Giants limp into home opener ready to showcase overhauled roster after eventful offseason
The San Francisco Giants come into their home opener Friday against the San Diego Padres looking to rebound from a rough start to the regular season following multiple offseason acquisitions and some questionable public relations decisions.
Update: Thairo Estrada hits walk-off double, Giants beat San Diego in home opener
The team on paper looks to be more competitive than its 2023 season which ended with a late-season collapse and a 4th place finish, a second consecutive season out of playoff contention, and the firing of manager Gabe Kapler with three games remaining in the regular season.
It will be the home managing debut for former Giants player and former Oakland A's manager Bob Melvin who was brought in to replace Kapler after a two-year stint as the Padres manager. The Palo Alto native signed a three-year contract in October 2023.
New faces across the lineup
The Giants also overhauled their roster, adding several big-name players after initially looking like they would miss out on the free agent sweepstakes The results haven't been immediate, San Francisco comes into the home opener with a 2-5 record. After splitting the season-opening series in San Diego, San Francisco was swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers and their murderers' row lineup of star players, including prize free-agent signing Shohei Ohtani.
During the free agency period, the Giants were seen as one of the front-runners to sign Ohtani. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said the team's offer was "very comparable if not identical" to the record $700 million, 10-year contract the Japanese two-way star agreed to with the Giants' rivals.
The miss on Ohtani brought up memories of last year's failed full-court press to sign superstar slugger and NorCal native Aaron Judge before he ultimately re-signed with the New York Yankees. As the free agent signings by other teams continued in the offseason, Giants fans began losing hope the roster would be improved.
In December, San Francisco broke through and signed Korean superstar Jung Hoo Lee, who initially was seen as the consolation prize for losing out on Ohtani. Shortly after, 2021 Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray was acquired in a trade with the Seattle Mariners. Fans were lukewarm on the signing, considering Ray missed nearly the entire 2023 season because of injury and likely won't be available until the second half of the season after Tommy John surgery on his elbow.
The outlook began to change in January with the signing of hard-throwing right-hander Jordan Hicks to bolster the starting rotation. In February, the Giants landed free agent slugger Jorge Soler, an All-Star for the Miami Marlins last season. In March, the Giants signed former All-Star Matt Chapman, considered the top free-agent position player still available at the time. With the signing, the former Oakland A's fan favorite is reunited with his former manager; he told Giants fans he was ready to take care of unfinished business being built with the A's before he was let go.
The Giants' offseason business was also unfinished. San Francisco closed out the free agency period with a flourish, signing the reigning Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell just nine days before the start of the regular season.
Troubling departures
There were also some big-name departures, none bigger than the team's longest-tenured player Brandon Crawford, the last remaining link to the Giants World Series teams. Crawford signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in February; in a subsequent interview, he said he would have preferred to remain with the team he grew up rooting for, but "I was not wanted back."
Another departure that rankled fans was that of beloved public address announcer Renel Brooks-Moon after 24 years. The Giants said the team and Brooks-Moon "amicably agreed to part ways" after failing to reach agreement on a contract extension. However, other reports said friends of Brooks-Moon indicated she was forced out of the organization over her outspokenness against the political activity of the team's majority owner Charles Johnson, and on other social justice issues.
Brooks-Moon was one of baseball's first Black female PA announcers and the Giants have named the booth at Oracle Park in her honor.
Another move that left a sour taste was the handling of former 3rd baseman J.D. Davis after the team signed Chapman. The Giants released Davis in March a month after he beat the team in salary arbitration, using a loophole in the collective bargaining agreement that allowed the team to pay Davis just over $1.1 million in termination pay rather than a $6.9 million salary.
To round out the PR gaffes, the Giants last week backtracked on a plan for replacing fans' memorial tiles at McCovey Cove after an angry backlash. Fans bought the tiles decades ago and in many cases, they had inscriptions paying tribute to family members. Some 6,000 tiles were moved as part of construction at the park across the cove from Oracle Park and families were told the tiles would be displayed on a digital kiosk.
Following fans' furious blowback, the team reversed course and now says it will find a new place for the tiles.
Reminders of glory days
This spring also saw another Giants fan favorite and World Series hero Pablo Sandoval make an appearance as a non-roster invitee after two years out of the league. When it became apparent he wouldn't make the team, fans at Oracle Park saluted him during his final appearance in a Giants uniform during the final spring training game against the A's.
Other reminders of past glories fans will see at the ballpark are two of the newest members of the coaching staff. Former Giants slugger and perennial All-Star Matt Williams has returned to the team as the 3rd base coach, reuniting with his former teammate Melvin after a stint with the Padres when Melvin was manager. Former Giant 2010 World Series champion Pat Burrell, a graduate of San Jose's Bellarmine College Prep, also rejoined the team as a hitting coach.
Another Giants great who has returned to the team this season is former manager Dusty Baker. The three-time Manager of the Year led five different teams to division titles and took the Giants to the World Series in 2002; 20 years later, he guided the Houston Astros to a World Series win. After retiring from the Astros, the Giants hired Baker in January as a special adviser to baseball operations, similar to a position he held with the team from 2018 to 2019.
With the A's now appearing to be headed out of town after this season, the Giants have the Bay Area market to themselves. On Opening Day at the home ballpark, as optimism reigns supreme, the Giants hope to begin righting the ship following their shaky start and eventful offseason.
