The MLB offseason is underway and free agency officially begins Monday. The Giants are hard at work kicking tires and putting their best foot forward in hopes of receiving a rose from one of the coveted players set to hit the market this winter.
San Francisco enters what could be one of the biggest offseasons in franchise history, and the club is expected to be a major player at the top of the free-agent and trade markets.
The Giants have been devoid of star power in recent years and will look to add just about any significant piece they can get their hands on. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi also has said the team will look to get younger and more athletic defensively and will target top-of-the-rotation starting pitching.
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These are the positions the Giants could look to improve and the players they might end up targeting.
Shohei Ohtani
Yes, he gets his own category.
There will be plenty more on him to come in the next few weeks when his market begins to heat up, but it's clear that one name will dominate the offseason for the Giants and many other teams.
San Francisco Giants
Ohtani underwent surgery on Sept. 19 to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and is expected to be available as a hitter by Opening Day 2024, but will not return to the mound until 2025.
The two-way superstar is expected to top Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes for the largest contract ($450 million) in North American sports history, even after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery. Ohtani could land a contract well over $500 million and potentially even $600 million and would be worth every penny.
The AL MVP front-runner is the most talented player to ever step foot on a baseball diamond and is a unicorn in a class of his own. The Giants will go hard after him and would be wise not to be outbid.
Pitchers
With Zaidi making it clear the Giants will be targeting front-line starters this offseason, it's pretty obvious where our focus should be.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Perhaps the second-biggest name on the free-agent market behind Ohtani is his fellow countryman. Yamamoto is believed to be one of, if not the best starting pitchers on the market and some believe he could land a $200-plus million contract with an MLB team. The Giants have done their homework and have scouted Yamamoto extensively. Expect them to pull out all the stops.
Blake Snell: The NL Cy Young hopeful will be competing with Yamamoto for the largest starting-pitching contract this offseason and for good reason. The 30-year-old posted an excellent 2.25 ERA with 234 strikeouts in 180 innings pitched. He's a bonafide ace and should get paid like one. The Padres extended him the qualifying offer, which means signing him could result in the loss of a draft pick.
Aaron Nola: He's coming off a bit of a down season, but still managed to hover around 200 innings pitched and 200 strikeouts with a mediocre 4.46 ERA and 4.03 FIP. Nola still has ace potential and fits what the Giants are looking for. The Phillies also extended him the qualifying offer.
Sonny Gray: Coming off one of the best seasons of his career, the 33-year-old Gray was an ace for the Minnesota Twins in 2023 and played four-plus seasons under new Giants manager Bob Melvin in Oakland. This will be a theme for a few key free-agent targets this offseason. He also received a qualifying offer from the Twins.
Eduardo Rodriguez: Rumored to be one of the Giants' trade deadline targets this summer, Rodriguez had a career season with the Tigers in 2023 and fits what San Francisco is looking for, but probably isn't considered an ace.
Outfielders
The Giants will be targeting some combination of youth, athleticism, good defense and a plus-bat in the outfield this offseason. Center field seems like the focus, but if you're the Giants, all three positions should be evaluated heavily.
Jung-hoo-Lee: One of the best free-agent outfielders this offseason and perhaps the Giants' top choice on the market. The 25-year-old Lee is a superstar in Korea and is coming off an injury-shortened 2023 season. He's an excellent center fielder and batted .349/.421/.575 with 23 home runs and 113 RBI in 2022. Also, his nickname is "the grandson of the wind," which might be the coolest thing about him.
Cody Bellinger: He bet on himself last offseason and it paid off tremendously. Bellinger put up MVP numbers in 2023 and widely is viewed as the best free-agent outfielder on the market. He can play center field and first base and while he checks a lot of boxes for the Giants, it doesn't feel like he's going to be one of their top two or three offseason targets. I could see the Giants showing some interest early and then maybe circling back to him later in the offseason if he's still available. Bellinger also received a qualifying offer from the Cubs.
Teoscar Hernández: This is a break glass in case of an emergency move. The 31-year-old Hernández does not fit the profile of a defender the Giants will be targeting in the outfield but can play a serviceable right field if needed. The draw here would be his bat. Hernández has averaged 27 home runs and 95 RBI over his last three seasons. If the Giants strike out on a few free-agent bats this offseason, I can see them settling for Hernández.
Infielders
The infield is an interesting conundrum because the Giants have youngsters potentially ready to take over as everyday players, but they haven't shown enough yet to where the organization should feel totally comfortable handing over the keys to the car.
Matt Chapman: The Giants penciled in David Villar as the Opening Day third baseman last offseason and he was out of the picture after the first two months of the season. Fortunately for the Giants, they had J.D. Davis step up and he did an admirable job as the everyday third baseman. However, it's time to look for an upgrade if possible. Chapman is the top free-agent infielder on the market and is a three-time Gold Glove Award winner who has 25-homer potential. Also, a former player under Melvin. He received a qualifying offer from the Blue Jays.
Tim Anderson: More on the shortstop position later, but this would be a pure insurance move. The Giants will give Marco Luciano every opportunity to be the starting shortstop on Opening Day, but just like the Villar situation, it would be wise to have veteran depth here. Outside of a very disappointing 2023 season, Anderson has been one of the best pure-contact hitters in baseball and should come relatively cheap this winter.
Rhys Hoskins: We know how much the Giants love -- maybe even to a fault -- the "local" kid. Hoskins is from Sacramento and was a big fan of the team growing up. He tore his ACL in spring training and missed all of last season. There is that coming-off-injury discount and upside that might make Giants fans roll their eyes after the Mitch Haniger and Michael Conforto signings last offseason, but Hoskins as a first baseman and designated hitter could provide plenty of offensive upside at the right price.