San Francisco Giants Will Need Breakthrough Performances To Contend in NL West

Will the San Francisco Giants be able to compete in the NL West in 2025?

Mar 29, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos (17) bats against the Cincinnati Reds in the eighth inning at Great American Ball Park. | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

With the campaign underway for the San Francisco Giants, the team is off to a strong start. 

The Giants were hard to figure out this winter with new leadership and limited moves made. 

Even though San Francisco only added two notable players in free agency, there was reason to believe they could improve. 

Things got off to a positive start for the Giants with a series win against the Cincinnati Reds. Winning the first set of the year on the road is a great start for San Francisco, but they will need to continue to build off that. 

One of the reasons for the franchises' struggles has been because of the excellent competition within their own division. 

The National League West features three teams that are potential playoff contenders this season, with the Giants likely being the team on the outside looking in. However, the hope is that this campaign will be different, and they will be able to compete. 

“The Giants believe their pitching and defense will keep them in games on most nights, but they’ll need more breakthroughs from young players to give them a chance to surprise in 2025,” wrote Maria Guardado of MLB.com.

The addition of Willy Adames to the lineup was a much-needed boost. The offense of San Francisco has struggled for the last several years, and the talented shortstop has the ability to help with that. 

If Adames can be a 30-home-run hitter for the Giants, the unit will be much-improved. However, while the slugger is really talented, he can’t carry an offense by himself. 

Ideally, if the Giants are going to reach their potential, they will need some of their young players to step up, as well. 

Players like Heliot Ramos, Patrick Bailey and Jung Hoo Lee improving is likely what will be needed for the team to reach its potential. 

While San Francisco might still have some concerns about how the offense will perform, they do have a strong defense and a lot of depth in the starting rotation. 

If veterans like Robbie Ray and Justin Verlander can stay healthy and produce up to their capabilities, the Giants could end up having one of the best rotations in baseball. 

Overall, there is reason to believe that San Francisco will be better in 2025, and if they do get that bump from their young players, then they might be able to surprise.