SAN FRANCISCO -- At some point, Buster Posey probably will be tempted. He'll be watching Hayden Birdsong throw a bullpen session and get the itch to drop into the squat and frame a few fastballs. He'll be leaning on the cage on a hot day in Scottsdale and wonder how many swings it would take to deposit a homer onto the berm. It'll be the natural reaction for a lead executive who still is just 37 years old. But on a daily basis, Posey will be in comfortable khakis, a quarter-zip and shoes with no spikes on them. He'll be watching the team he now is running, wondering if he was right to have a relatively quiet offseason. Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California

SAN FRANCISCO -- At some point, Buster Posey probably will be tempted. He'll be watching Hayden Birdsong throw a bullpen session and get the itch to drop into the squat and frame a few fastballs. He'll be leaning on the cage on a hot day in Scottsdale and wonder how many swings it would take to deposit a homer onto the berm. It'll be the natural reaction for a lead executive who still is just 37 years old. But on a daily basis, Posey will be in comfortable khakis, a quarter-zip and shoes with no spikes on them. He'll be watching the team he now is running, wondering if he was right to have a relatively quiet offseason. Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California

Had the San Francisco Giants simply hired Buster Posey as their president of basketball operations and did nothing else, it would have been an eventful offseason. As the Giants prepare to start spring training this week, here are the three big questions they must answer before they break camp. The Giants' top prospect, Bryce Eldridge will be at Major League spring training.

Spring training, indeed, is almost here. The San Francisco Giants enter the first year of the Buster Posey era having finished with a record of .500 or worse in the last three seasons. Posey's first offseason saw the Giants add Willy Adames and Justin Verlander and lose Blake Snell, Michael Conforto and Taylor Rogers, but the bulk of last year's roster remains intact — a roster that finished in fourth place. San Francisco won't have any major positional battles going into camp, but that doesn't mean the next month-and-a-half won't be without intrigue.

The San Francisco Giants enter the season with a new-look starting rotation, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a better one. After losing the best pitcher on staff with Blake Snell deciding to part to the Los Angeles Dodgers, things looked bleak. Burnes would have been arguably an immense upgrade from Snell with the ability to go significantly more innings and deeper into games with the reliability to stay on the field Snell doesn't have.

The San Francisco Giants have their work cut out for them to remain competitive in a loaded National League and daunting division. In the NL West, the only reprieve the Giants will have during the 2025 season is when they face off against the Colorado Rockies, who have a zero percent chance of making the playoffs based on some projections. The defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers improved this winter. The Arizona Diamondbacks did as well.

The Los Angeles Dodgers hired former president of baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants, Farhan Zaidi, Monday. Less than an hour after the announcement was made, a Giants radio station, KNBR, commented on Zaidi's reunion with the Dodgers. The irony of the caption is during Zaidi's six seasons in San Francisco, the Giants actually won the NL West Division in 2021 with him as their president of baseball operations.

Farhan Zaidi, who worked as the San Francisco Giants' president of baseball operations from the 2019-2024 seasons, is rejoining the Dodgers' front office.

The San Francisco Giants have some questions to answer during Spring Training. Hayden Birdsong could be the pitcher to make a real difference in the rotation for San Francisco. Birdsong was taken in the sixth round of the 2022 draft out of Eastern Illinois University. The right-handed pitcher spent just one full season in the minor leagues before the Giants decided he was ready to make his debut.

The start of spring training for the 2025 MLB season is days away. Here's what to know before all 30 Major League Baseball teams return to the field.

The New York Mets were nothing short of spectacular in 2024. Not just the good—”OMG, is this real life?”—kind of

The San Diego native played his college ball for the University of San Diego.

Five years ago, when The San Francisco Giants were trying to identify a veteran backup for Buster Posey by sifting among catchers at the end of spring training, team management resorted to a common truth in the industry — you can never have too much catching. Entering this spring training, that still holds true, even as the Giants have a veteran catcher to back up their new star behind the plate. It was obvious Tom Murphy would be the backup to rising defensive standout Patrick Bailey when the Giants signed him to a two-year, $8.25 million contract last winter. Bailey's youth and glove-first skill set would undoubtedly complement Murphy's power bat and veteran expertise.

As the start of Spring Training draws near and the free agency market winds down, there are still players out there hoping to earn contracts for the 2025 season. According to Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 in Houston, Beede and his representatives held a showcase for interested teams to watch him throw, and clubs like the Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals were in attendance.

The San Francisco Giants made some big moves this offseason, the first being their hiring of former star catcher Buster Posey as president of baseball operations. During his career, he helped lead the team to three World Series titles. The addition of shortstop Willy Adames in free agency will certainly help as he addressed a major need in their lineup. Unfortunately for the Giants, that was the only impact addition that was made to their lineup.

With pitchers and catchers set to report soon for the San Francisco Giants, it might still be important for them to make an addition or two before the start of the campaign. Coming into the offseason, the Giants had the clear goal of trying to improve their lineup. The new president of baseball operations, Buster Posey, addressed that right off the bat with the signing of slugging shortstop Willy Adames. Slugging has been hard to come by for a long time in San Francisco, and in an age when everyone is trying to hit home runs, the Giants haven't been able to do that.

Connor Joe is going home, signing a one-year contract with the San Diego Padres. Joe hit .228 with nine homers and 36 RBIs in 123 games for Pittsburgh last year. The San Diego native played his college ball for the University of San Diego.

The San Francisco Giants have their pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training on February 12. Erik Miller is that lefty bullpen arm. Additionally, the 26-year-old ranked in the 92nd percentile in strikeout rate, 85th percentile in whiff rate, 90th percentile in fastball velocity, and his xERA was much lower than his actual ERA. Joey Lucchesi was just signed by the Giants and given an invitation to join them in Arizona.

The San Francisco Giants are still looking for a suitable designated hitter and they could find it in Wilmer Flores as he returns from injury. Wilmer Flores exercised his player option this offseason, so he will be returning to the Bay Area for the 2025 season. In 2024, Flores had an injury-riddled season. Flores slashed .206/.277/.318.

As Spring Training rapidly approaches, the San Francisco Giants still have an opportunity to make a significant move to bolster their roster. While they've made some key additions this offseason, including shortstop Willy Adames and veteran ace Justin Verlander, there's still work to be done if they hope to compete in the highly competitive National League West. Enter Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr., a dynamic talent who could provide the star power the Giants have long been searching for. Given the White Sox's ongoing rebuild and willingness to move Robert for the right price, San Francisco should strike a deal.