The San Francisco Giants’ 2025 campaign ends right where it started: in a holding pattern.

After closing the season with an 81-81 record, the Giants missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year-a bitter pill for a team that had postseason aspirations coming out of spring training. Sunday’s win over the Colorado Rockies might’ve given fans a small parting gift, but less than 24 hours later, the team made it official: Bob Melvin is out as manager.

The move didn’t exactly come out of nowhere. In his final media session of the season, Melvin’s tone did little to hide the writing on the wall.

“It is what it is,” he said. “We’ll see what the next day brings.”

What it brought was an early Monday decision from the front office.

In a statement released later that morning, the Giants announced they had dismissed Melvin as manager. A direct move, with no soft-pedaling.

Team president of baseball operations Buster Posey-yes, that Buster Posey-stepped in with an official comment that underscored the seriousness of the decision. “After meeting with ownership, I met with Bob today to inform him of my decision,” Posey said.

“On behalf of the organization, I want to express my appreciation to Bob for his dedication, professionalism, and class. I wish him all the best.”

Posey went a step further in explaining the logic behind the change: “After careful evaluation, we determined that making a change in leadership was in the best interest of the team,” he added. “The last couple of months have been both disappointing and frustrating for all of us, and we did not perform up to our standards. We now turn our focus to identifying a new leader to guide us forward.”

Translation? The Giants felt stuck-and it showed.

Melvin’s tenure in San Francisco was brief and, ultimately, underwhelming. After a two-year stint with the Padres, and an 11-year run with the Oakland A’s before that, the veteran skipper returned to the Bay Area with high hopes.

But over two seasons in orange and black, the Giants delivered a combined 161-163 record. Close, but not cutting it.

Not in a division that now demands more than just .500 baseball.

For the Giants, this is now more than just about picking a new manager-it’s about defining a new direction.

While names are already being tossed around, including former Giants legend Bruce Bochy who’s currently helming the Texas Rangers, don’t expect any knee-jerk hires. Posey, now leading baseball operations in just his second year in the front office, finds himself at the center of a franchise-defining choice. This hire will be his first managerial decision, and with a discerning eye forged behind the plate for over a decade, he’ll likely take a measured approach to find the right fit.

So here’s where things stand: a .500 team with talent but lacking traction, a fanbase hungry for relevance in October again, and a front office led by a franchise icon who now transitions from clubhouse heartbeat to architect of its future.

The Giants aren’t just searching for a new manager. They’re searching for an identity.