MLB Player Poll Shows No One Wants to Play for San Francisco Giants

An MLB player poll doesn't sit well for the San Francisco Giants landing future free agents.

Apr 26, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Stadium LED lights flash as San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey (far right in orange) rounds the bases after hitting a walk-off home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

The MLB player poll done by The Athletic's MLB Staff certainly didn't help the San Francisco Giants. Blake Snell was named one of the most overrated players in baseball, and another poll response might be the worst one yet.

For many reasons, the Giants have failed to sign superstar free agents in recent seasons. Aaron Judge decided to return to the New York Yankees after there were thoughts of him coming back home.

They attempted to land Shohei Ohtani, but that didn't go well, either.

It's not easy to land two of the best players in baseball, but the history in San Francisco should be worth something. While the last few seasons haven't gone as planned, this is a storied franchise that's won just as much as any team in baseball over the last two decades.

Asking players which team they'd sign with if contracts, state taxes, and rosters were not a factor, the Giants only received 2.3% of votes. That was behind teams like the Cincinnati Reds, Tampa Bay Rays, and even the Los Angeles Angels.

So, why does the franchise have a tough time landing players? This is the same club that's had many of the greatest players in MLB history. Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Barry Bonds, and Buster Posey, the list goes on and on.

Posey made a comment in December that caused an uproar from the fan base, but it could be playing a factor in why they aren't landing free agents.

“Something I think is noteworthy, something that unfortunately keeps popping up from players and even the players’ wives is there’s a bit of an uneasiness with the city itself, as far as the state of the city, with crime, with drugs,” Posey told Andrew Baggalry of The Athletic.

“Whether that’s all completely fair or not, perception is reality. It’s a frustrating cycle, I think, and not just with baseball. Baseball is secondary to life and the important things in life. But as far as a free-agent pursuit goes, I have seen that it does affect things.”

Perhaps this is the reason why players voted the way they did. However, every big city has its problems. New York has issues, Los Angeles has problems, and so does Atlanta. It's just the basic facts of being in a major city in America.

Whatever the reason might be, it's certainly not a promising sign that players voted this way.