Monday, October 13

The 2025 Giants were a study in extremes. 

They got hot. They got cold. In the end, they couldn’t escape the pull of .500, finishing exactly at 81-81 for the second time in the last four seasons.  

“I thought there were a lot of positives this year,” president of baseball operations Buster Posey said last week. “We had some really good streaks of playing baseball. We had some bad streaks of playing baseball. I think the hope moving forward is that we’re just more consistent in those good stretches and that you can minimize some of the downturns a little bit quicker. I feel like we took some steps in the right direction. There’s still a lot of work to do.”  

That work begins now. Here are four questions the Giants will have to answer as they look to snap out of their middling ways and emerge as true contenders in 2026.

1. Who’s the next manager? 

After relieving Bob Melvin of his duties, Posey’s first major task is to figure out who the Giants’ new leader in the dugout will be. It won’t be Skip Schumaker, who was tabbed to replace Bruce Bochy in Texas last week, but the Giants could still fill their managerial vacancy with another member of the Rangers’ front office.  

Nick Hundley, who served as Posey’s backup catcher in San Francisco from 2017-18, is viewed as the early favorite for the Giants’ opening, according to multiple reports. Hundley, 42, doesn’t have any prior managerial experience, but he caught in the Majors for 12 seasons and has worked as a special assistant to Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young since 2022. 

Posey has tended to staff his inner circle with known associates, as he installed former Giants outfielder Randy Winn as the club’s vice president of player development and brought in Jeff Berry and Bobby Evans -- his former agent and general manager, respectively -- to serve as his advisors last year. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Posey select a former teammate like Hundley to be his next manager, especially since he’ll be looking to establish a long-term partnership that could bring some stability back to the organization. 

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle also reported that former A’s catcher Kurt Suzuki interviewed with the Giants last week. Other candidates who have been linked to the Giants include Guardians associate manager Craig Albernaz, Team USA manager Mark DeRosa and Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello.

2. What about the rest of the coaching staff?

With Melvin out, the Giants’ coaching staff is also expected to undergo significant changes this offseason. Bench coach Ryan Christenson and third-base coach Matt Williams, both of whom followed Melvin from San Diego to San Francisco, aren’t expected to return, and the status of the rest of the staff will likely be up in the air until the Giants’ new manager is in place. 

The Giants empowered Melvin to put together his staff two years ago, but Posey said he'll be more involved in hiring coaches this time around, particularly after the club endured lapses in outfield defense, baserunning and other departments this year. 

“I do think there will be more input, especially with having gone through this a year now and gathering different information,” Posey said. “What we’ve relayed to our coaches is there will be agency through the new manager. We will place a recommendation with the manager, but ultimately they’re free to look at other opportunities as well.”

3. Will the Giants be shopping at the top of the free-agent market again? 

Posey moved quickly and decisively to fill the Giants’ biggest need last offseason, signing the best shortstop on the market -- Willy Adames -- to a seven-year, $182 million deal. But with Adames, Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman and Jung Hoo Lee now locked into big contracts, it seems unlikely that the Giants will be operating with quite the same aggressiveness this winter. 

Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker and Astros left-hander Framber Valdez are among the top free agents who could be a fit for the Giants, but Posey and Co. might be leery of taking on more long-term commitments or targeting players who receive a qualifying offer, which would result in the loss of more Draft picks.

4. Will they re-sign any of their own free agents? 

Justin Verlander, Dominic Smith and Wilmer Flores are soon-to-be free agents, but it remains to be seen if any of them will be back in the fold in 2026.

The Giants should have interest in retaining Verlander, but the 42-year-old right-hander will likely draw multiple offers after recording a 3.85 ERA over 29 starts this year. A reunion with Smith or Flores could be more of a long shot, as the Giants already have Devers and No. 1 prospect Bryce Eldridge projected to split time at first base and designated hitter next season.

To subscribe to Giants Beat, visit this page and mark "Giants Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Giants or that they're checked as your favorite team.

View Online

© 2025 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Please review our Privacy Policy.

You (mlb-newsletters@mlb.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from MLB. 

Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe or log in and manage your email subscriptions.

Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.