Predicting The 2025 Opening Day Roster

I like AJ Minter also.

This is such an important part of planning when you’ll spend and why it sucks they didn’t go over in ‘23 or ‘24. They had a ton of money coming off this year: Sale, Jansen, Martin, Pivetta, etc. Now, the next time they have real money coming off the books is after ‘27 with Story and Yoshida. Extremely thin needle to thread if they want to go over now and avoid the 3rd year tax, not quite impossible but close

It would be awesome if Abreu could pitch a few relief innings, or Refsnyder could play 1B now and again.  But neither seem to happen.  Given Cora's tendency to throw out anyone at 2B with a pulse, it's a pretty fair bet that this particular management crew is not going to put Tyler O'Neill in at 1B.  (Not the least issue on the table being that if that is a viable option, they should be fired for not doing it this past season.)

Other than that, as I've said before, possibly upthread, the issue isn't getting a RHH because they look sexy on one side of the dish. . .the issue is getting a hitter of any handedness who can hit LHP for a high average and with power.  (Also, for those greybeards among us who like to live in the past, it would actually look sexy if some RHHs could pepper the wall or get a Fenway effect like Bill Mueller.)

I think the solution is the roster itself, and it will probably prove stickier than people think.  

Refsnyder is the RHH OF who is the bridge/backup for Anthony, who has no discernible platoon split.  Your RHH power-guy is Campbell, who can fill that MI/OF role.  And/or Grissom, who will be the primary 2B.  

The problem people have in terms of proposing trades is this: we have a number of prospects that seem to be on the verge of contributing as ML regular starters.  And for the purposes of our discussion, we'll include players like Priester, Quinn, and Rafaela, whether or not they're technically "prospects."  The trick is the same as it always is - assessing who can actually be a net impact player at the ML level and trading to otherwise augment the team.  But I don't really see any glaring holes here, given that we have guys we haven't seen (Giolitto and Hendriks, notably) already on the 40 man.  Assuming Giolitto opts in, which I imagine he will.  

In terms of actual absolute needs?  I think it's only a bullpen arm or two.  

In terms of what we'd like to have?  A guaranteed output upgrade player or two would be nice.  Meaning we trade a question mark with more control for consistency with shorter control.  That could happen in a few places.  But probably only a few, considering established output players tend to be either in their final arb seasons or FAs on contracts.  But if the team is going to be competitive next year and 5 years out, they're going to have to hold on to and break in their younger players.  That's just an absolute must.  

In terms of a Casas (or 1B) backup. . .that's burned them for several years in a row now, back into the Dalbec at 1B era, with Turner being the only real safety net they have had, and ironically in the year where they needed it the least. 

Preferable to having the team implode when they can't finish games for half the season, tho

Very intrigued by a bullpen of:

Hendricks
Slaten
Scott
Martin
Whitlock
Minter
Guerrero

With Weissert, Kelly, Bernardino, Booser, Penrod, Winckowski as depth. Breslow did say that the bullpen needs to be rebuilt, and this would certainly qualify.

Unless they do some two step moves of trading a guy then signing a guy at the same position (which almost never happens), then realistically they're going to be shopping in the overpriced reliever bin if they're going to spend $60 million this offseason

Wikelman I think for sure could start that transition, and I think you can even maybe make an argument for Sandlin, but I wouldn't do it with Wehunt or Mullins yet just because I'm not sure they have the raw stuff to justify throwing away a chance at starting, and I certainly wouldn't do it with Dobbins who looks like he could be a potential back-end guy as soon as 2025.

Doesn't seem like they have any interest in moving a guy to the pen unless he's not good enough to make his minor league team's rotation or if he's one month away from debuting in the majors as a reliever.

Yeah, listen to Brian Abraham on the podcast last week. Sounded like they are very committed to moving Penrod back into the rotation to start the year, never mind guys who haven't pitched in relief yet.

If they think there's a chance a guy can start, he's going to keep starting. Look no further than Crawford and Houck as different versions of this. Dobbins was a guy we discussed who improved his chances of starting this year.

Like yeah, it'd be swell to develop Jhoan Duran but they also didn't move Joe Ryan into the bullpen unnecessarily either.

Something will have to give in Worcester then because this site's projections have Penrod in the bullpen (not a criticism of SP, just noting) and six guys already penciled in for the rotation before any additions, including Wikelman.

I feel pretty strongly that they should move to convert him but I won't throw a fit if they continue to wait because that aligns with their development philosophy. 

I wonder if we'll see another strategy similar to what Breslow did at the deadline to fill out some of the bullpen spots. I'd hope, given that deadline prices are probably higher than offseason prices, you can go get some arms with either a little more established production or a little more upside. I'm not sure how competitive the Giants really plan on being next year, but I'd certain inquire on their bullpen arms.