Five free agents who fit the SF Giants perfectly
The SF Giants have some decisions to make this offseason, but all eyes are on how they approach free agency. It's no secret that president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has either sat back or swung and missed in his attempts to lure a big-time free agent to San Francisco since he joined the franchise in 2018. He will hope to change that this offseason. However, the Giants will be looking to improve their roster from the top to bottom, and here is a look at five free agents of different calibers that would be a perfect fit on the current roster.
SF Giants SP Alex Cobb talks to Angels DH Shohei Ohtani. (2022)
Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
Bonus: Shohei Ohtani
I'm not including Shohei Ohtani (top-ranked free agent) in the overall list because… of course he’s a perfect fit. The Giants need superstar talent and the most talented player since at least Babe Ruth is a free agent. It's hard to see Ohtani passing on joining a more proven winner to end up in San Francisco, but reports keep tying the two sides together. Of course the best player in MLB would be a perfect fit for San Francisco, but anyone could have told you that.
Five free agents who fit the SF Giants perfectly
1. Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Since I'm not counting Ohtani, I decided to allow myself to highlight the other free agent that would be a great addition for every team this offseason. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (second-best free agent) is not just the best starting pitcher not already pitching in MLB, but is also only 25 years old. Yamamoto has the potential to be leader on a World Series contender for at least the next five years.
Across the past seven seasons with the Buffaloes, Yamamoto has recorded a 1.83 ERA with 911 strikeouts and just 204 walks in 890 innings pitched. Yamamoto has a fastball that primarily sits in the 92-95 mph range, although he has reached 99 mph at times. However, he has dominated hitters with some of the best command in the world, showing the ability to consistently locate all of his pitches. Yamamoto's splitter, which works in the low 90s, is easily his best pitch and generates the most consistent swings and misses. He also has a traditional curveball and the ability to play with his fastball grip to generate sink, cut, and four-seam movement.
Team South Korea OF Jung-Hoo Lee singles during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. (2021)
Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports
5 free agents who fit the SF Giants perfectly
2. Jung-Hoo Lee
While Michael Conforto's decision to opt-in makes the Giants' outfield even more crowded, and left-handed heavy, that should not keep them from making an aggressive play for center fielder Jung-Hoo Lee (ninth-best free agent) this offseason.
Lee is widely considered the best player in the KBO. He had a career-year in 2022, winning the KBO MVP with a .349 batting average, .996 OPS, and 23 home runs. His production did dip this season, in part due to an injury, but he still has an impressive track record.
He has a .342 career batting average in more than 3,000 plate appearances and he has drawn more walks than strikeouts in each of the past four seasons. In fact, his strikeout rate since 2019 is a measly 6.5%. He's also a good defensive center fielder. The Giants have been incredibly reliant on Mike Yastrzemski's health in recent seasons, and even if Lee has some similar traits, it would give manager Bob Melvin more flexibility and injury insurance.
Five free agents who fit the SF Giants perfectly
3. Mitch Garver
Every team wants to enter the season with at least three viable options at catcher. Patrick Bailey, Blake Sabol, and Joey Bart were San Francisco's final trio by the end of last season, but Bart clearly needs a change of scenery. Bailey sure looked like the Giants' catcher of the future this season, but his production at the plate fell off a cliff as the season went on. In fact, his triple-slash was right in line with Bart's in 2022. So, Bart is likely gone and the Giants need some proven insurance for Bailey.
Furthermore, while Sabol had a promising rookie season, he can also be optioned going forward. By moving on from Bart and adding a proven catcher, Sabol could receive the lion's share of playing time behind the plate at Triple-A, and continue developing defensively behind the plate.
Mitch Garver (23rd-best free agent) is far from the perfect catcher, but the Rangers slugger has been an incredibly productive hitter. Garver is a career .252/.342/.483 hitter who has averaged roughly 30 home runs per 162 games, making him a viable designated hitter. He's also consistently been even more productive against left-handed pitching, an area the Giants particularly struggled with last year.
Garver has struggled to stay on the field, and has been inconsistent defensively. However, Statcast has actually graded him as a roughly league-average defensive catcher over the past four seasons. Injuries and skepticism about his ability to maintain solid defense has limited him to catching roughly 20-40 games per year, but that would not be a problem with Bailey locked into the top spot on the depth chart.
Chicago White Sox CL Liam Hendriks celebrates a win against the ankees. (2023)
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Five free agents who fit the SF Giants perfectly
4. Liam Hendriks
The back of San Francisco's bullpen is far from the team's biggest problem heading into the offseason. However, with John Brebbia and Scott Alexander both hitting free agency, there are some spots in the bullpen that could be upgraded. Liam Hendriks was one of the best closers in MLB from 2019-2022 before cancer forced him to miss the start of this season. Upon returning, he seemed to be regaining his form before tearing his UCL and needing to undergo UCL surgery.
Hendriks will surely miss the first half of the 2024 season, but has such an impressive track record that he should easily ink a decent-sized two-year deal with a team betting on his ability to return to form. Giants' fans have grown understandably frustrated with the team's willingness to sign oft-injured players in free agency. However, it's been an effective strategy filling out the bullpen. Besides, Hendriks' deal would not break the bank, and would give the Giants an opportunity to pair Camilo Doval with another potentially dominant back-end reliever.
Five free agents who fit the SF Giants perfectly
5. Adalberto Mondesí
Marco Luciano is going to receive the first opportunity to replace Brandon Crawford as the Giants everyday shortstop with Tyler Fitzgerald, Casey Schmitt, and Thairo Estrada hanging back as potential emergency stop gaps if he is unable to fill the void. Still, the Giants could probably benefit from at least one veteran alternative. With Luciano, Estrada, and incumbent starting third baseman J.D. Davis all right-handed hitters, finding a utility infielder with a left-handed bat has even more potential value.
Enter Adalberto Mondesí, once a top-100 prospect in the minor leagues, Mondesi's career has been derailed by a torn ACL injury and a rehab process with several setbacks over the past two seasons. However, with the Giants ready to pass the baton to Luciano, and simply in need in some potential depth, a player who will settle for a minor-league contract, like Mondesí makes the most sense.
When he was healthy from 2018-2022, the switch-hitting Mondesí hit .255/.289/.431 with 35 home runs and 119 stolen bases (152 attempts) in 286 games. Those numbers are far from exceptional, but he had amazing speed with occasional power and consistently graded out as an excellent defensive shortstop. There's no doubt that the SF Giants would like to find a depth piece with a better track record of staying on the field, but the 28-year-old infielder is one of the only free agents who is a proven defensive shortstop with other tools that can help the team win.
