Expectations aren't very high for the San Francisco Giants with less than two weeks until they take the field on Opening Day. There is a sizable gap that exists between the Giants and some of their NL West rivals. The defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers is the team every organization is chasing after reloading this offseason. The Arizona Diamondbacks swiped ace Corbin Burnes away from San Francisco in free agency and landed Josh Naylor in a trade with the Cleveland Guardians.

Pablo Sandoval and Justin Verlander know their shared history. More than a decade after their historic encounter in San Francisco, Sandoval has no intentions of bringing up the past. “I don't bring it up,” said Sandoval, a guest instructor with the Giants this spring. Sandoval, of course, is referring to Game 1 of the 2012 World Series against the Detroit Tigers, a night where he joined Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson and Albert Pujols as the only  players to hit three home runs in a single World Series game.

You could almost see the wheels churning in Pablo Sandoval's head as he looked down at the dirt on Saturday morning. The Giants were between rounds of batting practice and he had stepped out from behind the cage to help collect baseballs. The popular former Giants third baseman played a few weeks in Dubai earlier this year and plans to suit up for the Staten Island FerryHawks for a second straight summer. In the meantime, Sandoval is trying a different role.

The Giants will display some of their top prospects on Saturday night as part of Major League Baseball's “Spring Breakout,” a list of names featuring Carson Whisenhunt, James Tibbs III and Jhonny Level, among plenty others. Bryce Eldridge, the Giants' top prospect, will miss the exhibition against the Texas Rangers' top prospects due to left hand soreness.

The San Francisco Giants have remained relatively healthy this spring. The only really major injury so far has been to catcher Tom Murphy, who is dealing with a mid-back disc herniation. Manager Bob Melvin also stated this wrist issue will keep him out for a few more days. Eldridge has already missed a few games so far this spring nursing his wrist, something that had a relatively low level of concern in the beginning.

San Francisco Giants reliever Camilo Doval is looking to bounce back in 2025, and he knows exactly who has his back—Buster Posey. The franchise legend, now a key figure in the Giants' front office, expressed confidence in Doval's ability to return to form after a rocky 2024 season. Posey's support means a lot to Doval, who worked closely with the former catcher during his rookie season in 2021. Doval emerged as one of baseball's top closers in 2023, leading the National League in saves and earning an All-Star nod.

San Francisco Giants reliever Camilo Doval is looking to bounce back in 2025, and he knows exactly who has his back—Buster Posey. The franchise legend, now a key figure in the Giants' front office, expressed confidence in Doval's ability to return to form after a rocky 2024 season. Posey's support means a lot to Doval, who worked closely with the former catcher during his rookie season in 2021. Doval emerged as one of baseball's top closers in 2023, leading the National League in saves and earning an All-Star nod.

Luis Matos had a concrete plan in place when traveled to his native Venezuela to play winter ball, one that was equal parts simple and necessary: swing at good pitches. With that goal in place, Matos won Rookie of the Year for Tiburones de La Guaira in the Venezuela Winter League, hitting .300 with 10 home runs and 41 RBIs.

It's a new era for the San Francisco Giants beginning this season, and there is clearly an urgency to win sooner rather than later. Ownership let their displeasure be known with the firing of Farhan Zaidi following five missed postseasons during his six years at the helm, replacing him with someone who knows more than anyone what it takes to win in the Bay Area — franchise legend Buster Posey. In his first offseason at the helm, Posey went out and gave the largest contract in franchise history to the Giants new franchise shortstop, showing he clearly has the license from his bosses to make aggressive moves in the pursuit of making the team better. Of course locking down Willy Adames is nice, but the position San Francisco was widely expected to make a huge move was the starting rotation.

Luis Matos had a concrete plan in place when traveled to his native Venezuela to play winter ball, one that was equal parts simple and necessary: swing at good pitches. With that goal in place, Matos won Rookie of the Year for Tiburones de La Guaira in the Venezuela Winter League, hitting .300 with 10 home runs and 41 RBIs.

The San Francisco Giants have quite the list of veterans on their team, with five hitters on their projected Opening Day lineup having five or more years of MLB service time, and four of their five projected starting rotation pitchers having the same stipulation. One of these critical veterans is first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. who has been with the Giants since 2021, and has continued to improve in his time with the team. During this past offseason San Francisco was able to avoid arbitration and come to an agreement with Wade, giving him a one-year, $5 million deal with the entirety of it being guaranteed for the 2025 season. Now, is he worth that amount to the Giants is the question that has to be asked, or would they rather let him go?

Giants outfielder Luis Matos is making a compelling case to be included in San Francisco's Opening Day roster with a standout spring performance.

The division preview pods roll on as Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman preview the NL West. Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman breakdown the 2025 season outlook for the Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Just about every morning, the televisions in the Giants' clubhouse at Scottsdale Stadium feature a portrait of “first down champ,” an honor that goes to the pitcher who throws the highest percentage of strikes in the previous day's game. On Wednesday morning, a teenaged Justin Verlander at Goochland High School graced the televisions. “I'll take full credit for that one,” said pitching coach J.P. Martinez of the photos. Martinez and his coaching staff challenged the Giants to be the most aggressive pitching staff at attacking the strike zone during spring training.

Some of MLB's champions were better than others this millennium.

Phil Castellini was right all along. Where were you gonna go? If you don’t believe him, try to get a ticket for Opening Day on March 27.

The San Francisco Giants haven't had a ton of success on the field over the last few years, missing the playoffs in three straight seasons and seven out of the last eight. There is a lot of talent to get excited about on this year's roster after new president of baseball operations Buster Posey added some impact talent to the mix this offseason in an attempt to get this franchise back into contender status. Who is going to help elevate the team's performance this year? Here are four players who could represent the team in the 2025 All-Star Game.

Robbie Ray has made the most of his fresh start this spring. The former Cy Young winner missed his first camp with the Giants — and the first three and a half months of last season —  recovering from Tommy John surgery. Ray, 33, arrived in Arizona last month healthy and is looking every bit like the pitcher who won a combined 25 games and struck out nearly 500 batters in 2021 and 2022 with the Blue Jays and Mariners, respectively. The lefty delivered 4 1/3 strong innings on Thursday against the Texas Rangers, allowing just three hits and two earned run while striking out eight batters on 65 pitches.

When the Giants and Cleveland Guardians lined up for the national anthem on Wednesday in Goodyear, there were quite a few head nods and waves across the field. On the home side, manager Stephen Vogt stood alongside Craig Albernaz, who became his associate manager after years in San Francisco as the bullpen coach. To Albernaz's right was Guardians field coordinator Kai Correa, who previously was the bench coach for Gabe Kapler and briefly replaced him at the end of the 2023 MLB season.

When the Giants and Cleveland Guardians lined up for the national anthem on Wednesday in Goodyear, there were quite a few head nods and waves across the field. On the home side, manager Stephen Vogt stood alongside Craig Albernaz, who became his associate manager after years in San Francisco as the bullpen coach. To Albernaz's right was Guardians field coordinator Kai Correa, who previously was the bench coach for Gabe Kapler and briefly replaced him at the end of the 2023 MLB season.