SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — With the lockout lifted and teams allowed to resume building their rosters that they had to put on pause at the beginning of December, it took a little more than 12 hours for the first official transaction to post. More than 130 players are still unsigned with less than a month until Opening Day. The free agent frenzy is coming.
It wasn’t the Giants and Farhan Zaidi who officially reopened the markets (that was the Cardinals with their signing of right-hander Drew VerHagen, a true blockbuster). But president Larry Baer said he expects the Giants to be aggressive in filling out their roster via trades and free agency over the coming weeks.
Here’s a review of where the Giants stood when the lockout began and a look at what moves they still need to make.
What did the Giants do before the lockout?
The biggest offseason development came the first week of November, a month before the owners locked out the players on Dec. 2, when Buster Posey announced his retirement, leaving a gaping hole behind home plate.
The pitching staff Posey managed last season posted a better ERA than any team not named after dodging street cars. Logan Webb emerged as an ace, and the four veteran arms behind him in the rotation helped San Francisco’s staff to a 3.24 ERA. One problem: all four also hit free agency after last season.
The Giants let Kevin Gausman walk on a reported five-year, $110 million agreement with Toronto, and declined the $22 million option they had on Johnny Cueto, who remains on the market (and frequently showcasing his offseason workouts on Instagram). But they re-signed Anthony DeSclafani (three years, $36 million) and Alex Wood (two years, $25 million) and added another veteran arm — 34-year-old right-hander Alex Cobb, on a two-year deal worth a reported $20 million — to ensure they would at least return from the lockout with the ability to field a major league rotation.
In addition to Posey, the Giants will have to find offensive replacements for Kris Bryant, a trade deadline acquisition who seems eager to test the open market. After all the talk of servicing young players in the recent labor negotiations, it’s worth remembering Bryant was forced to wait an extra year to hit free agency because of service time manipulation (and is represented by Scott Boras, to boot).
Brandon Belt accepted the Giants’ $18.1 million qualifying offer, penciling him in for his 11th Opening Day start at first base, while Wilmer Flores and José Álvarez will also return after the Giants picked up their player options. Two bench pieces unlikely to be back: outfielder Alex Dickerson, who the Giants designated for assignment, and infielder Donovan Solano, who is a free agent after his two-year contract expired.
The Giants currently have about $107 million in salary obligations this season. They carried a payroll of about $170 million last year, or about $40 million short of the luxury tax threshold. Under the new CBA, that limit (at which point teams must pay a tax on every extra dollar they spend) will rise to $230 million this season, a $20 million increase from 2021, the final year of the previous CBA.
One spot remains open on the 40-man roster after the Giants declined to tender contracts to right-handed pitcher Sam Delaplane, left-handed pitcher Joe Palumbo and outfielder Luis González.
What holes are left to fill?
Between Posey and Bryant, the Giants lost the two top right-handed hitters from a lineup that was already heavy on left-handers. Even before the new CBA, they were expected to aggressively pursue an impact bat from the right-hand side. But the new rules in the agreement created an entirely new position for the Giants to fill — and complicated roster building.
The universal designated hitter means the Giants will have an extra spot in their lineup each night.
Their projected starting lineup, as of Friday (*=left-handed):
- Tommy La Stella, 2B*
- Brandon Belt, 1B*
- Brandon Crawford, SS*
- Lamonte Wade, LF*
- Evan Longoria, 3B
- Mike Yaztrzemski, RF
- Darin Ruf, DH
- Austin Slater/Steven Duggar*, CF
- Joey Bart, C
Without Solano and Dickerson, the Giants will need to find new players to take their utility roles off the bench. For a manager that pinch-hit last season more than any other in the game’s history, finding the right bench fits carries an outsized importance for Gabe Kapler. Anybody the Giants bring in will need to be able to play multiple positions and, ideally, have remaining options.
It’s important to note that the caravan back-and-forth between San Francisco and Sacramento will be much harder to maintain under the new CBA, which prevents eligible players from being optioned more than five times in a season.
Right now, here’s how the Giants bench looks:
- Curt Casali, C
- Wilmer Flores, IF
- Thairo Estrada, IF
- Austin Slater/Steven Duggar*, OF
The Giants shored up their rotation before the lockout, but there are places they could upgrade via trade or free agency if they opted to do so, particularly a reliable No. 2 who could slot in behind Webb, as Gausman did last season. Short of that, the Giants are unlikely to be satisfied relying on a young pitcher two years removed from Tommy John surgery and another with no major league experience rounding out their rotation. In the bullpen, flamethrowing closer Camilo Doval is expected to anchor the relief corps again, and the Giants have a number of in-house candidates who could contribute innings this season.
Their current projected starting rotation:
- Logan Webb, RHP
- Anthony DeSclafani, RHP
- Alex Wood, LHP
- Alex Cobb, RHP
- Tyler Beede/Sean Hjelle, RHP / Sammy Long, LHP
Who are the top targets available?
Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki might be the most intriguing player on the market, bar none. He is also the exact shaped peg the Giants need to fill the largest hole in their lineup. There’s a reason San Francisco has been one of a handful of teams most closely associated with the Hiroshima Carp’s slugging 27-year-old outfielder. He hit 38 home runs with a 1.079 OPS in 131 Nippon Pro Baseball games last season.
A reunion with Bryant seemed unlikely at the end of last season, though Bryant said when he was traded here that he grew up a Barry Bonds fan, rooting for the Giants. Maybe the Giants revisit the idea with the implementation of the universal DH, where Bryant’s positional flexibility would allow the Giants to spare players days in the field while keeping their bats in the lineup. If the Giants want a more traditional DH, Bryant’s former Cubs teammate Kyle Schwarber could be a fit, but he doesn’t solve their right-handed problems.
The Giants were aggressive in pursuing starting pitching in free agency before the lockout. If they’re looking for a top-line starter to complement Webb, though, they might be better suited to look on the trade market. Veterans free agents Carlos Rodón, Zack Greinke and Yusei Kikuchi are still searching for new teams, but Oakland’s Sean Manaea and Cincinnati’s Sonny Gray are thought to be available via trade.
Source: www.mercurynews.com