After a third-straight season in which they missed the playoffs despite trying to go all-in over the winter, the Giants fired former president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and replaced him with legendary catcher Buster Posey. It’s anything but a soft landing for the Giants icon.

Posey is tasked with taking a fourth-place team in the most stacked division in baseball and turning them into a contender. And if revamping the current roster isn’t tough enough, the Giants must also figure out whether their most dominant pitcher will be re-joining them for the new season.

Two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell signed a two-year deal with the Giants after an elongated free agency sweepstakes a year ago. He struggled early on, but was so dominant from July onward that he exercised his opt-out clause, and is now a free agent once again.

Recently, Zachary D. Rymer picked the Boston Red Sox to sign Snell over the Giants, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers. Rymer also projected a four-year, $140 million contract for Snell.

“This long list of suitors is courtesy of (Mark) Feinsand (of MLB.com) and Katie Woo of The Athletic. And since Snell could sign for $100 million less than his rumored $240 million asking price from last winter, it might actually be too short,” Rymer said.

“But to pick just one, Boston is a team to watch. Its rotation needs an ace, and it should suit them that A) Snell isn’t tied to draft compensation and B) he likely won’t need a long-term deal.”

If Snell is choosing teams based on potential, Boston might be more appealing than San Francisco.

The Red Sox have been in a dead period for spending big on free agents, so if they go for it this winter, they could be better positioned to contend than the Giants are thanks to their impressive young core of position players.

The Giants, though, cannot afford to let Snell go without a fight. There’s no clear path to a division title for San Francisco in 2024, but if you get into the playoffs as a Wild Card nowadays, anything can happen.