Grading Buster Posey's first offseason in charge of the SF Giants

Offseason overview

The Giants made two notable moves this winter, adding Willy Adames on a long-term deal and signing Justin Verlander to a one-year pact.

The Adames move was a good one for a few reasons. The Giants identified shortstop as a need this offseason and quietly made a big splash before Juan Soto signed. This is an important detail as many teams would have pivoted to Adames in the aftermath.

Adames impacts the game in a lot of ways not unlike new teammate Matt Chapman. He is durable, hits for power, generally is an above-average glove, and a decent baserunner. There are questions as to how his glove will age with a move to second base likely in the cards down the road.

In adding Adames, the Giants do have a semblance of a middle of the order along with Chapman and Heliot Ramos. All have the potential to hit at least 20 home runs in a season.

I felt like the length was probably one year too long while recognizing that was necessary to get a deal done. The Giants lost a second-and-fifth-round pick and $1 million in international bonus pool money because Adames rejected a qualifying offer from the Milwaukee Brewers. For a team that has struggled to identify and develop talent, that is a bitter pill to swallow but one that makes sense to sign Adames.

The Giants had a need for rotation help this winter. They were connected to Corbin Burnes and were often seen as the favorite to land the former Cy Young winner. Burnes joined the Arizona Diamondbacks on a six-year, $210 million deal. Not only did the Giants miss out, but he joined a division rival.

This feels like a tough miss. The Giants could have matched or surpassed Arizona's offer but that was not the case. At the end of the day, it may not have mattered as Burnes gets a chance to stay in Arizona, which is where he resides.

Instead, the Giants added Justin Verlander. It may have been the most Brian Sabean move I have ever seen and that is not a criticism. Sabean often added established pitchers toward the end of their careers. Orel Hershiser, Randy Johnson, and Jake Peavy are just a few names that come to mind.

At worst, he becomes a mentor to a young pitcher staff. However, it is fair to question how much he has left in the tank.

Verlander's fastball velocity dipped in 2024 and his secondary offerings were hit unusually hard. Plus, he missed time last season to shoulder and neck injuries. He will be entering his age-42 season in 2025.

The veteran hurler pitched to a 3.95 ERA with less-than-stellar peripherals through his first 10 starts last season. He struggled badly down the stretch and was left off of Houston's playoff roster.

There were a few opportunities to pair Logan Webb with another co-ace, but that did not come to fruition. Verlander may end up pitching well but there are some red flags in his profile at this stage of his career.

The Giants could have used another first baseman, DH, or corner outfielder. The first-base market moved quickly in December and the Giants could have been in the mix whether that was signing Carlos Santana or trading for Nathaniel Lowe. There were options at first base.

DH is not normally a place where teams like to spend heavily but Joc Pederson was coming off of a strong year at the plate. He signed a two-year deal with the Texas Rangers but could have added a nice dynamic to the Giants' lineup.

While right field could have been upgraded, there were not too many obvious options in free agency. Teoscar Hernández was always likely going to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers and there were some concerns in Anthony Santander's profile to sign him to a long-term deal.

The Giants did add some nice depth at catcher with Sam Huff and Max Stassi. They may need to lean on that in case Tom Murphy has another injury-plagued season.

They could have used another left-handed-hitting infielder plus another reliever or two, especially from the left side. That last detail becomes a huge problem if Erik Miller struggles or gets injured.

The Giants made a nice move with Adames but there was probably too much work to be done in one offseason and within the constraints of a budget.