The Giants offseason will be remembered in large part for a premature press release that was sent out as they prepared for a Carlos Correa introductory news conference that never happened.
But for the team's best player, an important message was one that he didn't send.
Logan Webb, like Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford before him, played the role of recruiter when it came time for the Giants to make their best pitch. He took part in the dinner at Oracle Park when the Giants hosted Aaron Judge and his family, and he followed on social media as Judge closed in on a decision. When the infamous "Arson Judge" rumor briefly lit up the internet, Webb took to Twitter to respond to an incorrect reporter, and he nearly fired off a text to Posey, who for years watched Giants targets land elsewhere.
"When it happened, I almost texted Buster saying I'm 1-0," Webb said earlier this month, smiling. "Thank God I didn't text him."
Instead, Webb tasted the same disappointment that has become all too familiar for the Giants over recent offseasons. But while many followers of the team might still be hung up on a disappointing winter, Webb long ago moved on.
It was Webb who had his face on the side of the building last year, and with Judge back in New York and Correa back in Minnesota, he's the best candidate to once again lead the marketing campaign. Entering his fifth big league season, Webb is fast growing into the role of team leader, and at FanFest he spoke passionately about the attitude he wants to see when pitchers and catchers report to Scottsdale Stadium on Wednesday.
"The main thing I keep coming back to is depth. It's incredible how much depth we have and a lot of the guys we signed have been really good for a long time," he said. "I think it's all about just clicking. If we can all click, if you all feel the same way and you want to win and that's 100 percent the main goal, you always have a chance to do that.
San Francisco Giants
"That's what we brought in, is great guys, guys that have a chip on their shoulder. Maybe they were injured for a lot of last year or maybe it's guys here that weren't excited about how they played. I told you guys this last year: I didn't like my season necessarily. I'm super excited to get out there and kind of prove people wrong. That's kind of the vibe I get around all these guys. That's a pretty good vibe to have. When everybody is ready to go and you've got that chip (on your shoulder), it's important."
Webb echoed some of what he said last September, when he carefully pointed out that the clubhouse had possibly gotten complacent after 107 wins. That was an interesting moment for the then-25-year-old, who has tried to be respectful of more experienced players even as he has found his own voice as a team leader.
RELATED: Did Giants solve their biggest issue in offseason?
At FanFest, Webb sounded like someone who is ready to fully embrace the role, and it will be vital for the Giants as they start to finally mix in the next generation. Webb has a budding friendship with Kyle Harrison, a player the Giants hope can give them homegrown co-aces, and prospects bring him up often as someone who is around and open at the team's facility in Scottsdale.
For Webb, the 2023 season is about those players, too. He was brought to the majors at a time when the organization was finishing off a decade behind homegrown stars, and he speaks often of repeating that success.
"This is a big year for us to change the culture," he said. "There's a lot of moving parts but a lot of parts that want to stay here for a long time and start their own culture change. You always look back to the '10, '12, '14 teams. We want to start our own map."
The offseason was a reminder that any culture change will have to be led by people already in house. Webb spoke glowingly of Judge and Correa, saying he hopes to keep those friendships going for the rest of his career, but the Giants are ready to move past the offseason disappointment, ready to embrace the "shock the outsiders" mentality that filtered through the clubhouse in 2021.
As Webb spoke of being underrated and entering the season with something to prove, he glanced over at a table in the corner of a lounge at Oracle Park. The neon sign was hard to miss.
"There's a sign over there that says 'good vibes only.' I want that all over our clubhouse," he said. "Good vibes only. And I want us all to feel that all the time."