White Sox Slugger Flirted as Potential San Francisco Giants Target

The San Francisco Giants could look to upgrade at one key position with a former top five pick.

May 9, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Andrew Vaughn (25) / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants simply haven't been good enough this season. After spending in free agency, expectations were high entering the year. However, nearly 40 games into the season, nothing has gone right on the side of the baseball.

As a team, the Giants ranked 18th in batting average, 19th in OBP, 20th in SLG, and 21st in OPS. They have just 34 home runs, 53 doubles, and 138 RBIs. Each figure ranks them in the bottom 10 of Major League Baseball.

Factor in that the pitching hasn't been great and it's easy to see why San Francisco hasn't had the season they hoped for.

Exploring the options the Giants have to change their lineup, Grant Brisbee of The Athletic offered a few possibilities. Looking at the problem of Wilmer Flores struggling at the plate, Brisbee wrote that the best possible change they could make is trading for Andrew Vaughn of the Chicago White Sox.

Vaughn, a 26-year-old former top prospect, has struggled this season at the plate. The right-hander is slashing .192/.254/.246 without a home run in 130 at-bats.

While he's struggled more than nearly anyone in baseball, the White Sox could be to blame for that. It's tough to judge a relatively young player when the team he's on is 9-28.

Vaughn has had much better seasons than the one he's currently having, hitting at least 15 home runs in each of his first three seasons. There are flaws in his game, but he'd give San Francisco a young hitter to work with.

It's getting to the point with Flores that anyone other than him would be a positive replacement. The 32-year-old is slashing .213/.291/.303 with one home run in 103 at-bats.

After arguably being the best hitter in the lineup last season, blasting 23 home runs, and posting an OPS+ of 137, Flores has been a tough watch to start the year.