The San Francisco Giants surprised the MLB world in 2021 by finishing with an impeccable 107 wins, one more than their rival Los Angeles Dodgers. However, that changed mightily in 2022 as they only tallied 81 victories, so the clear objectives for the Giants front office are now focused firmly on the offseason.
The Aaron Judge sweepstakes ended this week, and San Francisco was right in the thick of things before the superstar outfielder returned to the New York Yankees.
Even if they were unable to pry Judge from Yankees, the Giants were able to bolster their outfield depth by adding former Seattle Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger on a three-year deal. With the opportunity to still sign a couple of big-name free agents, Carlos Correa is arguably the best remaining name on the market, and he is being linked to the Giants.
They must focus on acquiring Correa and not some of the names mentioned below.
Gary Sanchez
After Buster Posey’s retirement, the Giants have lacked a commendable leader and franchise cornerstone. His contributions to the organization went far beyond his numbers on the field, but his catcher position has not been filled with a terrific replacement as well. Wilson Contreras has already been signed, but there are still numerous available catchers like Mike Zunino, Christian Vasquez and Gary Sanchez.
Zunino and Vasquez are viable upgrades to Joey Bart, but the problem is whether they are willing to stay in San Francisco for the long run. Sanchez is best avoided by the Giants, especially if he demands a huge bag. His defense is tremendous from behind the plate, but his offense has been abysmal, an existing cause for concern in San Francisco.
With their offensive struggles already known, it is more reasonable to add a catcher that can provide more offense in the middle of their lineup.
Jean Segura
With the pending departure of both Evan Longoria and Brandon Belt, the Giants are in dire need of bodies in the infield. As previously mentioned, Carlos Correa has been linked to the Giants, but they may be interested in adding another infielder like Jean Segura. The problem with Segura are the struggles that occurred during his tenure with the Philadelphia Phillies.
He used to be a force in the middle of the infield, but Philadelphia dropped him down the order because of his ineffective threat with the bat. Similar to Gary Sanchez, that will be tough to stomach for a San Francisco squad that has some glaring weaknesses offensively. The Giants would be much better off focusing on a versatile infielder like Brandon Drury.
Matt Carpenter
It has been reiterated that San Francisco needs offense, and Matt Carpenter could be the power-hitting DH they may need in the middle of their order. Carpenter is past his prime already, but he was a legitimate force with the Yankees last year before sustaining a major injury. However, the issue with adding Carpenter is his age and durability because he is already 37 years old.
Even if he can contribute for a long stretch, the Giants may want a more youthful DH who can mesh well with their core, led by Mike Yastrzemski and Joc Pederson. JD Martinez is an underrated asset who may flourish in Oracle Park. Luke Voit is another possibility. These two sluggers were in struggling teams last season, so their abilities with the bat may have flown a bit under the radar.
The NL West continues to become tougher every year with the star-studded Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, but the Giants will need to continue possessing virtues of fortitude and patience to contend against these two powerhouses. It starts with brilliant team-building, and that begins this offseason.
.