The bulk of the offseason is in the rearview, bringing Truck Day into the foreground.
Many Giants players and personnel have already begun putting in work at their Papago Park facility, but pitchers and catchers officially report on Feb. 16. Their first full squad workout is scheduled for Feb. 20.
Including arbitration-avoiding deals, the Giants have committed $203.6 million — eighth-most of the winter, right behind the Rangers and ahead of Houston.
San Francisco re-signed Joc Pederson on the qualifying offer and signed six free agents in Ross Stripling, Sean Manaea, Mitch Haniger, Michael Conforto, Taylor Rogers and Luke Jackson. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi is quick to note that group includes five All-Stars and two World Series champions.
It’s clear the Giants improved their roster from the past year, particularly in terms of depth of pitching and with more opportunity for defensive continuity. But there should still be items on their agenda while the offseason technically flows on.
Here are three things the Giants can do before spring training to further improve on their offseason.
Make the catcher room a bit more crowded
As of right now, Joey Bart is the only catcher with MLB experience on the Giants’ 40-man roster.
Blake Sabol, acquired in a Rule 5 Draft trade, converted to the position in Triple-A last year.
Austin Wynns, who served as a valiant if not underqualified backup last year, was released, cleared waivers and is back in the Giants organization. Wynns was initially added as a stopgap solution, but stuck as he developed a strong reputation for game-calling and work ethic.
Zaidi said that he doesn’t expect to make major moves at the position and expects for Sabol and Wynns to compete for the backup spot behind Bart.
That strategy puts a lot of faith in Bart as an everyday catcher, a role he may or may not be ready for. His 2022 season was uneven, with unplayable valleys and promising blips.
Adding another catcher to compete in the room, likely on a non-roster invite basis, would help everyone involved.
Jorge Alfaro, the exciting, high-upside catcher who signed a non-roster contract with the Red Sox that indicates he intends to play in the bigs, would’ve been an inspired acquisition.
Gary Sánchez remains available in free agency, but his hitting numbers have completely tanked since his 2019 All-Star season and he’s not known to be a strong defender. Last year, he hit .165 with a .554 OPS with a platoon advantage. Maybe he’d sign a minor league “prove-it” deal.
Kevin Plawecki, of “Dancing On My Own” fame, could provide veteran leadership as a backup ala Curt Casali.
The team must really believe in Sabol’s potential, because they need to keep him rostered due to Rule 5 restrictions. And although the SF catcher position surprisingly ranked 16th in WAR last year, it has potential to be another rotating cast in 2023, which can eat away at the farm system with minor trades and keep its pitching staff on its toes.
Continuity is valuable, perhaps no more so at the catcher position. SF should do everything it can to make the position battle more competitive.
Add another left-handed first baseman
At least against right-handed pitchers, first base is LaMonte Wade Jr.’s job to lose.
All indications point to Wade starting at first base on Opening Day in Yankee Stadium against right-handed ace Gerrit Cole.
It might be easy to forget how great Wade was in 2021. He slashed .268/.341/.518 against righties. He posted a 1.373 OPS in 31 plate appearances with two outs and runners in scoring position. He hit .407 with three homers and 25 RBI in situations deemed “high leverage” by Baseball-Reference.
He won the Willie Mac Award.
If Wade can even come close to that magical season, he could be half of an elite first base platoon, partnered with a combination of Wilmer Flores, J.D. Davis and David Villar.
But if 2023 goes like it did in 2022, they could be in trouble.
Dealing with a string of lower body injuries that began in spring training, Wade never got his feet under him. He played in just 77 games and hit .207, failing to find any sort of rhythm. He posted exactly 0.0 wins above replacement.
Beyond health, Wade’s defensive metrics aren’t particularly promising at first base. He’s a strong athlete and having all spring to focus mainly on the position should help, but losing Brandon Belt’s Gold Glove-level defense could be felt more than it should.
It might have to come via trade, but the Giants should look to add some Wade insurance. There aren’t any other lefties capable of playing first on the 40-man roster, and likewise none knocking on the door in Sacramento.
Dominic Smith, who signed a one-year, $2 million deal with Washington might’ve been a nice flier candidate. Some other possible trade or low-key signing targets: Pavin Smith, Harold Castro, Red Sox prospect Niko Kavadas.
Work on a long-term Logan Webb extension
There hasn’t been much noise from the Giants on the Extend Logan Webb front — not abnormal for a front office that typically avoids leaking to the press.
Webb’s arbitration settlement was the last to get reported, but he and the team did in fact reach a $4.6 million agreement to avoid arbitration. As is typical for players in their first year of arbitration eligibility, the figure is a bargain for a budding ace who has improved every year, proven durability and received down-ballot Cy Young votes.
That doesn’t necessarily inhibit the two sides from negotiating a long-term extension, and it certainly shouldn’t preclude the Giants from doing so.
The Giants very well may already be trying to extend Webb. It’s possible Webb might not be interested in one. There are many factors to consider.
But Webb, 26, is the type of player you build a franchise around. For all the bandying about how the Braves have been able to extend and retain all their young talent, it’s often forgotten that the most important catalyst of their strategy was locking in superstar Ronald Acuña Jr.. And once everyone else realized the charismatic star was there for the long haul, it became easier and easier to sell players on their vision.
Webb doesn’t have Acuña’s accolades, but he does have a magnetic personality and has already become a leader in the Giants’ clubhouse. Teammates gravitate toward him. His competitiveness rubs off on them. They want to play with him.
Buying out a couple of Webb’s arbitration years and tacking on five or six more would not only be a smart move by the front office, it would signal that the organization is focused on a clear direction and is taking strides toward it.
