Getty Mike Yastrzemski of the San Francisco Giants.
After a third-straight losing season, the San Francisco Giants are hoping a shortened 2020 season can help get them back into contention in the AL West.
In 2020, almost all Giants games will be televised in local markets on NBC Sports Bay Area, while some will also be nationally televised on either Fox, Fox Sports 1, ESPN or MLB Network. But if you don’t have cable, you can watch every Giants game on your computer, phone, Roku, Firestick, Apple TV or other streaming device via one of the following streaming services:
(Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page)
Sling TV: “Sling Orange + Blue” package includes NBC Sports Bay Area (local markets), Fox, Fox Sports 1 and ESPN. $45 per month.
Hulu With Live TV: Includes NBC Sports Bay Area (local markets), Fox, Fox Sports 1 and ESPN. $54.99 per month.
FuboTV: Includes NBC Sports Bay Area (local markets), Fox and Fox Sports 1 (ESPN being added on August 1). $59.99 per month
AT&T TV Now: “Max” package includes NBC Sports Bay Area (local markets), Fox, Fox Sports 1 and ESPN. $80 per month.
MLB.TV: Watch every out-of-market game. $24.99 per month for every team or $49.99 total for one team.
You can sign up and start watching Giants games via any of the above links, but here’s a more complete rundown of what each service includes:
Cheapest Option for In-Market Viewers: Sling TV
Giants Channels Included: NBC Sports Bay Area (local markets), Fox, Fox Sports 1 and ESPN (MLB Network is in the Sports Extra add-on)
Price: $45 per month (Sports Extra add-on is $10 or $15 per month, depending on what base bundle it’s added to)
Sling TV offers two different packages: “Sling Orange,” which includes ESPN, and “Sling Blue,” which includes NBC Sports Bay Area, Fox and FS1, each cost $30 per month, but if you get both, it’s just $45 per month. Moreover, MLB Network is in the “Sports Extra” add-on, which is $10 per month when added to Blue or Orange, and $15 per month when added to the dual package.
Since Giants games on ESPN will also be on NBCS California, in-market viewers can go with either “Sling Blue” or “Sling Orange + Blue.” Either way, Sling TV is the cheapest in-market option to watch every Giants game in 2020:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch Giants games live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, Sling TV comes included with 10 hours of cloud DVR.
In-Market Viewers: Hulu With Live TV
Giants Channels Included: NBC Sports Bay Area (local markets), Fox, Fox Sports 1 and ESPN
Price: $54.99 per month
For in-market viewers, Hulu With Live TV offers the best combination of every Giants game and a Netflix-like on-demand library of movies and TV shows. So, if you’re looking for the best sports and entertainment combo, this is the way to go:
Once signed up, you can then watch Giants games live on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch a game live, Hulu With Live TV also comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as the option to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of space and the ability to fast-forward through commercials.
In-Market Viewers: FuboTV
Giants Channels Included: NBC Sports Bay Area (local markets), Fox and Fox Sports 1 (ESPN being added on August 1)
Price: $59.99 per month (MLB Network and MLB Strike Zone included in “fubo Extra” add-on for $5.99 per month)
Though it comes in $5 per month more expensive than Hulu With Live TV, FuboTV comes with more total channels (95-plus vs. 65-plus) in its main bundle. In-market viewers can already watch all Giants games via FuboTV, but once ESPN is added to the main package on August 1, FuboTV will become an even better value:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch Giants games live on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, or other supported device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as a 72-hour look-back feature, which will allow you to watch games on-demand within three days of their conclusion, even if you don’t record them.
In-Market Viewers: AT&T TV Now
Giants Channels Included: NBC Sports Bay Area (local markets), Fox, Fox Sports 1 and ESPN
Price: $80 per month
AT&T TV Now (formerly DirecTV Now) offers six different channel bundles, but the cheapest of those that includes NBC Sports Bay Area is the “Max” bundle, which comes in at $80 per month. That makes this the most expensive streaming service with NBCS Chicago. And if you want MLB Network, you’ll have to go up to the “Choice” bundle at a whopping $110 per month.
Once signed up for AT&T TV Now, you can watch Giants games live on your computer via the AT&T TV Now website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, or other compatible streaming device via the AT&T TV app.
If you can’t watch live, AT&T TV Now — no matter what channel package you choose — comes with included cloud DVR.
Out-of-Market Viewers: MLB.TV
If you live outside of the Giants market, you can watch all out-of-market games via MLB.TV. If you just want to watch out-of-market Giants games, it costs $49.99 for the season. If you want to be able to watch every out-of-market game, it costs either $24.99 per month or $59.99 for the season:
Once signed up for MLB.TV, you can then watch out-of-market games on your computer via the MLB website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, PS4 or other streaming device via the MLB TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can watch full game archives of all 2020 games that don’t have local or national blackout restrictions.
San Francisco Giants 2020 Season Preview
Manager Gabe Kapler has already confirmed Johnny Cueto will get the start opening day for the Giants. Cueto saw limited action last year, as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, but in his four starts, he gave up nine earned runs on 11 hits while also tallying 13 strikeouts. How well he performs will be a key storyline for San Francisco this season.
The Giants finished third in the National League West last year with a 77-85 mark. They had an excellent month of July, and they finished the season strong, but it wasn’t enough to overcome their slow start. They’re hoping this year will be different. Mike Yastrzemski led the team in home runs (21) in 2019, but their offense was one of the worst in baseball. The Giants managed a meager .239 batting average last year, which ranked 27th in MLB. They’ll need to better this year if they want to surprise some people.
San Francisco will be without veteran catcher Buster Posey, who opted to not play this season, due to coronavirus-related concerns. Rob Brantly will be his likely replacement, although Tyler Heineman could give him a run for the starting job. Theirs will be one of the more intriguing position battles to watch as the season progresses.
As for pitching, Cueto, Jeff Samardzija, Kevin Gausman, Drew Smyly and Logan Webb will likely fill out the starting rotation, while left-hander Tony Watson will be the closer.
Here’s a look at the projected lineup for the Giants this season:
2. Mauricio Dubón, CF
3. Brandon Belt, 1B
4. Evan Longoria, 3B
5. Alex Dickerson, LF
6. Pablo Sandoval, DH
7. Brandon Crawford, SS
8. Donovan Solano or Yolmer Sánchez, 2B
9. Rob Brantly or Tyler Heineman, C
The key for San Francisco, as with most teams, will be staying healthy. In a shortened season, that should be far easier to do. First baseman Brandon Belt saw his 2018 season cut short due to a knee injury that required surgery, but he thinks 2020 could be the year the Giants finally keep the core of their team on the field.
“The problem that we’ve had over the past couple years was injuries, so having everybody back and everybody healthy, we really believe that we’re going to have a shot to make a run this year,” Belt said. “It’s just a matter of believing it ourselves and going out there having the goal in mind to win baseball games. I really think we have a good chance to do that this year more so than the past few years.”