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Robbie Ray looks on prior to the MLB All-Star Game on July 15, 2025.
When the San Francisco Giants hired Tony Vitello as their next manager back in October, it was an out-of-the-box hire. The former University of Tennessee coach became the first college coach to move directly to an MLB manager position without previous professional coaching experience.
There is no doubt that Vitello has had a ton of success at Tennessee, and we’ll see if it translates to the majors, but his first job is going to be competing in a tough division. There have been some moves made by the Giants front office this offseason, but nothign earth shattering.
Given how the Los Angeles Dodgers, the two-time World Series champions, have added to their already loaded roster, it’s going to be an uphill climb for San Francisco. The hill got steeper with a prediction from Jim Bowden.
San Francisco Giants Won’t Like This Prediction
Again, it wasn’t a huge needle-moving offseason for the Giants, and Jim Bowden of The Athletic agreed. He graded every team’s offseason. He gave San Francisco a B and predicted they would finish in third place behind the Dodgers and San Diego Padres.
San Francisco signed some veterans to short-term deals. They signed pitchers Tyler Mahle, Sam Hentges, and Jason Foley to one-year deals. They recently signed second baseman Luis Arraez to a one-year contract. The Giants added pitcher Adrian Houser and outfielder Harrison Bader to two-year contracts. Those are not exactly swinging big.
“The Giants may not have done their offseason shopping at Neiman Marcus or Saks Fifth Avenue, but they did an excellent job finding undervalued players such as Tyler Mahle, Adrian Houser, Jason Foley, Harrison Bader, and Luis Arraez. None of those five really helps the Giants close the gap between them and the Dodgers, but those moves do make them a huge threat for second place in the NL West and a wild-card berth,” wrote Bowden.
Jim Bowden Believes the Giants Are Missing Another Starting Pitcher
Left-hander pitcher Framber Valdez remains a free agent, but it is unlikely that San Francisco kicks the tires at this point. Could they pivot to Lucas Giolito for rotation depth? Maybe, but it feels like the Giants are close to having their roster set.
“Bader is more of a fourth outfielder in my opinion, but he’s an important defensive center fielder for the pitching staff, and if Mahle can just stay healthy, he’s a solid mid-rotation starter. Arraez has won batting titles in both leagues, and although he’s a below-average defender without pop, he does create traffic for the middle of the Giants’ order. I just wish they could have landed another top-of-the-rotation starter,” Bowden wrote.
Mahle’s health has been an issue, which makes it a signing that can either work out well or backfire. Adding Valdez could put San Francisco over the top of the Padres in the division and give the Giants a No. 1 starter in the playoffs. Regardless, this is a team that will battle for a wild-card spot in the fall, but the offseason hasn’t been one that moves the needle much.
Scott Roche Scott Roche covers college football, NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com and has three decades of sports writing, covering everything from college to professional sports. More about Scott Roche
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