I don’t know why it is, but this week I feel compelled to discuss the burning needs of your San Francisco Giants as we all look ahead to the reclamation project that faces our favorite head of baseball operations, Buster Posey.

Sadly, I pale in the pontification department compared to my wizened peers. Most have reaped literally months of knowledge from online sources so that they may inform owners, coaches and players exactly how to fix every problem, from nurturing a pitching prospect to a cure for toenail fungus.

My own expertise as a baseball analyst comes from a brief and unspectacular career as a spunky shortstop. My future as the forerunner to Brandon Crawford ended when I realized there were no left-handed shortstops and that “spunky” was a synonym for short, skinny, and inept.

All of which, I think, qualifies me to offer the following sage advice to our Bay Area baseball franchise.

I like Posey and I think he’s going to be just fine as the boss. As I see it, there are three points of emphasis that need a lot of work. In no particular order, they are pitching, hitting and fielding.

Again, I can’t fault Posey for making the deadline trades he made this year. Pitching was carrying the team in the early season and there was a desperate need for bats. So he went out and got one of the best bats in the current game. It was a Louisville Slugger.

It also happened to belong to Rafael Devers who rushed off to San Francisco, only to leave the bat with all the hits in it back in Boston.

Buster gave up arms for bats. And at the time, they seemed to be expendable arms. Kyle Harrison a marginal starter last year was part of the Devers deal. Buster also shipped off his closer, Camilo Duval to the Yankees and his best set up guy, Tyler Rodgers to the Mets. I’m in hopes that part of the deal was a round trip ticket back to San Francisco.  Rodgers is a free agent at year’s end.

Duval brought four prospects from the Yankees, a couple of whom could be factors down the road. More importantly, Posey took a hard look at the Giants’ minor league system and decided that it’s been at the root of the team’s mediocrity for a decade.

But, it’s all OK. We’ve got last year’s closer Ryan Walker, and we’ve got Randy Rodriguez. But then, Walker suddenly couldn’t find home plate with a bloodhound, and Rodriguez inconveniently had his arm come apart and will be lost to the team not only this year, but next too.

Hayden Birdsong seemed like a decade-long front line pitcher until he joined Walker in the search for home plate. Landon Roupp had turned into a capable starter until a bone bruise on his knee saw him limp off into the sunset.

For a time, the Giants’ bats had an awakening and suddenly there was another glimmer of playoff hope. And just as suddenly, the whole thing turned into a bland bowl of mush and now the only remaining question is, what’s next?

High-priced free agents are not the priority here. Willy Adames, Rafi Devers and Matt Chapman are, and will be, the core of this team. Adames and Chapman are also guys who everybody would want in their clubhouse. The clubhouse is not the issue. The issue is, how do you get past OK?

This is a roster of “OK” guys. Heliot Ramos? OK. Jung Hoo Lee? OK (but I believe with a big upside). Casey Schmidt? OK. Patrick Bailey? A-OK defensively, OK otherwise. Luis Matos, Grant McCray, Drew Gilbert, Wilmer Flores, Jerar Encarnacion? All OK or sub-OK.

Four worth mentioning: Christian Koss?  “A” as a utility guy; Dom Smith: “B+” steady and reliable both offensively and defensively. The question is, where does he play — if at all — next year?

Bryce Eldridge: A potential franchise player. But he’s not fully baked yet. Big power, offset by too many strikeouts — and that was at the minor league level. As a big leaguer, he’s still overmatched.

And Logan Webb. Just come on down here and take a huge bow. In street parlance: “You my dog!”

As to the pitching, if you could only get by with one and a half starters, the Giants would be in contention. Sadly, you need five. Furthermore, there are simply no bulls in the bullpen. They’ve been lambs. Sacrificial lambs.

Buster might want to think about posting “Help Wanted” signs in his neighborhood’s slow pitch softball league.

So, here you go Buster. Just a couple of tweaks and this team will be playing baseball in late October.

All we really need to get this aircraft carrier turned around, is a plethora of “Better than OK” guys.” Oh, and least two front line starters. And wait, wait — a long inning guy, a middle relief guy, a set up guy and a closer.

And, maybe you can convince Devers. Adames, and Chapman to not take two-week vacations in the middle of the baseball season. There’s plenty of time for that when they miss the playoffs.

Here’s the good news. In the mid-season rankings of minor league systems the Giants, under Buster Posey, and after the trade deadline, had risen to #18 in MLB.  A quantum improvement from the last decade.

Darn it! Here’s the bad news: The D-Backs are No. 16, and the dreaded Dodgers — a playoff team for the 13th year in a row — they’re number one.

So Buster, I offer you a couple of suggestions. One is to petition the league to play in another division. L.A., Arizona and San Diego make it really hard to win.

Secondly, learn the phrase “San Francisco is a much nicer city than Los Angeles,” in Japanese.

And finally, get rid of the slogan “Giants baseball: Nothing like it.” It could be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Barry Tompkins is a 40-year network television sportscaster and a San Francisco native. Email him at barrytompkins1@gmail.com.

Originally Published: September 25, 2025 at 4:27 PM PDT