Ranking the top 3 priorities for the SF Giants this offseason

The SF Giants need a major roster overhaul for 2025. There is no denying that. However, if they cannot overhaul much of the roster, where should they prioritize?

Ranking the top 3 priorities for the SF Giants this offseason

The Giants just completed their third-straight disappointing season after winning 80 games and falling well short of the playoff picture. They cannot return much of the same roster next season and hope for better results. That is not going to sell the fans nor is it going to sell tickets.

It is difficult to project win totals for next season this early into the offseason, but the path to the playoffs does not look like it will get any easier in 2025. The Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Arizona Diamondbacks all look ahead of San Francisco in terms of talent in the NL West.

The Wild Card picture does not look any easier with teams like the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, and Milwaukee Brewers being in the mix if they are not leading their respective divisions. This is a lot of talent for the Giants to overcome.

Perhaps, that gap widened on Friday with Blake Snell opting out as expected. Nevertheless, Buster Posey and new Giants general manager Zack Minasian will be tasked with positioning the roster for better results in 2025.

1. Middle infielder

It is debatable as to whether the starting rotation belongs in the top spot or not. However, I will address that shortly.

The Giants need at least one middle infielder with a shortstop being the preference. Tyler Fitzgerald handled much of the shortstop duties in the second half of the year, but he was challenged defensively at the position.

The young infielder tallied -6 DRS, -4 OAA, and -3 FRV at shortstop in 2024. Regardless of the defensive metric you use, he was a below-average shortstop and the eye test matched those results. A move to second base seems likely. Of course, the Giants need to determine what they can even expect from Fitzgerald in 2025. He very much had a breakout season but struggled down the stretch as the league adjusted.

That said, Giants' second basemen ranked as one of the worst position groups as they were worth +0.3 fWAR last season. On the other hand, they were 12th among team positional value at shortstop with +3.6 fWAR. That number was held up pretty heavily by Fitzgerald's performance.

Depending on where they stand with Fitzgerald or Casey Schmitt, they could need two middle infielders. Fortunately, second base is an easier position to fill if they go down that path.

Shortstop will be a much tougher position to fill. Willy Adames and Ha-Seong Kim are some of the obvious options in free agency. Bo Bichette of the Toronto Blue Jays is a potential trade candidate. Bichette struggled to a .598 OPS with four home runs and 31 RBI in 336 plate appearances.

Adames will be in demand with the Los Angeles Dodgers being a potential fit. This could push him out of the Giants' price range. On the other hand, Kim had shoulder surgery in October and is expected to return early in 2025. Will he be the same hitter early on next season? That remains to be seen but there will be plenty of rumors connecting him to the Giants.

Another trade target could be Willi Castro of the Minnesota Twins. Castro has one more year of team control. Either Mike Yastrzemski or LaMonte Wade Jr. could match up as position trade targets for the Twins.