{"id":291036,"date":"2025-11-14T11:44:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T11:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/291036\/"},"modified":"2025-11-14T11:44:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T11:44:08","slug":"moneyball-weekly-the-san-francisco-giants-and-the-art-of-mediocrity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/291036\/","title":{"rendered":"Moneyball Weekly: The San Francisco Giants and the art of mediocrity\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The 2021 San Francisco Giants remains one of the weirdest flukes in recent sports history. A team that hadn\u2019t made the playoffs since 2016 suddenly won 107 games, the fourth most by a team since 2000.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Since then, they\u2019ve gone 321-327 and haven\u2019t made the playoffs. The old core all left or declined with age, and only Logan Webb remains from that team.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"696\" height=\"391\" data-attachment-id=\"162082\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/dailycampus.com\/2025\/11\/14\/moneyball-weekly-the-san-francisco-giants-and-the-art-of-mediocrity\/orange-from-thursday-channel\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dailycampus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Orange-from-Thursday-Channel.jpg?fit=958%2C538&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"958,538\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Orange from Thursday Channel\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dailycampus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Orange-from-Thursday-Channel.jpg?fit=300%2C168&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dailycampus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Orange-from-Thursday-Channel.jpg?fit=696%2C391&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Orange-from-Thursday-Channel.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-162082\"  \/>San Francisco Giants players pose in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. From 2022-2025, San Francisco ranked 22nd in Major League Baseball. Photo courtesy of @sfgiants on Instagram<\/p>\n<p>From 2022-2025, San Francisco (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fangraphs.com\/leaders\/major-league?pos=all&amp;stats=bat&amp;lg=all&amp;qual=0&amp;type=1&amp;season=2025&amp;month=1000&amp;season1=2025&amp;ind=0&amp;team=0%2Cts&amp;rost=&amp;age=&amp;filter=&amp;players=0&amp;startdate=2022-03-01&amp;enddate=2025-11-01&amp;sortcol=8&amp;sortdir=default&amp;pagenum=1#:~:text=.389-,.700,-.153\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">.700 OPS)<\/a> ranked 22nd in Major League Baseball, and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fangraphs.com\/leaders\/major-league?pos=all&amp;lg=all&amp;qual=0&amp;type=8&amp;season=2025&amp;season1=2025&amp;ind=0&amp;team=0%2Cts&amp;rost=&amp;age=&amp;filter=&amp;players=0&amp;startdate=2022-03-01&amp;enddate=2025-11-01&amp;month=1000&amp;sortcol=16&amp;sortdir=default&amp;stats=sta#:~:text=94.3-,4.03,-4.04\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">4.03 ERA<\/a> from starters and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fangraphs.com\/leaders\/major-league?pos=all&amp;lg=all&amp;qual=0&amp;type=8&amp;season=2025&amp;season1=2025&amp;ind=0&amp;team=0%2Cts&amp;rost=&amp;age=&amp;filter=&amp;players=0&amp;startdate=2022-03-01&amp;enddate=2025-11-01&amp;month=1000&amp;sortcol=16&amp;sortdir=default&amp;stats=rel#:~:text=94.9-,3.87,-3.73\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">3.87<\/a> from relievers ranked 14th and 12th respectively. The team has been painstakingly mediocre in almost every facet of the game.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>After a rough 2022 driven by an offensive drop off, the team planned to sign a strong bat from a strong free agent class. A report went out that the Giants had come to a deal with reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge, but it turned out to be false, and he\u2019d re-sign with the New York Yankees the following day. Just a week later, starting pitcher Carlos Rod\u00f3n left the team to join Judge in the Bronx.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Things finally looked up when it was announced that San Francisco had come to terms with shortstop Carlos Correa on a long-term deal. But suddenly, his introductory press conference got canceled, as the team found an issue with his physical exam and wanted to renegotiate the contract.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Correa\u2019s camp moved on, with the New York Mets having the same issue before he eventually returned to the Minnesota Twins.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>San Francisco struck out on everybody, and the time it has taken left nobody for it to sign anymore, making the 2022 offseason a complete disaster.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The scraps it gathered weren\u2019t enough, and the team finished 79-83 in 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The 2023 offseason was better, signing third baseman Matt Chapman and centerfielder Jung Hoo Lee, as well as trading for two starting pitchers in Robbie Ray and reigning NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell. But signing those stars led to the team not addressing depth, resulting in an 80-82 season, and Snell left in the offseason.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>President of Baseball operations Farhan Zaidi was dismissed, and Buster Posey was promoted in his place. While Posey signed Willy Adames to a notable contract, he made no other significant moves, leading to an 81-81 finish this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>San Francisco simply hasn\u2019t been able to sign its next offensive star. It\u2019s hard to blame the old regime for certain players just choosing to go elsewhere, and the team\u2019s luck with that has been poor. But the response was never to make a trade; Zaidi\u2019s team always seemed to give up on improving the offense once the notable free agents were gone. Without those free agents, combined with no prospects blossoming, there hasn\u2019t been any chance for the offense to get better.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If there\u2019s any positive from the team\u2019s middling 2025, it\u2019s that Posey has shown that those ways could be left in the past.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One of San Francisco\u2019s biggest trades in recent history came this past June, when it acquired Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox. Devers has had an OPS of .850 or better each of the last five years, and with a contract through 2033, he could be the Giants\u2019 big bat.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Posey also sold off parts at the deadline, another rarity in the Zaidi era.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The offseason rumor mill is starting to pick up steam, so Giants fans can look toward it with the hope that Posey eyes another bat to go alongside Devers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Giants\u2019 second basemen this season posted a .617 OPS, one of the lowest marks in the league, signaling a need for an upgrade.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>San Francisco relies on groundball-inducing pitching, so any infield addition will need quality defense.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Arizona Diamondbacks are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/mlb\/columnist\/bob-nightengale\/2025\/11\/10\/mlb-free-agency-trade-rumors-gm-meetings\/87190324007\/#:~:text=%E2%80%93%20Arizona%20Diamondbacks%20All%2DStar%20second%20baseman%20Ketel%20Marte%3A%20The%20Diamondbacks%20will%20ask%20for%20a%20lot%20in%20return%2C%20but%20they%20are%20definitely%20motivated%20in%20moving%20him%20with%20%2471%20million%20remaining%20through%202030.%20If%20they%20don%E2%80%99t%20move%20him%20by%20mid%2DApril%2C%20Marte%20will%20have%2010%2Dand%2D5%20rights%20and%20a%20full%20no%2Dtrade%20provision.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">reportedly motivated to move Ketel Marte<\/a>, who\u2019d check both boxes for the team. They\u2019d be taking on the remaining $71 million through 2030, but it could be the exact player the team needs if Arizona will trade in division. If not, Brendan Donovan from the St. Louis Cardinals may be available.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>San Francisco also needs a corner outfielder. Kyle Tucker would be the perfect fit, but as the top free agent it\u2019ll be competitive and costly. Taylor Ward, Jarren Duran and Steven Kwan are three additional trade options. If new manager Tony Vitello is willing to move Bryce Eldridge to the outfield full-time, Pete Alonso could become an option at first base.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>With <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/news\/seidler-family-to-explore-strategic-options-for-san-diego-padres\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Padres\u2019 ownership potentially selling<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BNightengale\/status\/1989018852316086571\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">some GMs believe Fernando Tatis Jr. could be available.<\/a> Tatis would be a perfect fit, but he\u2019d cost a lot and carries a hefty contract.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s unlikely they\u2019ll get the top option in both positions, but they need to improve both regardless.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Webb and Ray will get the job done, but the team needs a middle-of-the-rotation arm as well. Edward Cabrera, Michael King and Joe Ryan are MLB-proven options, with the NPB\u2019s Tatsuya Imai being another potential fit.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If Posey continues with the trends he\u2019s set so far, the Giants could finally see their weaknesses be mended.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But if things go awry again, there\u2019s little reason to think the 2026 season will be any different than the last four before it.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2021 San Francisco Giants remains one of the weirdest flukes in recent sports history. A team that&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":291037,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[363,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-291036","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-mlb","9":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=291036"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291036\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/291037"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=291036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=291036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=291036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}