The San Francisco Giants have a few positions that they need to address during the upcoming offseason to get the team on track. One of the spots that will be under consideration is first base.
Last season, they used LaMonte Wade Jr., Wilmer Flores and Mark Canha for a large chunk of the playing time. But, all three may move on this offseason.
Wade is set for arbitration while Flores and Canha are both free agents.
With Bryce Eldridge moving rapidly through their farm system, things are complicated a little bit at the position. The Giants don’t want to block him from being promoted if he earns it, but he will be turning only 20 years old on October 20th.
Thrusting him into the lineup after only one season of being a full-time hitter would be asking a lot, but the talent is certainly there.
Keeping his potential promotion in mind, here are three first basemen San Francisco should pursue this offseason.
The Giants are a young team that could use some veterans with experience to lead the clubhouse. Not wanting to block their star prospect’s ascension, a player of Turner’s caliber would check all of the boxes.
Turning 40 years old in November, he still remains a productive player. With the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners this season, he produced a 2.2 WAR with a .259/.354/.383 slash line with 11 home runs and 24 doubles.
With 86 playoff games and a World Series ring on his resume, he would be a great addition to the team. Given his age, a short-term deal as a stopgap until Eldridge is ready makes a lot of sense.
If San Francisco wants to take a big swing in free agency, there aren’t many hitters who fit the mold of what they are looking for more than the New York Mets All-Star first basemen. He would bring a ton of power to the lineup, hitting at least 34 home runs in every season of his career.
Turning 30 in December, he will be seeking a long-term deal in free agency. While he plays the same position as Eldridge, he shouldn’t block him from being called up.
Alonso has improved defensively but is still below average with the glove. Moving to designated hitter full-time could be in his future, as production was lacking at that spot in the team’s lineup as well.
Another stop-gap option in a similar vane as Turner would be Santana. He would fill a lot of the same needs as a veteran for a potentially young clubhouse that has produced consistently at the Major League level.
The biggest difference between Santana and the other players on the list is that he is an elite fielder. He is more than capable of holding down the position until Eldridge is ready and even beyond that is the team just wants their young stud to focus on hitting in the early going.
The veteran remains a source of power, as he hit 23 home runs this season and knocked in 71 runs for the Minnesota Twins. He gets on base with regularity as well, taking 65 walks.
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source link
