DALLAS — Willy Adames makes the San Francisco Giants a greater baseball crew. He fills a place of want. He supplies energy and protection. In Buster Posey’s estimation, Adames and Matt Chapman, who signed his personal profitable deal, characterize the very best left facet in baseball.
However Adames, alone, doesn’t elevate the Giants to rivalry standing. Adames, alone, doesn’t assure they’ll be a playoff crew. So, when Posey was requested if it was honest to say that the crew nonetheless has a number of holes to fill — that one participant alone doesn’t remedy every little thing — Posey didn’t fully disagree.
“I think baseball is unique in the sense that that’s probably true for any team,” Posey stated.
Posey has repeatedly emphasised his want to construct a crew with sturdy protection and powerful pitching. Adames, one among baseball’s higher defensive shortstops, addresses the previous. With Adames in place, Posey and normal supervisor Zack Minasian can flip their consideration to addressing the latter.
San Francisco’s rotation, as constructed, options Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison and Hayden Birdsong (Posey said on Monday that Hicks might be within the rotation). Mason Black, Landon Roupp, Keaton Winn and Carson Whisenhunt might contribute innings as effectively. The Giants have choices, sure, however after Webb, their rotation options numerous variance.
Ray has solely pitched 34 innings over the past two seasons after present process Tommy John surgical procedure in 2023. Hicks battled fatigue in his first season as a full-time starter. Harrison skilled a velocity dip as he threw a career-high 124 1/3 innings. Birdsong flashed glorious stuff however struggled with command.
The easiest way for the Giants to cut back that variance, then, is by buying exterior expertise. The checklist of accessible free brokers thinned out a bit through the Winter Conferences as left-hander Max Fried and right-handers Nathan Eovaldi and Alex Cobb signed offers, however loads of arms stays unsigned. That checklist Corbin Burnes, Jack Flaherty, Sean Manaea, amongst others. With Fried receiving an eight-year, $218 million deal from the Yankees, Burnes stands to signal a deal within the $250 million vary.
“Anytime there’s players available, we’re going to look at them,” Minasian stated on Monday. “I think most players who get to free agency have earned it through their career, so usually they’re pretty good. And just continuing to look at those options and balancing the cost and our internal opportunity that we can offer. Just continuing to look at every option out there.”
One other a kind of choices is right-hander Roki Sasaki, whose agent, Joel Wolfe, held courtroom on Tuesday. The Dodgers and Padres are the favorites to land “The Monster of the Reiwa Era,” however Wolfe outlined that the method might be open-ended with Sasaki keen to think about completely different choices.
“My advice to Roki is to go in with an open mind,” Wolfe stated.
Minasian, who has hung out scouting the NPB and KBO, has had Sasaki on his radar courting again to Sasaki’s beginner days, describing the right-hander as a “special arm” with “huge, raw stuff.” When Minasian was requested what would make San Francisco an alluring vacation spot, Minasian cited Oracle Park’s pitcher-friendly dimensions; direct flights to Tokyo and Osaka; the tradition of town and group; and a fan base “hungry for the star player.”
“With the rules, we haven’t gotten to know him personally, but certainly done a lot of homework,” Minasian stated. “We feel like we have a good sense of what makes him tick and we feel like it’s a situation we can make very comfortable for him, just give him the best chance for success as a big-league pitcher.”
Together with the rotation, the Giants will proceed to discover their choices within the outfield. San Francisco can presently roll out an outfield of Heliot Ramos in left, Jung Hoo Lee in heart and Mike Yastrzemski, who agreed to a one-year, $9.25 million deal to keep away from arbitration, in proper. Regardless of having these three in place, San Francisco reportedly expressing curiosity in proper fielder Kyle Tucker, who will grow to be a free agent after subsequent season.
During the last 5 seasons, Tucker has earned three All-Star picks, a Silver Slugger Award and a Gold Glove Award, posting an .883 OPS and totaling 121 house runs. The Giants would doubtless have to bundle a number of prospects to accumulate Tucker, and Minasian believes San Francisco has younger expertise that will be alluring different groups.
“I think we feel pretty good about what we have, and if there’s players out there, I do believe we have the minor-league talent to entice a team to consider us in a trade,” Minasian stated.
Circling again to the infield, LaMonte Wade Jr. is presently slated as San Francisco’s beginning first baseman, however Posey and Minasian each stated the Giants will proceed taking a look at different choices. Wade has the Eleventh-best on-base proportion in baseball since 2023 (min. 900 plate appearances), however the soon-to-be 31-year-old has handled a number of accidents throughout his time in San Francisco.
“LaMonte’s a special player,” Posey stated on Monday. “LaMonte’s ability to get on base is, I don’t know specifically where he is, it’s like top 10 in the league. A lot of value there. He plays solid defense. I think we’re just trying as much as anything to keep options on the table.”
Bryce Eldrige, the Giants’ prime prospect per MLB Pipeline, might additionally see time at first base subsequent season as effectively. The 20-year-old skyrocketed by means of the Giants’ system, hitting .291/.374/.516 with 23 homers and 92 RBIs throughout 4 ranges and ending the season with Triple-A Sacramento (eight video games). For in addition to Eldridge performed, he isn’t a lock to make his debut subsequent season.
“You never want to say never, but I think it is somewhat fair to temper expectations from my end just because — whether is this is right or wrong — I’m looking at it like he should be entering his sophomore year of college,” Posey stated. “That doesn’t mean that we (haven’t) seen players before that could get to the big leagues at that age. … We see the upside for this guy being tremendous and (want) to make sure that he gets the experience that he needs before he’s thrown into the fire. So that when he is called upon, he’s in the best place he possibly can be to just take off when the time is right.”
Value noting
The Giants may have the thirteenth total decide within the 2025 MLB Draft following Tuesday’s draft lottery. They’d’ve had the ninth decide based mostly solely on document.
With a full 40-man roster, San Francisco didn’t choose anybody within the major-league portion of the Rule 5 Draft. Throughout the minor-league portion, the Giants chosen left-hander CJ Widger and right-hander Sadrac Franco, however misplaced right-handers William Jensen and Julio Rodriguez; outfielder Cesar Quintas; shortstop Will Wilson; left-hander Nick Swiney; and catcher Andy Thomas.
