Why the SF Giants are going to run it back with Zaidi and Melvin in 2025

The SF Giants have essentially been eliminated from the playoffs. They have a 1.2% chance according to FanGraphs. That does not mean that they are going to get rid of Farhan Zaidi or Bob Melvin, though. They are going to run it back.

Okay, okay, calm down. Go over and grab the keyboard you just flung across the room. Get that hot coffee far away from you so you don't spill it on yourself it in a fit of rage. Tell your loved ones you're sorry for screaming at the top of your lungs, "San Miguel just doesn't get it! They've got to go!"

I see you and I feel your pain. But it just does not seem like the Giants are going to completely defenestrate Melvin and Zaid after just one year together. Things are bad, but honestly, they could have been worse.

If the Giants were well under .500 right now, I could see a change being made. If it was clear the team was being grossly mismanaged by Melvin and that the front office was in shambles under Zaidi and the team was 20 games underwater, then I would say that there may be no other choice than to get rid of them and start over.

The SF Giants are going to run it back in 2025 for better or worse

But given some of the bad breaks the Giants got this year, their mediocre play is disappointing but not completely damning for the regime. The Jung Hoo Lee injury was an early gut punch that probably has cost the team a few wins. Blake Snell only showed up in the second half which definitely cost the team some games in the first half. Plus, former reliable contributors like Austin Slater, Wilmer Flores, and Thairo Estrada just were not their normal selves this season due to injuries and poor performance.

The Giants have actually been fairly fortunate to find themselves where they are at. Could you imagine this team without the emergence of Heliot Ramos and Tyler Fitzgerald? Those two players alone may have saved Zaidi and Melvin and given them one last year to figure things out.

Are there any potential replacements for Zaidi who would really run things all that differently? Kim Ng is the only one I can think of and if they do move on from Zaidi I think she would be an excellent choice. Perhaps she would be more aggressive in pursuing free agents or would be more willing to take risks at the trad deadline. She studied under the tutelage of Brian Cashman but has also operated in the analytics-driven world so she has a good mix of old school and new school experience to bring to the table. But outside of that most other executives are cut from the same Zaidi cloth.

The same goes for Melvin. He has not been perfect this year by any means but he has done his best with the hand he was dealt. He is still a veteran manager with a lot of experience and a lot of respectability so he could definitely be a boon for the team as they try to land free agents. Do you really want to roll the dice on an unknown quantity or a rookie manager?

That is why I feel that ownership will be reluctant to make a change. They will sell it as a disappointing year but one that was marred by injury and some bad luck. They will commit to adding in the offseason and will likely make a fruitless push for Juan Soto just to say they tried.

But if they do run it back, they have to make some moves in the offseason. If they can extend Matt Chapman and Blake Snell, land Ha-Seong Kim, and add a slugger like Rhys Hoskins to the lineup that would be a realistic success in my eyes and could set them up well for next year.

Then, we see how 2025 turns out. If they do those things and it is another mediocre season, then it is clear that it is time to move on and begin anew with a new regime.