30 Teams In 30 Days: The Giants Got Better, But It Won't Be Enough To Win The NL West
There’s a pretty big separation between teams number 17 and 18. Yesterday, we talked about the Mets, who are OK, but I don’t see them really competing for anything. I like what this Giants team did in the offseason. I feel like they got quite a bit better. They added Matt Chapman and Jorge Soler in free agency, and neither one of those guys cost a ton of money. They added Jordan Hicks, who’s been a career reliever, and have decided to convert him into a starter. We’ll see how that goes, though he’s looked very good in spring training. I feel like they got better, but man, the NL West is such a tough division right now.
Gabe Kapler is also out as manager for the Giants. He was a very polarizing skipper. Even though he won Manager of the Year in 2021, it never seemed like he was super popular among the fans and the players. Bob Melvin goes from San Diego to San Francisco. I’ve always liked Melvin, but it just didn’t seem like he was a great fit for San Diego, for whatever reason. There are enough pieces here to be competitive, but I just don’t know if there’s enough depth. I love Logan Webb at the front of that rotation. I think he’s remarkably underrated, but once you get beyond that, I feel like this team doesn’t have a legitimate second starter. The back end of the bullpen should be pretty solid again, but this organization won three championships in the 2010s largely based on how good they’re starting pitching. Oracle Park is a spacious park that pitchers love to play in, but it doesn’t feel like you have enough here once you get past Webb.
The Giants had that miracle 2021 season in which everything went right for them, and they won 107 games. It feels like they’ve been trying to repeat that formula for the last several years, but the farther removed we get from that season, the more flukey it seems. They’re still a smart organization, but they’ve been stuck in neutral for a minute now. The farm system isn’t anything amazing, either. I could still see them fighting for a Wild Card spot, but the idea of them winning the NL West is impossible.