3 moves new Giants president Buster Posey needs to make to recapture the Even Year Magic

After a third straight lackluster season, the San Francisco Giants are shaking things up in a major way. Out is president Farhan Zaidi. In is a familiar, if inexperienced, face: Franchise icon Buster Posey, who previously sat on the team's board and will now jump into its top baseball ops role despite zero previous front office experience.

Posey is now tasked with helping turn around an organization that's been largely adrift since his retirement. San Francisco has missed the playoffs in seven of the last eight seasons, and finished fourth or worse in the NL West four times over that span.

Even beyond the results on the field has been a larger identity crisis: From Bryce Harper to Aaron Judge to Shohei Ohtani, the Giants have been desperately searching for star power for the better part of a decade now — and fallen short each time.

Is Posey the man to bring that mojo back? He may not have held a front office title before, but he's been increasingly involved with the Giants' inner workings, even sealing the Matt Chapman extension just a few weeks ago. His name still carries a certain cache in league circles, and he was renowned for his intelligence and locker room presence as a player. That said, this is a tricky job, and if the Chapman deal is any indication, there doesn't seem to be a ton of appetite for a full-scale rebuild.

How can Posey get his old team back to its winning ways? Here are three places to start.

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1. Finally, at long last, land a star hitter

Easier said than done, but the lack of a true impact bat is the most glaring need on this roster. San Francisco had seven different regulars with an OPS+ above league average in 2024; competence is not the problem. Greatness is, and has been for years now — this team is desperately lacking a foundation to build upon.

The most obvious answer is to sign Juan Soto, and recent reports suggest the Giants will try their hardest. But, well, we'll believe they can convince a star to come to Oracle Park when we see it. If Soto is a no-go, what's the Plan B? Cody Bellinger if he opts out of Chicago? Former NL West nemesis Christian Walker?

Whatever happens, this team cannot go into 2025 without at least one All-Star-caliber bat in its lineup if it wants to compete.

2. Do whatever you have to do to convince Blake Snell to stay

There are reasons to be optimstic about the Giants rotation in 2025. Logan Webb remains a stalwart. Kyle Harrison will have another year of experience under his belt. Maybe Robbie Ray will be fully healthy two years removed from Tommy John. Hayden Birdsong flashed real upside down the stretch of this season. But while there's plenty to talk yourself into there, it's a list short on known quantities beyond Webb.

Landing another no-doubt starter to pair with him would help everything else click into place, and the natural answer is Snell, who will retest the market again this winter after a bizarre free agency last time around. San Francisco is a good place to pitch, and the Giants have the benefit of familiarity — and the good will that comes from being the team that was willing to finally go the extra mile for him during this spring's standoff.

With Webb and Snell atop the rotation, you can talk yourself into a quality five developing here.

3. Sign Ha-Seong Kim (and give the youngsters every chance to play)

Posey's first priority is to try and field a winner in 2025. But any good executive has to keep the future in mind, and for the Giants, that means two names: Top first base prospect Bryce Eldridge, who reached Triple-A as a 19-year-old this season, and former top prospect Marco Luciano, who curiously couldn't find playing time in the Majors even down the stretch of a lost season.

Chapman is ensconced at third, and Tyler Fitzgerald has done enough to try and earn the everyday shortstop job. First and second, meanwhile, are openings that you'd hope Luciano and eventually Eldridge would be able to fill. Until that happens, though, signing Kim as a stopgap makes a lot of sense.

The utility man has experience with manager Bob Melvin in San Diego, and he's a decent bat who can play better-than-decent defense anywhere in the infield. Maybe he plays second if Luciano's defense doesn't develop; maybe he forms a shortside platoon with LaMonte Wade Jr. at first while Eldridge gets some more seasoning in the Minors. He's exactly the kind of player who can plug holes anywhere you need without blocking anyone more important to the franchise's future, which would make him a great fit.