What’s left on Giants’ offseason needs list ahead of spring training? originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants were riding high when they arrived in Dallas last month for Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings. They agreed to a long-term deal with shortstop Willy Adames before the annual event started, and there were dreams of adding a Corbin Burnes or Paul Goldschmidt to cap Buster Posey’s first winter in charge.
A few weeks later, the Giants are … well, they’re pretty much in exactly the same spot.
There’s a lot of optimism internally about Justin Verlander, but the 41-year-old has been the only notable addition since the Adames press conference. On top of that, the Giants have watched Burnes sign with the rival Arizona Diamondbacks and just about everybody else sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Their 40-man roster is remarkably similar to the one from the end of last season, and even with Adames and Verlander, it’s hard to argue that they’re in better shape in the NL West than they were a year ago. The heavy lifting wasn’t done until spring training last season, but the Giants didn’t want to go through that again. They still have a few weeks of true “offseason,” though, and opportunities to add if they truly think they can make a run for a wild card spot.
Here are three areas where they should look for upgrades before pitchers and catchers report to Scottsdale:
Offensive Depth
The Giants have added just one bat this winter, but Adames filled their biggest hole and helped cover second base, too. In Adames, Matt Chapman and Tyler Fitzgerald, who will slide over after a big rookie year, the Giants are pretty set on their infield. They tried to upgrade at first base but also are fully comfortable with LaMonte Wade Jr., who has gotten on-base at elite rates when healthy the last couple of seasons.
Patrick Bailey will catch as many games as he can handle, and the outfield is set with Mike Yastrzemski and Heliot Ramos flanking Jung Hoo Lee, who is fully recovered from shoulder surgery.
The Giants technically have an everyday lineup, but they still could use help.
They are rumored to have interest in Randal Grichuk, a lefty-masher who would make a lot of sense as a platoon partner for Yastrzemski. Other than Wade, their only left-handed hitting infielder is Brett Wisely, and that’s an obvious spot for competition either through a non-roster invite or trade.
The best hitter available, period, is first baseman Pete Alonso, but the Giants haven’t signaled much interest, and there are valid reasons why Alonso isn’t a great fit. Long term, first base should belong to top prospect Bryce Eldridge, who will push to debut in 2025. If Alonso does end up taking a short-term deal with opt-outs, the Giants are even more unlikely.
Oracle Park is not the place to rebuild your value as a hitter, and since Alonso rejected the qualifying offer, the Giants would be forfeiting two more draft picks and $1 million in international bonus pool money. That’s a big deal at a time when they already have lost four picks over the last two offseasons and are in desperate need of a boost for their farm system.
The best fit might ultimately be someone who was pursued in November. The Giants had strong interest in shortstop Ha-Seong Kim before signing Adames and Fitzgerald’s presence would allow Kim to take his time with his rehab from shoulder surgery. If he’s healthy early in the season, Fitzgerald’s versatility — along with the fact that the Giants don’t have an everyday DH — would allow them to add Kim to the mix pretty seamlessly.
Bailey’s Backups
The Posey Era made things pretty simple for the front office. The Giants had the best catcher in baseball, and they backed him first with young players — Hector Sanchez, Andrew Susac — and then with veterans like Stephen Vogt, Nick Hundley and Curt Casali. The front office rarely had to worry about a third or fourth catcher during that time.
Tom Murphy is Bailey’s current backup, but the veteran was just 4-for-34 before spraining his knee last season. The Giants hoped to get him back in a few weeks, but Murphy, who is about to turn 34, missed the final five months and never even got close to a rehab assignment.
The Giants claimed Sam Huff from the Texas Rangers a few weeks ago, and agreed to minor-league deals with Max Stassi and Logan Porter in November. With Blake Sabol now in Boston, they still could use one more depth option in case Murphy has a setback this spring, although it’s often easier to acquire catching depth at the end of camp.
You Can Never Have Enough
When asked recently about the candidates for the final rotation spots, general manager Zack Minasian pointed out that the Giants are going to need all of the options at some point this season. They felt good about their depth a year ago at this time, but it was decimated early in the season and they ended up trying out veterans like Spencer Howard and Daulton Jefferies while mixing in plenty of bullpen games, something they weren’t planning to do.
Aside from Jack Flaherty, there’s really nobody left on the market who should get a shot ahead of the Giants’ young options, but if Flaherty needs a pitcher-friendly ballpark to spend one season in, the Giants should at least listen.
The Joey Lucchesi addition earlier this week was a savvy one, adding a potential depth starter and someone who can be the third lefty in a bullpen that was short from that side. That pen might be the team’s strength right now, with Camilo Doval and Tyler Rogers setting up for Ryan Walker and plenty of good options like Taylor Rogers, Randy Rodriguez, Erik Miller and Sean Hjelle, but the Giants potentially just watched the Dodgers pass them there, too.
There apparently are no limits for a team that added Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates in recent days, and the Giants should try to upgrade. Barring some surprise that boosts the lineup in the next couple of weeks, their best path to contention is being dominant in close games, and another trusted reliever would help that effort.
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