Willy Adames was a great start, so we thought.

It starting to look like the star shortstop in his prime Adames and soon to be 42 year-old Justin Verlander are it for the San Francisco Giants 2025 offseason haul. Maybe Verlander was right when he said he still has it and wants to pitch until age 45. The Giants seem to think so given their enthusiasm at the future Hall of Famers’ teleconference the other day. It makes me think he’ll be the number two starter in their eyes, but it’s not 2015, so I’m skeptical. Verlander is a risky flier to me. Upside, but certainly not to be counted on. Robbie Ray is still coming back fully from Tommy John Surgery, Jordan Hicks is better utilized in the bullpen and two unproven but potentially solid arms round out the probable 2025 rotation in Kyle Harrison and Hayden Birdsong. Jack Flaherty, a West Coast guy who last pitched for the Dodgers in the World Series should be an option as a free agent at a reasonable cost. Astros stud Framber Valdez and Mariners ace Luis Castillo are rumored to be on the block but the Giants don’t likely have the pieces to pull off a deal. The bullpen could use another arm, unless Hicks moves back there as he did at the end of last season after tiring as a starter. Hicks in the 7th, a revamped Camillo Doval in the 8th and funky fireballer Ryan Walker closing would be a solid back end of the pen. It doesn’t sound like the Giants will do that or pursue a veteran pen arm like Tanner Scott.

Offensively, the Giants are screaming for another stick especially at first base. Lamont Wade Jr. was a cool story in 2021. He gets on base. He also gets hurt and lacks the power of a traditional first baseman and the Giants don’t make that power up anywhere in the line up. Pete Alonso isn’t coming to cavernous Oracle Park on a make good deal. Right field is another line up sore spot. Mike Yastrzemski is too hot and cold for me at the plate, so despite his solid defense, the Giants need an upgrade. Reportedly they tried for All-Star Kyle Tucker of the Astros who was dealt to the Cubs. Seya Suzuki of the Cubs, a solid right fielder who doesn’t now want to DH with the addition of Tucker in Chicago was said to be on the market, nothing. Juan Soto? Stop it.

So here we are. It’s doubtful they’ll be any late offseason signings like the last two Farhan years and that’s not a bad thing, lessons learned.

The Giants watched mostly this offseason as the Dodgers added Blake Snell, the Diamondbacks snagged Corbin Burnes and San Diego and LA will duke it out for young Japanese star Roki Sasaki. The NL West, already the best division in the National League, if not baseball got better. The Giants likely did not. We’ll hear all spring about player development. About how Harrison, Birdsong and a number of young Giants pitchers are ready. They’ll gush over Heliot Ramos’ All-Star first half last season while ignoring his post break struggles. Jung Hoo Lee? He’s healthy, better and more prepared in his second year they’ll say. He was fun to watch and has an infectious smile, but he also had a .641 OPS and a .262 batting average as a rookie, not overly encouraging for the money spent. This will be the year Luis Matos puts it together after a solid season in winter ball we’ll hear. They better be right, because fans will soon separate Buster the player from Buster the executive.