The offseason has started for the San Francisco Giants, as they are going to be trying to improve and snap their playoff drought. 

It has been a tough couple of seasons for the Giants, and they are hoping that new leadership at the top will help result in some positive changes. Landing the superstars in free agency has been a struggle for San Francisco, as they have missed out on players like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani in recent years. 

With Buster Posey in charge now, the hope is that he will be able to convince some of the elite players to come to the Giants. While San Francisco will be looking to add some talent, preferably in the lineup, they did have one of the free agent signings from last offseason opt out in Blake Snell. 

The southpaw signed just before the start of the season, and it really impacted his effectiveness on the mound at the start of the campaign. However, he really turned it around in the second half of the season and decided to opt out and test free agency once again this offseason. 

Snell is likely going to receive the big contract that he desired last offseason, as his new deal should be north of $100 million. Even though he had a good second half of the season with the Giants, it doesn’t appear like he is going to be returning to San Francisco. 

Recently, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report named the Boston Red Sox as the ideal landing spot for the southpaw. 

“The Red Sox need an ace. The Red Sox also have an aversion to doing long-term deals in free agency. The fit with Snell is good just from these perspectives, and it doesn’t hurt that he also has a track record of success in the AL East.”

The Red Sox are certainly going to be a team in the mix for one of the best pitchers on the market, as they have a clear need for an ace. Snell is familiar with the American League East from his time with the Tampa Bay Rays, as he had some very successful seasons there. 

With the division being really competitive, Boston knows what they need to spend in order to compete, and Snell makes a lot of sense for them. 

For the Giants, while their left-hander did well for them in the second half, the money that it would cost to keep him would likely be better allocated to their lineup. 

Three women are taking their love of actor Dev Patel and turning it into a contest.

The friends are organizing a Dev Patel look-alike contest in San Francisco on Nov. 10 at the Miguel Hidalgo Statue in Dolores Park.

They got the idea after a similar event was held in New York City for Timothee Chalamet. That event drew thousands of people, including the star himself.

The organizers of the San Francisco event say they don’t expect Patel to show up, but they are expecting to meet some of his doppelgangers.

“I feel like everyone has met someone, that even remotely looks like Dev Patel or kind of has the same facial features, structure,” organizer Tasnim Khandakar said. “So, I also felt like there is also a lot of diversity here in San Francisco Bay Area. So, it feels like a kind of a good way to celebrate the actor and the people who live here.”

The women say they created the event, expecting a small gathering. But, now more than 140 people have RSVP’d.

“We’re ready for it, we’re prepared for it, we’re excited,” organizer Sitara Bellam said.

The winner of the contest will get $50, presented on a large check and a “Monkey Man” statue.

“I think we’re looking for someone who is really passionate about this too. I don’t think you have to look exactly like Dev Patel,” Khandakar said.

Bellam added: “It’s got to be like a guy that’s written by women, that vibe. You know, the ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ ‘Mr. Darcy’ vibe. I feel like that’s the Dev Patel energy.”

The contest starts at 1 p.m.

SAN FRANCISCO – Election Day is less than two days away, but the majority of San Franciscans’ ballots have not been returned yet.

According to the San Francisco Department of Elections, about 33% of vote-by-mail ballots have been returned.

City supervisor candidate Marjan Philhour spent her Sunday canvassing to get out the vote. She’s running against current City Supervisor Connie Chan.

Philhour says she’s talked to many voters who still haven’t submitted their ballots.

“I think in San Francisco voters take voting very seriously and I think many of them are probably going back to their high school and college days and are procrastinating,” Philhour said.

She thinks part of the reason is because of just how many decisions San Francisco voters are required to make to complete their ballot.

“We have a 300-page voter guide in San Francisco,” Philhour said.

Joe Asiano handed in his ballot on Sunday, he says the volume of ballot measures definitely slowed him down.

“I think because the book was pretty thick and there’s a lot of measures we had to consider and review and there’s some state ones,” said Asiano. “Locally we have a lot going on too.”

That sentiment was echoed by Kevin Born.

“It was a lot,” said Born. “It just felt like we’re making a lot of decisions and there was a lot of information in there and it was a lot to go through.”

Born hasn’t handed in his ballot yet. That’s because he doesn’t want to just drop it in any ballot box, he wants to take it directly to city hall.

“It just feels like that’s where we want to take it and there’s been weird stuff going on and we’re going to take it to city hall,” Born said.

For Asiano, he felt safe dropping his ballot at the box at the library.

He says he’s grateful to get to participate in the electoral process and now he’s just going to sit back and wait to see what happens next.

“I think there’s going to be a lot of action next week and I’m glad we did it and I hope everything is going to be OK,” said Asiano.

If people are concerned about the status of their ballot, they can use the California Secretary of State’s Where’s my ballot feature to track it themselves.