Bobby Evans knows it. Brian Sabean knows it. And Bruce Bochy knows it.
To have a chance at competing in 2018, the San Francisco Giants must improve their outfield defense.
There’s a long list of priorities a team that finished 64-98 in a division that produced three playoff teams and a World Series finalist needs to confront this winter, but the Giants are aware their outfield defense was just as much, if not more of a liability than a lineup that lacks a true power hitter.
A rotating carousel of left fielders coupled with Denard Span in center field and Hunter Pence in right field was a rough combination for San Francisco last season, and a flaw that general manager Bobby Evans promised would be addressed this offseason. Even after watching a record number of home runs fly out of Major League ballparks during the regular season and the World Series, Evans and the rest of the Giants’ front office believe the franchise’s top priority is finding a two-way center fielder who can dramatically improve the team’s outfield defense.
@Giants have interest in @Cubs‘ Jason Heyward, w/Jeff Samardzija and Mark Melancon to offer. Very complicated deal but not impossible.
— Phil Rogers (@philgrogers) November 7, 2017
That’s why the report surfacing Tuesday morning linking the Giants to Chicago Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward should come as a surprise, but not a shock. A day after Evans, Sabean and the rest of the Giants’ brass doubled down on their commitment to acquiring a rangy center fielder, San Francisco was linked to a right fielder who is owed more than $120 million over the next six seasons.
Phil Rogers of MLB.com was the columnist who indicated the Giants have interest in adding Heyward to their outfield, and he suggested that starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija and closer Mark Melancon are two players San Francisco could package to help the deal become a reality. While it appears unlikely San Francisco would be willing to part with one of its top three starting pitchers and its prized closer for an outfielder who’s struggled at the plate over the last three seasons, the Giants will be forced to get creative this offseason if they hope to check off their long list of priorities.
A trade of Heyward for Samardzija and Melancon would ultimately create more holes than it would patch up for San Francisco, but those are just two of the names Rogers suggested the Giants might be willing to part with. Both pitchers in the same deal? That’s unlikely. But a straight-up trade for one of the right-handed pitchers that takes Heyward off the Cubs’ payroll for the next six seasons isn’t extremely far-fetched.
For example, if the Giants parted ways with Melancon in exchange for Heyward, they would likely need to throw in a prospect or two to help the deal come to fruition. Melancon might be poised for a rebound season, but he’s also coming off a pronator surgery that few, if any Major League players have ever dealt with. Melancon is a significant question mark for the Giants or any potential trade partner moving forward, but he also has just three years remaining on his contract, which is easier to swallow for a Cubs team looking to wipe Heyward’s remaining six years off of its books.
A Samardzija for Heyward deal seems more likely, because if the players are dealt for one another, the Giants are again agreeing to take on a massive salary for a longer period of time, but they’re also not taking on much additional salary in the short-term because Samardzija is owed $18 million per season through 2020.
Of course, Rogers’ report of the Giants’ interest doesn’t necessarily align with San Francisco’s desire to add a prototypical two-way center fielder, but San Francisco may realize that its options in center field are relatively limited. Trading for Heyward would allow the Giants to address their outfield defense, and parting with another big contract would keep San Francisco’s payroll situation relatively stable for 2018. Executing a trade for the Cubs’ right fielder might not be the best possible solution for the Giants’ issues, but it’s more financially feasible than signing a high-priced free agent who puts San Francisco deep into the luxury tax next season.
Another avenue a trade for Heyward opens up is for the Giants to acquire a short-term solution in center field via a trade or free agency who can hold the position until one of the franchise’s top prospects, Steven Duggar, is able to play at the Major League level. The Giants are high on Duggar and he’s performed well in the Arizona Fall League, and if not for an injury he suffered in Spring Training, the Clemson product likely would have made his debut in San Francisco this season. If the Giants decide to improve their outfield defense by acquiring Heyward, it would pave the way for Duggar to emerge as a center fielder of the future while Heyward adds to the team’s overall defensive prowess in right.
Ultimately, what Rogers’ report suggests is that the Giants are going to make calls on a significant number of players this offseason, and that they won’t be afraid to ask about high-profile stars with big contracts. (See: Giancarlo Stanton). It also suggests that for San Francisco to execute a roster overhaul that addresses the team’s most glaring needs, Evans may need to part ways with members of the team’s core like Samardzija and or Melancon who figure prominently into the team’s immediate future.
Because of the long-term contracts they already have on their books and the franchise’s desire to compete in the immediate future, the Giants are forced to think outside the box this offseason, and also forced to consider tough decisions that would require them to part with some of their most critical assets. Inevitably, Heyward will be one of many players San Francisco is connected to this winter, in large part because the Giants are in a better position to improve their roster via trades instead of free agency.
Whether or not Evans eventually executes blockbuster trades or not remains to be seen, but there’s little doubt that the Giants have a variety of players in mind worth inquiring about so that San Francisco can best gauge a path to future success.
