Seven dream free agents for Giants to target this winter
Don't expect the Giants to be too active for the biggest names.
Farhan Zaidi's first two offseasons in charge of the Giants have had a similar theme.
He has not taken on significant payroll, preferring one-year deals in every case but the two-year deal with Wilmer Flores that thus far looks like a steal. The Giants have yet to guarantee a player more than $9 million per year under Zaidi, who came in ready to reset a payroll that had veered into the luxury tax in previous seasons.
When the Giants have identified marquee free agents to chase, they've gone straight to the top of the position player market. They finished second for Bryce Harper in 2019, and some team officials were starting to prepare for a Mookie Betts chase months ago, only to watch the superstar sign an extension with the Dodgers.
As the Giants hit the market for the third time under Zaidi, it's hard to see them being too active for the biggest names. They have downplayed interest in making a splash, and the top two position players available aren't great fits. J.T. Realmuto is the best player available, but the Giants are set at catcher now and into the future. George Springer would help any lineup, but he's 31 already, and the Giants would prefer a left-handed bat in the outfield.
There are plenty of familiar names who still make sense as targets this winter, though. Here's a look at seven free agents who would be ideal additions to the 2021 Giants ...
We'll start with the easiest one. Gausman signed a one-year contract with the Giants last December and was everything they could have hoped for, posting a 3.62 ERA and 3.09 FIP and turning into Gabe Kapler's best starter. He turns 30 in January, but with a fastball that regularly hit 97 and a splitter that was one of the best pitches in the game, there's good reason to think that Gausman's best days are still ahead of him. Both sides have spoken of securing a reunion, and while Gausman is due for multiple years this time, that would be a worthwhile gamble for a team that doesn't have much starting pitching.
There's a huge caveat here: The Giants should not commit $200 million to a starting pitcher right now, so Bauer only fits if he actually holds true to past comments about signing one-year deals throughout his career. He was the best pitcher in the National League this year, and if it truly is a competition to see who can pay him the most and make him the happiest in 2021, the Giants have the financial wherewithal and the creative coaching staff to be right there in the mix.
Bauer alone would change the direction of the 2021 season. The Giants are still rebuilding, but given how good the lineup was this year, they could jump firmly into the Wild Card race with the addition of a six-win player atop their rotation. Bauer might be able to offer that without changing the financial landscape beyond next season.
The nasty right-handed reliever was an obvious fit for the Giants last offseason after imploding for the 2019 A's, but the Dodgers saw the bounce-back coming too, signing the 2018 Cy Young candidate to a one-year, $10 million deal. Treinen had a good regular season and was called upon to save Game 5 of the World Series. The Giants need dependable right-handed relief and a closer, and Treinen -- who figures to be in for another short-term deal -- could fill both holes.
These are dream additions, remember? The dream for 2021 is to get back into the playoffs, in which case the Giants could embrace Joctober. Pederson starred at Palo Alto High School, but the Giants somehow let him get away to their division rival. They'll have that geographical advantage in free agency, and Pederson is close to some current Giants, including Brandon Crawford and prospect Hunter Bishop. Most importantly, he’d fill a massive hole. Zaidi has talked of adding a left-handed bat for the outfield and Pederson has a career .349 OBP and .501 slugging percentage against righties. He hit 36 homers against right-handed pitchers in 2019 alone.
A top four of Mike Yastrzemski, Alex Dickerson, Pederson and Brandon Belt would make the Giants a nightmare for opposing right-handed starters, and they happen to play in a division where they'll have to get past Walker Buehler, Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, Dinelson Lamet, Mike Clevinger and Chris Paddack next season.
La Stella has played more than 100 games just once in the big leagues, but after a strong 2020 run, he might be too high-end for what the Giants need for their infield. Evan Longoria had a .671 OPS against right-handed pitchers and Pablo Sandoval wasn't able to give him platoon help. La Stella had a .303/.393/.510 slash line against righties last year with the Angels and A's, which included a walk-off homer off Trevor Gott. He had similar numbers against righties in 2019. La Stella, 31, can play third but primarily has been a second baseman in the big leagues. The Giants just so happen to have three right-handed hitters there, too, so he fills another minor need.
A left-handed starter who has the stuff to be an ace but has had inconsistent results in the big leagues and could use a soft landing spot to rebuild his value. Sound familiar? The Giants have gone this path back-to-back years and hit on Drew Pomeranz and Drew Smyly. Ray had a truly horrific walk year, posting a 6.62 ERA for the Diamondbacks and Blue Jays, but Smyly had a 6.24 ERA for two teams in 2019 and the Giants looked like geniuses for giving him $3 million. You can bet they'll take on another flyer at some point, and there are plenty of options. Ray, who averaged 94 mph and was in the 80th percentile in fastball spin rate, has the most upside of the group.
The Giants would like an established closer, but they don't want to -- and shouldn't want to -- spend a lot on saves in free agency. Their best bet, then, might be to take on someone with red flags on his résumé but the potential to slide back into the ninth if all goes well. Yates is that guy, having missed most of the 2020 season after having bone chips removed from his elbow. He's just a year removed from a 1.19 ERA and 41 saves, and he said in August that he's "very, very optimistic" about the procedure, which was only supposed to sideline him for about eight weeks. Thirty-three years old and coming off surgery, Yates shouldn't cost much, but he has the potential to give the Giants an All-Star closer and a pretty good trade chip if they fall out of the race.
