SF Giants news: Hicks back in rotation, Doval here to stay, Lee 'good to go'

At the start of MLB's Winter Meetings, we got some interesting SF Giants nuggets. Manager Bob Melvin and president of baseball operations Buster Posey gave some updates on players who will be key for the Giants in 2025.

SF Giants Winter Meeting updates on Jordan Hicks, Camilo Doval, and Jung Hoo Lee

1. Jordan Hicks will be a starter in 2025

According to Giants beat writer Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area, Posey confirmed that pitcher Jordan Hicks will rejoin the starting rotation in 2025. Hicks signed his four-year $44 million contract last season under the assumption that he was going to be used primarily as a starter. He got that opportunity in 2024 and looked great in his first month, but as the season wore on his fatigue set in and his velocity dipped before he was put back in the bullpen which is where he has spent most of his big league career.

It will be interesting to see whether Hicks can make it through the entire 2025 season as a starter. Posey also talked up the other young starting pitchers on the Giants' roster which, if taken at face value, may make the team's pursuit of premier free agent starters like Corbin Burnes and Max Fried seem less likely.

2. Posey throws cold water on Camilo Doval trade

Buster Posey threw cold water on the notion that inconsistent reliever Camilo Doval would be traded. According to Pavlovic, Posey said, "I have belief in him being important for us.”

This comes after Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that trade interest in Doval is high from other teams looking for a viable closer at the back of their bullpen. Despite this, Posey and the Giants seem to be betting that 2024 was just a rough year for Doval and that he will get back to being his old self in 2025.

3. Jung Hoo Lee is 'good to go'

Manager Bob Melvin made it clear that Giants center fielder and leadoff hitter Jung Hoo Lee is "good to go" and is not going to have any health restrictions stemming from his shoulder injury that ended his 2024 rookie campaign. Lee got a huge six-year $113 million deal last offseason with the hope that he would be a dynamic leadoff hitter for the Giants.

The injury did not allow him to go through a full season where he could learn and adjust to big league hitting. In many ways 2025 will still be a rookie year for him given he only has 37 big league games under his belt. One hopes he can take a nice step forward in 2025 and stay on the field for the whole year.

These were some news nuggets at the outset of the Winter Meetings for the Giants. We will have to see if San Francisco makes another big splash after reportedly landing shortstop Willy Adames.