“My message is that I hear you on your frustration. There’s a lot of frustration on our end as well. We’ve underperformed the way that we have this year, and, you know, hang in there.” That’s what Buster Posey told reporters back on June 24. As of last night, though, there was nothing left to hang on to.

The San Francisco Giants had a roster worthy of contention, but their expensive season has come to an abrupt end. The Giants were three outs away from completing their first three-game sweep of the season against the Cincinnati Reds in late August. Instead, they suffered the worst ninth-inning collapse in the club’s history. Then, after the Atlanta Braves’ win on Monday, the Giants fell too far behind to make the postseason. With a 61-85 record, they have now officially seen their chances of playing October baseball come to an end.

“Due to tiebreaker procedures, the San Francisco Giants were eliminated from playoff contention last night,” FOX Sports: MLB updated on X. “This is the fifth consecutive year that the Giants have missed the postseason.”

San Francisco is 13th in the league with a $191 million payroll this year. After losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2021 NLDS, the Giants failed to make the playoffs over the next four years. In fact, they posted a .500 or worse winning percentage during that span. So when they significantly increased their payroll this year, it was less about rebuilding and more about contending. But throughout the season, hardly anything has clicked for them, and they have suffered the same fate once again.

The Giants are fourth in the NL West. The Colorado Rockies, sitting right behind them with a 55-89 record, have already been eliminated. The D-backs defeated the Kansas City Royals 5-3 on September 8, improving to 78-68 on the season. That puts them 17.5 games ahead of the Giants, with both teams having played 146 games. That means even if San Francisco wins all of its remaining games and Arizona loses all of its remaining games, the Giants would still finish behind their divisional rivals. So, mathematically, there is no chance of San Francisco reaching the postseason.

But this wasn’t the result of a single game or a bad stretch. Although their overall batting average ranks 21st in MLB at .247, they also have one of the worst ERAs in the league at 4.35 this year. The combination of inconsistent offense and poor pitching helps explain their -73 run differential.

And this has been the case for almost the entire season. The Giants got off to a concerning 3-8 start. They built some momentum after that, but soon fell to 6-12. By the end of May, they were 23-36, and San Francisco entered the All-Star break with a 41-55 record. They also have the worst ninth-inning ERA in MLB at 6.11 and a 13-25 record in one-run games. Those numbers perfectly reflect just how much they have struggled.

What was more concerning is that they have never won more than 3 games in a row, and they have swept an opponent only once this season, though not in the usual way. 

They had two consecutive wins against the Atlanta Braves back in June, but their rubber game was rescheduled for August. They triumphed in that game, making it a moral victory, but it hardly changed anything for the season. 

But now that they are out of contention, San Francisco can freely experiment with the lineup and rotation. 

Buster Posey has to turn the reset into 2027 contention

Although the elimination was confirmed just last night, people hardly expected them to have a huge turnaround after having a disappointing first half, and the front office was well aware of the situation. That’s why they made a lot of changes at the trade deadline. 

They acquired RHPs Ramon Marquez and Marty Gair from the Philadelphia Phillies. Marquez was the No. 4 prospect in the Phillies’ pipeline. They also brought in San Diego Padres’ No. 4 prospect Miguel Mendez (right-hander) alongside shortstop Joniel Hernandez. Addtionally, they brought in New York Yankees’ No. 5 Henry LaLane and No. 13 Kaeden Kent. The Giants also acquired RHP Anthony Molina from the Atlanta Braves. 

But their biggest transaction was trading away Erik Miller and Carlos Gutierrez in exchange for infielder Marcelo Mayer. The 23-year-old, however, has yet to play as he is on the injured list due to a left forearm stress reaction and a right foot bone bruise. 

Meanwhile, the Giants have also drafted some promising youngsters like Jackson Flora, who was the fourth overall pick. Josuar Gonzalez, Luis Hernandez, and Jhonny Level are also some notable prospects in their current farm system. 

And now, Buster Posey has enough talent at his disposal, but San Francisco didn’t struggle because of a lack of talent. They already have stars such as Logan Webb, Willy Adames, and veteran Matt Chapman, among others. However, they haven’t been able to perform well enough as a team, while the roster has also been hampered by injuries.

It remains to be seen how the president of baseball operations would find a solution and move ahead.