San Francisco Giants fell in rankings too early after Ace opted out

San Francisco Giants found themselves in a difficult position after another disappointing season, just three years removed from winning 107 games.

They have yet to return to that peak performance and many are calling it a fluke.

Another blow to the Giants came when ace Blake Snell refused his contractbecoming a free agent for the second time in as many years and potentially leaving the club if he signed with another club.

Much work remains to be done if San Francisco has any hopes of contending in the NL West next season, potentially the second-best division in baseball, with San Diego Padres and defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers at the top of the group.

In a recent article for AthleticStephen J. Nesbitt, Rustin Dodd and C. Trent Rosecrans all submitted their Major League Baseball power rankings too early heading into 2025, with the Giants ranked 23rd.

“The Giants have several good pieces that could make a difference in the playoffs,” Nesbitt writes, “but they haven’t yet had a superstar under center. Maybe (Buster) Posey will make a splash.”

If the team has any hopes of contending, even for a Wild Card spot, their new president of baseball operations will certainly have to make a splash.

Even though the playoffs are now expanded with three teams entering via the Wild Card, San Francisco still has to worry about getting past one of the Padres or Dodgers, as well as Philadelphia Phillies, New York MetsAnd Atlanta Braves as these five teams must compete in the top five teams in the National League each year.

Losing Snell to another team this offseason would be a huge blow to the Giants’ chances moving forward, even with the emergence of Tyler Fitzgerald and Heliot Ramos and Buster Posey’s extension of Matt Chapman.

Posey and his staff have a lot of work to do next year, and they may have to spend a lot more money than they originally planned to help their weak pitchers.

San Francisco is currently at a crossroads as they try to determine what steps need to be taken to improve their team so they can compete with the top five teams in the National League.

It will be interesting to see what the Giants and Posey decide are the right moves for their team this winter.