3 players for San Francisco Giants to target this offseason
After winning the National League West in 2021 with a franchise-record 107 wins, the San Francisco Giants took a step back in 2022, finishing third in the division with an 81-81 mark.
This offseason, with plenty of payroll space and an aging roster that needs some offensive punch, the San Francisco Giants are certainly a team to watch as the MLB Winter Meetings kick off on Sunday in San Diego. But which players could be a good fit in San Francisco? Let’s look at some possibilities.
3 players for San Francisco Giants to target this offseason
Aaron Judge
Come on, you knew Judge was going to be on this list, and he’s certainly not only the most coveted free agent available this offseason, but one that the Giants reportedly have a reasonable chance of landing.
For Judge to leave the New York Yankees, it’s not only going to be about the money, but also about San Francisco’s ability to “put a winning team around him that can get to the postseason,” said MLB insider Jon Morosi. That’s going to mean that Judge can’t be the only target for the Giants (other options coming later in this article), and it’s going to mean that San Francisco is going to have to be very aggressive this offseason to not only land him, but other roster pieces as well.
Judge would be a game-changer for the Giants, bringing power to the lineup and a new face to the franchise. Who else should San Francisco add? Let’s look at the mound.
Kodai Senga
It’s no secret that the Giants have been wooing Senga to make his MLB debut with the franchise. Senga has been touted by his agents as being a top-of-the-rotation type of arm thanks to his fastball and a forkball that has been dubbed “the ghost fork.”
San Francisco has already displayed their hopes for landing Senga on the Oracle Park scoreboard, so the franchise isn’t being shy about their pursuit of the 29-year-old right-hander who logged a 2.59 ERA and a 1.115 WHIP over his 1089.0 innings in 11 seasons as a part of Nippon Professional Baseball. He also struck out 1,252 batters while issuing 414 walks.
If the Giants can’t bring back Carlos Rodón, Senga would be an ideal addition to the rotation.
Senga’s agent Joel Wolfe has been quoted as saying that Senga, “would like to play in a big market with a team that wants to try and win right now. He has a great deal of interest in being in a big market.”
Much like Judge, San Francisco would need to demonstrate to Senga how that the Giants are built to win now. On the surface, it almost feels that the duo needs each other to be wearing orange and black next season in order for San Francisco to have an extremely successful offseason.
Cody Bellinger
If the Giants are unable to land Aaron Judge, signing Cody Bellinger to a one-year rebound deal may be an option that could pay dividends for San Francisco on a number of levels.
San Francisco has already been linked to the Giants by MLB insider Jon Heyman and others, and a contract could make sense as the franchise is familiar with Bellinger from his days with the Dodgers and could use a bat like the former National League Rookie of the Year and MVP was swinging at the height of his career in 2019.
However, that’s the trick. Bellinger was non-tendered by the Dodgers for a reason, and it’s because of two very subpar seasons after Los Angeles won the World Series in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Would the Giants be willing to take a chance on Bellinger as a big Plan B should the pursuit of Judge fall through? Could the Giants add Bellinger in at center field even with Judge on board, giving San Francisco an outfield consisting of Joe Pederson, Bellinger, and Judge?
Those are big questions to ask, but a Bellinger-Giants one-year deal could make sense. And if Bellinger were to rediscover his swing in a San Francisco uniform, it would provide plenty of chatter up and down the California coast after the arch-rival Dodgers jettisoned him.
Next. Pederson's recruiting message to Judge. dark
Bellinger was projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to make $18.1 million in arbitration this season with the Dodgers, so a one-year deal for his services could very well fit into the budget for the San Francisco Giants.