Giants backstop Andrew Susac, was a first-round Draft pick of the A’s in 2022 and hit .275 with an .832 OPS and 18 home runs over 97 games at Triple-A Las Vegas in 2025. The right-handed-hitting Susac will join catching prospect Jesus Rodriguez (SF’s No. 15) as candidates to serve as Patrick Bailey’s backup next year.
San Francisco also lost two pitching prospects -- right-handers Ryan Watson and Spencer Miles -- to the A’s and Blue Jays, respectively.
MORE FROM THIS WEEK
- The Giants believe the “sky is the limit” for No. 1 prospect Bryce Eldridge, but they’ll be willing to listen to possible trade offers involving the power-hitting first baseman this offseason. More >>
- Kent arrived in San Francisco as part of an unpopular trade nearly 30 years ago, but that infamous deal ultimately put him on a path that culminated in his election to the Hall of Fame on Sunday. More >>
GM’S BOTTOM LINE
“I feel like some things are heading in the right direction. It’s hard to handicap when a deal is going to get done, but we try to put our best foot forward. I think we’ve shown we’re willing to be aggressive. Some things we’re still working on, some things we feel like maybe there’s a path. We’ll see where it goes. Right now, it’s still kind of anyone’s guess.” -- Minasian