Public address voice of Renel Brooks-Moon: “And now, your 2018 San Francisco Giants.”
*Crowd at AT&T Park stands and cheers*
Brooks-Moon: “Leading off and playing center field….”
*Crowd waits in anticipation*
*Crowd continues to wait in anticipation*
*Crowd sits down quietly*
It’s December 19 and the Giants still don’t have a center fielder. They’re shy of a third baseman, and yes, they also need bullpen help, too. They did, however, manage to re-sign catcher Nick Hundley to a one-year deal, so at least we know the road to the Willie Mac Award leads through the backstop.
With 100 days separating the Giants from the start of the regular season in Los Angeles, fans are growing restless and children growing eager as they wait for Santa Claus and general manager Bobby Evans to deliver the goods. It was just more than two months ago that Evans and Giants’ vice president Brian Sabean sat in front of reporters at the team’s end-of-season press conference and made their desires public, and thus far, it seems like San Francisco is spending most of its offseason trying to move from the naughty to the nice list.
Giants fans have already unwrapped lumps of coal delivered by Giancarlo Stanton and Shohei Ohtani, and now, they’re waiting for to see if Evans would rather go to the superstore and shell out money for a shiny new free agent, or hang back at the gift exchange and try to maneuver through the trade market to complete the franchise’s checklist.
Though the Giants don’t need the items on their list crossed off by Christmas Day, pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report in fewer than two months’ time. Where does the team stand after a 98-loss season? Let’s take a position-by-position look at how the Giants currently shape up, and what to expect moving forward.
Starting rotation
After trading left-hander Matt Moore to the Texas Rangers on Friday, the Giants don’t have quite as much depth as they would have hoped for, but they do have more financial flexibility as they move forward with the goal of crafting a roster with a payroll that slides in under the competitive balance tax threshold of $197 million. With Moore, the team’s presumed No. 4 starter, off the books, San Francisco will keep its same top three from last season as Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija all return.
Behind the big three, the Giants plan to lean on Chris Stratton, a former first round draft pick who took a roller coaster ride through the Minor Leagues and emerged to compile a strong rookie season in 2017. Stratton has a swing-and-miss curveball and a fastball that his catchers complimented often, so barring a bad spring, his spot should be safe.
The primary competition for the fifth slot in the Giants’ rotation will likely come from lefty Ty Blach and top pitching prospect Tyler Beede. Beede has never thrown a pitch at the Major League level, but the Giants like Blach as a long reliever. Another southpaw, prospect Andrew Suarez, could be a dark horse candidate for the job.
The Giants are done building out their rotation until the spring, so don’t expect any movement here.
Bullpen
The Giants like their seventh-eighth-ninth inning combination of Hunter Strickland, Sam Dyson and Mark Melancon (in that order), but San Francisco probably wants to add another reliable arm who can pitch in the late innings via free agency. If Evans can swing a trade for a third baseman or center fielder and free up some space under the CBT ceiling, then there are plenty of serviceable arms who would fit the Giants well that are still available. If not, San Francisco might just have to move forward as is and hope Rule 5 draft choice Jose Fernandez and his 100-mile per hour fastball are ready for prime time.
The Giants have indicated they expect left-hander Will Smith back for Opening Day (although Smith told me during the season he didn’t expect to be ready until May 1), and that could give the team some additional late-inning depth. San Francisco also returns Kyle Crick and Cory Gearrin, two pitchers who proved dependable in spurts during the 2017 season.
If the Giants can find some consistency out of either Steven Okert or Josh Osich, it could go a long way toward allowing Bruce Bochy to counter opponents with lefties in the late innings. If both struggle, expect San Francisco to take a look at prospect D.J. Snelten.
The franchise has other promising young arms like Reyes Moronta and Derek Law, but most players will likely have to earn specific roles in Spring Training and early in the season.
Catcher: The Giants have Buster Posey and they re-signed Nick Hundley to a one-year deal, so there’s really not much to see here.
Prospect Aramis Garcia was added to the 40-man roster this offseason and might start the 2018 campaign at AAA-Sacramento. If Garcia performs well, he could be in line for a September call-up and he’s likely expected to become a regular at the Major League level by 2019. Whether he’s a backup or a starter remains to be seen, but with Posey and Hundley on board, the Giants have the luxury of time on their side.
1st base: After suffering a season-ending concussion in early August, Brandon Belt should be looking forward to entering Spring Training well rested, healthy and ready to go. The home run revolution passed over most of the Giants last year, but Belt was on pace to smash his previous career-high of 18 as he tied that mark before missing the final two months of the season.
Belt’s concussion history and contract situation will prevent his name from coming up in trade discussions this offseason, but dealing Belt would have simply created another hole for the Giants to address. He has four years and $64 million left on his current deal, and as he prepares to turn 30, the Giants will expect Belt to perform like one of the top 10 first basemen in the league.
2nd base: Joe Panik’s name has been discussed as a possible trade candidate this offseason, but he’s exactly the type of player the Giants are looking to keep. He’s young, talented and has a controllable contract, and the Giants don’t have to reward him with a longer deal until after the 2020 season.
One reason Panik’s name has been mentioned is because the Giants do have some depth in the middle infield, as Miguel Gomez, Kelby Tomlinson and Christian Arroyo are all capable of playing second base. If the Giants ever did decide to deal Panik, Arroyo would likely have the first crack at succeeding him.
Shortstop: Much like the catcher position, the Giants are completely squared away at shortstop as back-to-back-to-back Gold Glove winner Brandon Crawford is just 30 years old and signed through the 2021 season. Crawford probably isn’t going to blow opponents away at the plate, but he did struggle with various injury issues last season so the Giants are hoping his 2018 season looks a lot more like his 2016 campaign than the season he put together last year.
Behind Crawford, the Giants have Tomlinson at the ready, but they don’t have much depth in the farm system. C.J. Hinojosa might be the next shortstop to reach the Major League level, but fans should keep tabs on Ryan Howard who tore the cover off the ball with A-San Jose last season.
Third base: Here we go. It’s a situation that desperately needs to be improved, and one that will be difficult to address for Evans and Sabean.
As it stands right now, the Giants have Arroyo, Pablo Sandoval and Ryder Jones as the in-house candidates to compete for the starting job, but it’s clear that relying on those players won’t cut it if the team hopes to contend in 2018. Sandoval isn’t the player he once was, while Arroyo and Jones are still inexperienced. The latter two players struggled mightily in their first taste of Major League action, but the organization still thinks highly of both players.
Regardless, though, it will be considered a major disappointment if the Giants don’t address their third base depth through a trade or free agency, so look for a move to come within the near future.
Outfield: It took a lot to mentally psyche myself up to write this section, because discussing the Giants’ outfield situation requires committing yourself to certain levels of density and nuance.
At this point, the simple thing to do would be to wait and see how Evans and Sabean address the team’s various needs and the outfield, but we’re not here for simplicity. So let’s take a look at what we know.
The Giants desperately need a center fielder who can cover the vast territories of AT&T Park, and they want to sign or trade for a player who can handle the rigors of manning the position every day. That, of course, assumes the front office doesn’t get caught up addressing other needs, namely third base and the bullpen, which could force San Francisco to look at internal candidates. If that happens, expect Austin Slater and prospect Steven Duggar to vie for the starting job during Spring Training. Seriously.
Slater played all three outfield positions last season, and the Giants probably see him as a potential fourth outfielder moving into the 2018 campaign. Slater might have his own goal of locking down a starting job in left or center or right, but in an ideal world, the Giants think they can find superior talent before Spring Training. (Keep in mind, this is not an ideal world.)
Let’s assume for a moment that the Giants do find a center fielder through a trade, perhaps Jackie Bradley, Jr. from the Boston Red Sox. That would mean Slater would start Spring Training in a corner outfield spot, and Gorkys Hernandez would likely be the team’s fifth outfielder and backup center fielder until Duggar is ready for Major League pitching. It would also mean Hunter Pence would likely remain in right field, while Slater would battle with Jones, Denard Span, Jarrett Parker and Mac Williamson for the job in left field. If a five-way competition sounds a bit convoluted and unrealistic, remember that prospect Chris Shaw is being groomed as the franchise’s next left fielder and he’ll start the year with AAA-Sacramento.
Because the Giants need a power hitter, San Francisco is still linked to several free agents, including Jay Bruce. Bruce plays right field, and signing Bruce would likely mean the team would ask Pence to move over and play left field at the start of Spring Training. That was the plan when San Francisco thought it could trade for Stanton, as Span would have gone to Miami in a trade while Stanton would have become the Giants’ every day right fielder. Even though the trade never came to fruition, there’s a strong possibility the Giants are still looking to move Span in a different deal. Doing so would take his $11 million salary off the payroll for next season, and remove one name from the left field competition that figures to grab attention nearly every day this spring.
There are so many different ways for the offseason to play out that it’s impossible to gauge what the Giants’ outfield depth could look like on Opening Day. If San Francisco can find a deal for Span, he’ll be on his way out. If not, Span could start in left, the Giants could sign a center fielder and Pence could start in right. If the Giants sign a right fielder, then Span and Pence will platoon in left while Slater and Duggar could battle for the right to start in center. Right now, though, there are a myriad of different ways the outfield depth could shape up, and until the Giants make at least one significant transaction, it’s anyone’s guess as to how it all unfolds.
