If the Giants are able to lure Seiya Suzuki to San Francisco, the most fascinating part of his first spring in orange and black might be an intrasquad game.
Suzuki, a Japanese superstar who plans to sign with an MLB team when the lockout ends, was recently asked which pitchers he's looking forward to facing. He listed the usual suspects -- future Hall of Famers Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander -- and then included Tyler Rogers as a surprise fourth choice. Suzuki told the interviewer that he has watched Rogers' submarine delivery and wondered, "how can anybody hit this?"
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SIGN UP HERE The Giants are hopeful that Suzuki and Rogers, projected to be their setup man next year, never face off in a big league game. They showed interest in the power-hitting right fielder before the lockout and are expected to be one of the top contenders for his services when free agency resumes.
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Suzuki, 27, posted an OPS over 1.000 last year, hit 38 homers and would fill the biggest remaining hole for the Giants, who need to replace the right-handed production that Buster Posey and Kris Bryant gave them last season. Posey used to be a regular in recruiting meetings for top free agents, including Shohei Ohtani, but perhaps the Giants can now use Rogers in their pitch to Suzuki.
Joining forces would keep Suzuki from ever facing Rogers outside of spring training, but he'd have an up-close view of a funky reliever who has led the NL in appearances back-to-back seasons.
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