Buster Posey is back calling the shots for the Giants, this time leading them in the front office instead of from behind home plate.
But the rookie president of baseball operations doesn’t inherit an easy job. The Giants haven’t made the postseason since his final year as a player in 2021. San Francisco has gone 240-246 over the last three seasons. It won’t be an easy road back to the playoffs, but it will be an entertaining one.
The Giants will make trips to Detroit, Houston and New York to face the Mets, setting up the possibility that new Giant pitcher and future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander could pitch at each of his old ballparks. Willy Adames, the Giants big free agent catch, will have a similar homecoming when San Francisco travels to Milwaukee.
The Athletics return to the Bay Area (at least for a weekend) in mid-May, and the Giants also have a chance to see the reigning MVPs in Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani; rookie Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki; and the Mets’ new $765 million man, Juan Soto.
Here’s a look at some key series to watch this season:
March 27-30 at Cincinnati Reds
Another season starts, not surprisingly, on the road. The Giants have opened a season at home just five times this millennium and once went 12 straight seasons (2010-21) without a season opener at home. Opening Day will likely feature Logan Webb versus Hunter Greene, both of whom received Cy Young Award votes last seasons. Adames, who will be making his Giants debut, has hit eight home runs at Great American Ballpark, the most he’s hit at any road venue.
April 4-6 vs. Seattle Mariners
Following a six-game opening trip, the Giants finally return to San Francisco for their home opener. Depending on when Verlander makes his season debut, he could be in line to start the home opener.
Alameda’s Bryan Woo could start for the Mariners in this series as well if the schedule lines up right. In four career starts in the Bay Area (three being at the Oakland Coliseum), Woo has a 1.64 ERA with 25 strikeouts over 22 innings.
April 11-13 at New York Yankees
Despite losing Juan Soto to the Mets, the pinstripes responded by signing left-hander Max Fried, then traded for outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger, closer Devin Williams and reliever Fernando Cruz. And, yes, there’s also the matter of Judge, who absolutely mashes the team he grew up watching. Judge has hit five home runs in six career games against the Giants, and his 1.751 OPS against San Francisco is the highest of any opponent.
April 25-27 vs. Texas Rangers
On April 26, the Giants will celebrate the career of Brandon Crawford, who announced his retirement in December. Appropriately enough, former Giants manager Bruce Bochy and his current team will be in town that weekend. The Pleasanton native played 13 seasons for his hometown team, becoming the franchise’s all-time leader in games played at shortstop (1,617) and helping the Giants win the final two of their three championships in the Bochy era. He’s one of the greatest shortstops in franchise history and unquestionably the greatest shortstop in San Francisco Giants history.
May 26-28 at Detroit Tigers
The Giants swept Verlander’s Tigers in the 2012 World Series. Verlander, arguably baseball’s best pitcher at the time, is most remembered in San Francisco for allowing two of the three home runs that Pablo Sandoval hit in Game 1. Fast forward to present year and there’s a realistic chance that Verlander could start for the Giants against the Tigers in Detroit.
July 11-13 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
The arch rival Dodgers have assembled plenty of talented teams over the last decade, but this iteration — fresh off their second World Series title of the decade — might be in a tier of its own. After landing Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto last offseason, Los Angeles has recruited another Japanese superstar to the mix in right-hander Roki Sasaki.
Along with winning the Sasaki sweepstakes, the Dodgers signed super utility man Hyeseong Kim from the KBO, as well as former Giants Blake Snell and Michael Conforto. They also re-signed outfielder Teoscar Hernández and reliever Blake Treinen and extended Tommy Edman. Los Angeles will also “add” Ohtani to the rotation after he spent last season recovering from elbow surgery — and formed the 50-50 club in his downtime.
July 4-6 at Athletics
The Bay Bridge Series is officially a thing of the past but the A’s visit to Oracle May 16-18 figures to be emotional for fans. With the A’s temporarily playing in Sacramento, the regular-season duels between the Giants and A’s shall be referred to as … the Carquinez Bridge Series? The I-80 Series? This is a road series for the Giants, but a good chunk of their roster has played at Sutter Health Park, the home to the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats. .
July 25-27 vs. New York Mets
The Giants didn’t pursue Soto the same way they lost out on Judge and Ohtani when they are free agents, but Soto’s first visit to Oracle Park will offer Giants fans a vision of what could’ve been. Over 22 career games at Oracle Park, Soto owns a slash line of .325/.436/.615 with seven homers, 13 RBIs and as many walks as strikeouts (17). Francisco Lindor, like Soto, loves hitting at Oracle Park, owning a career .933 OPS with four doubles, four homers and 16 RBIs in 13 games.
Aug. 22-24 at Milwaukee Brewers
After spending three-and-a-half seasons in Milwaukee, Adames will make his first appearance at American Family Field as a Giant. A fan favorite in Milwaukee, Adames hit 107 home runs with 348 RBIs and a .780 OPS during his time with the Brew Crew. In his final season in Milwaukee, Adames set career-highs in homers (32), RBIs (112) and steals (21).