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.
Play of the season so far goes to catching coach Alex Burg. There were some very worried relievers when the lights turned off during Camilo Doval’s last warmup pitch, but Burg caught it: pic.twitter.com/vr4gXP6E7L
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) April 23, 2024
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…