Free agency has not been the San Francisco Giants’ strongsuit over the last few years.
The team missed out on big-name guys like Bryce Harper and Aaron Judge and was a part of the Carlos Correa debacle before he ultimately signed with the Minnesota Twins.
That was a different era for the club, however, as that time saw Farhan Zaidi running things, whereas now, Buster Posey is the president of baseball operations, and he has already made strides to being better at the role with his extension of Matt Chapman earlier this year.
There is one key free agent on the market this winter that could cement Posey’s front office legacy with the club should they sign him, superstar outfielder Juan Soto.
“This is Buster Posey’s chance to put that narrative to rest,” writes Stephen J. Nesbitt in a recent article for The Athletic, “(Unless he isn’t given the freedom to spend big this offseason.) After extending Matt Chapman, who like Blake Snell had signed a glorified one-year deal with the Giants last offseason, Posey is surely intrigued by the idea of bringing the Bay Area its best hitter since Barry Bonds.”
Soto would end all doubt that surrounds the franchise about their ability to land big-name free agents, as he is the biggest free agent MLB has seen in the last five years, not named Shohei Ohtani.
Soto would instantly add a threatening presence to the top of the Giants’ lineup, with his ability to get on base with ease, and his ability to hit for power, and could be the guy that gives the franchise their first hitter with 30 or more home runs since Barry Bonds crossed that plateau in 2004.
For his career, Soto has batted .285/.421/.532 with 201 home runs, 592 RBI, and a 160 OPS+ across 4,088 plate appearances in 936 games, and his on-base percentage is the highest mark in baseball since his debut on May 20th, 2018.
The superstar has found success at the plate in a limited sample size at Oracle Park, too, batting .325/.436/.615 with seven home runs and 13 RBI across 101 plate appearances in 22 games.
San Francisco could use an upgrade to their corner outfield unit, and while Soto would not help as much defensively, he would more than make up for that with what he is able to do at the plate.
It is easy to see just how well Juan Soto would fit in the Giants’ roster, the only question remaining is if the organization is willing to spend the money necessary to bring the superstar to the Bay Area.
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