In the span of two days, the struggling San Francisco Giants were linked to a pair of the game’s premier power hitters, Giancarlo Stanton and Justin Upton.
Contracts be damned, Stanton and Upton represent exactly what the Giants are missing: right-handed hitters with the pop to hit in the middle of San Francisco’s order.
During the franchise’s unprecedented run of success in the early 2010s, San Francisco finessed its way to three World Series titles with a potent combination of pitching and defense. It’s been just three years since the Giants were last crowned champions, but the game has changed dramatically.
Home runs are leaving parks at rates the Steroid Era would be jealous of, and teams with power are being rewarded handsomely in the standings. The Giants are statistically the least powerful team in the game, and the standings reflect as much.
So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that general manager Bobby Evans has reportedly checked in on Stanton and Upton, a pair of players owed massive amounts of money, but also responsible for massive amounts of offensive production.
Will Evans, the general manager of a team with a 53-81 record, be so bold as to make the Miami Marlins or Detroit Tigers an offer the teams couldn’t refuse? In the short-term, the answer is no. Evans would take the baseball world by storm if he dealt for either player in the middle of what’s shaped up to become the most disappointing season in franchise history. A move for Stanton or Upton would be the ultimate power play, and it’s not a move Evans is likely to make on August 30.
The Giants’ reported interest in the right-handed sluggers, however, is a sign of things to come in the offseason. When a new ownership group takes control of the Marlins this winter, perhaps that group would be willing to unload Stanton –a player owed more than $250 million over the next 10 seasons– and start from scratch. When Upton makes a decision whether to opt in or out of the remaining four years on his contract, San Francisco will have a much greater understanding of how he could fit into the future makeup of the Giants’ outfield.
Perhaps the Giants won’t acquire either Stanton or Upton this winter, and in fact, the odds are probably stacked against them. But San Francisco’s interest speaks volumes about the way Evans has prioritized the Giants’ needs heading into the offseason.
Regardless of how strong the trilogy of Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto (assuming he opts in on his contract) and Jeff Samardzija is at the top of the rotation in 2018, catcher Buster Posey needs some help in the Giants’ lineup. Brandon Belt is not a No. 5 hitter, and Brandon Crawford would be best served starting the year further down in the order. Aside from needing a center fielder with speed to set the table for San Francisco’s offense next year, Evans knows the Giants’ pitching staff needs a bona fide slugger that can ease the burden. Evans and manager Bruce Bochy are confident the formula of pitching and defense can lead the Giants to more success, but at some point, San Francisco has to make a concerted effort to give itself a shot in the modern game.
It’s up to Evans and the rest of the Giants’ front office to do its due diligence on every right-handed hitter capable of hitting 30 home runs while playing home games at AT&T Park. Whether a player is under contract or not heading into 2018, Evans knows the Giants’ offense needs to be capable of manufacturing runs at a rate in line with the league average. Pitching can only take the Giants so far, and with left-handed bats like Crawford, Belt and Joe Panik already lining the Giants’ starting nine, San Francisco needs a right-handed bopper to compete at the top of the division.
Maybe Evans will complete a blockbuster trade for Stanton. There’s a possibility he’ll break the bank to secure Upton, just as he did with Mark Melancon when he needed to shore up the back end of the bullpen. Or perhaps it will be another right-handed outfielder like J.D. Martinez who arrives in San Francisco with an overwhelming contract to man left field.
There’s a distinct chance that regardless of how Evans navigates the free agent and trade markets this offseason, the Giants will enter the 2018 season with a much larger payroll than the $188 million payroll they have right now. Inevitably, fans will freak out, analysts will say the franchise overspent, and on the surface, it will appear as if San Francisco has its hands tied for the next few seasons. That’s nonsense.
In baseball, there’s no salary cap. And as long as the Giants are committed to winning and competing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, they’ll need to spend money. Within the next few seasons, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado’s free agent contracts will make Stanton’s deal look like a bargain. If the Giants could lock up Upton for the four years and $88 million he has remaining on his contract, they’d be wise to do it in a heartbeat. Salaries will continue to balloon, and payrolls will continue to explode. This is a franchise that sold more than 39,000 tickets to all four games the club played against the Major League-worst Phillies two weeks ago. They can afford it.
The arms race in the National League West will only continue to heat up, and Evans knows that even if the Giants want to build an identity on pitching and defense, they need to field a lineup that can pack a punch. Whether it’s Stanton, Upton, Martinez or another right-handed power hitter who suits up in the orange and black next season, all that matters is that San Francisco finds an upgrade.
Evans has a head start on locating a solution, and now he needs to make sure he finishes the race.