Giants offseason preview: Is 2025 bullpen set after breakout seasons?

Giants offseason preview: Is 2025 bullpen set after breakout seasons? originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants finally joined the party in 2024, adding LED lights and spotlight capabilities to Oracle Park to keep up with others around the league. The rollout did not exactly go as expected.

A lot of time and energy was spent creating a show specifically for Camilo Doval’s entrances, but the All-Star closer lost his job early in the second half. When the ballpark operations staff pivoted and started highlighting other relievers, it felt a bit awkward given the team’s overall situation. The most notable lights-related headline of the year came the first time the show was used for Doval.

When Doval took the field for the second night game of the year at Oracle Park, the lights turned off a split-second early. That led to bullpen catcher Alex Burg making an incredible stab of a sizzling fastball in the dark.

Year One of the ballpark upgrades was a work in progress, but the Giants are confident they’ll have a more finely tuned plan in 2025 after a full offseason of testing and planning. They won’t be able to use Doval’s video a second time, though.

Ryan Walker finished the season in the ninth inning and did absolutely nothing that would lead to any type of closer controversy next spring. In general, it could be a very quiet offseason for the group.

The Giants don’t have any notable free agents in their bullpen and have plenty of depth. Buster Posey knows the value of a good group of relievers, and the new president of baseball operations likely won’t have to do much, if anything, to the group this winter.

Here’s part two of NBC Sports Bay Area’s series checking in on Giants position groups:

On the 40-man

There’s some crossover with starting pitching depth here, but the Giants head into the offseason with a roster that includes Tristan Beck, Spencer Bivens, Doval, Sean Hjelle, Trevor McDonald, Erik Miller, Randy Rodriguez, Taylor Rogers, Tyler Rogers, Landen Roupp, Ethan Small, Walker and Austin Warren.

What Went Right

Walker was a star, emerging as one of the league’s top setup men and then becoming even more dominant once he was moved to the ninth. In his second big league season, Walker was second in the NL in appearances to teammate Tyler Rogers and posted a 1.91 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 80 innings. You have to go back to Robb Nen in 1998 to find a Giants reliever who struck out more hitters.

Walker had a 0.92 ERA after becoming the closer, foregoing the usual Giants Torture. Six years after he was a 31st-round pick and not long after he was driving Ubers and working as a locksmith, Walker entered the offseason as the undisputed closer. It’s time for the Giants to create his light show.

While Walker was the best arm in the pen, the group had plenty of breakouts.

Hjelle rewarded Bob Melvin’s spring training faith, posting a 3.63 FIP and turning into a valuable fireman in the middle innings. Miller struck out Shohei Ohtani in all five of their matchups and had a 3.67 FIP in 73 appearances, the most among NL rookies. Randy Rodriguez had a 3.34 FIP and finally found command of his electric fastball.

Tyler Rogers had his usual season and again led the NL in appearances, and twin brother Taylor had a sneaky 2.40 ERA. Roupp, Bivens and Beck all had some big moments when given opportunities.

What Went Wrong

Doval was a revelation in 2021, taking over as the closer late in the year and looking right at home in the biggest games of the season. He saved 27 games in his first full season as a closer and threw jaw-dropping 103 mph cutters. In 2023, he was a National League All-Star, leading the Giants to have long-term extension talks.

Doval entered the 2024 season as one of the organization’s best assets, but he was removed from the ninth inning in August and finished the season with a 4.88 ERA and a career-high 3.71 FIP in 62 appearances. He had a stint back in Triple-A, the result not just of poor command, but also a lack of attention to detail.

Tranquilo Camilo was so overpowering in his first three seasons that the staff never pushed too hard to have him master the intricacies of the game, but that all came back to bite the organization this past season. Doval has never held runners or fielded his position well, and when he started walking additional batters, everything snowballed.

Doval has always had some command issues, but he issued 5.9 walks per nine innings this past season.

There were times when his slider was the only pitch he could trust, and when he had to come back in the zone with a sinker or cutter, hitters feasted. He allowed a .375 average on his sinker and .284 average on his cutter, unfathomable numbers given the velocity on the two pitches.

Prospect to Watch

There was a time not too long ago when the Giants hoped Cole Waites could push his way into the mix, but the right-hander lost most of the last two seasons to injuries. Waites strained his lat just before camp in 2023 and had Tommy John surgery that September. When he was on the mound, though, there were some promising signs. In his first spring appearance in 2023, Waites was sitting 97-99 mph.

Waites is done with the lengthy rehab from Tommy John and is training for next spring. He’s now had more than a full year to rehab and build strength in the rest of his body, and he’s still just 26 years old.

Potential Free Agent Targets

The list of free-agent relievers is a funny one because it seems that half of them have already been Giants. John Brebbia, Luke Jackson, Shelby Miller, Ross Stripling, Mitch White, Scott Alexander, Matt Moore and Steven Okert are among the dozens of free-agent relievers.

At the high end of the market, Tanner Scott, Jeff Hoffman, Clay Holmes and Carlos Estevez should all do pretty well, but there’s no reason for the Giants to commit real resources to the bullpen this offseason. They have lots of reasonably priced depth, although as always, they’ll bring in a few veterans on non-roster deals.

The Big Offseason Question: What’s next for Doval?

If the Giants had dangled Doval a year ago, the return in a trade would have been significant. There still might be some teams out there willing to pay a decent price for someone who isn’t far removed from being a top closer, but the best path forward for the Giants is to hope he rediscovers his form in orange and black.

For all that went on in 2024, the staff isn’t concerned about his long-term outlook. Sometimes a season just spins the wrong way, and the feeling in late September was that Doval simply needed to get back home, wash off a disappointing year, and come back for a fresh start next February. He seems to be taking the offseason seriously, as he has been pitching in the Dominican Winter League.

There aren’t a lot of obvious ways for the Giants to be stronger than the three teams atop their division, but it’s not at all a stretch to think they could have the best bullpen next year. If the 2023 Doval returns and teams up with the 2024 version of Walker, the Giants would have the most overpowering late-game duo in baseball.

The easiest path to more success next season is to lean into a strength that helped Posey win three titles, and make sure games are over if they take a lead into the late innings.

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