Alarms go off for SF Giants fans as Bob Melvin discusses keeping payroll down

The SF Giants are reportedly planning to cut payroll in 2025. While Buster Posey has played coy when asked about whether this is true, manager Bob Melvin seemingly confirmed that this is a priority for the team in an interview on KNBR.

Melvin appeared on KNBR's SF Giants Hot Stove show hosted by Kerry Crowley. The two discussed goals for the offseason, what Melvin expects from certain players in 2025, and contributions from young players.

SF Giants manager Bob Melvin seemingly confirms payroll fears

Melvin spoke about some of the younger starting pitchers on the team like Kyle Harrison, Hayden Birdsong, Jordan Hicks, and Keaton Winn. He praised what they brought to the table in 2024 and then said this at roughly the 18:40 mark of the interview:

"Guys like that, that we really feel like, you know, can keep payroll down based on, they're organizational guys and have higher upside."

That sentiment is not exactly music to the ears of Giants fans. Certainly some alarm bells went off for fans upon hearing the manager of the team talk about limiting payroll.

On the one hand, what Melvin says makes sense. Those young pitchers he mentioned have shown promise as starters and it will definitely be exciting to see them try to progress in 2025 and beyond. At the same time, there are also a lot of question marks with these pitchers that could make them unreliable based on injuries, poor performance, or fatigue issues.

Melvin's comment does not necessarily mean that the Giants will not be in the market for a starting pitcher. It could simply mean that the Giants do not feel the need to get multiple starters in free agency because they have those younger pitchers to lean upon for the bottom spots in the rotation.

Yet, it is odd that Melvin seemingly went out of his way to make this comment unprompted. It is not as if Crowley brought up the payroll issue and pressed him on it. Melvin offered this basically out of nowhere which seems like it could be a way of him trying to lower expectations for Giants fans who want the team to go out and splurge in the offseason.

As things stand, it seems unlikely that Blake Snell is going to return to the Giants. Corbin Burnes and Max Fried are other aces available in free agency but it does not really seem like the Giants will make a run at them considering they would both cost the Giants draft compensation and will carry hefty price tags.

The Giants may just roll with a rotation of Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks, and Hayden Birdsong to begin 2025. That would probably disappoint fans, but with Melvin talking about keeping payroll down as it relates to the rotation, it seems like the likeliest outcome at this point.