While the San Francisco Giants have undoubtedly improved this offseason, many fans still consider the team a disappointment because they did not land Shohei Ohtani, the big-name free agent the fans clamored for. To add insult to injury, the two biggest stars of the baseball offseason, Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, spurned the Giants to join their archrival, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Simply put, although the additions the Giants have made so far have been solid, they have also been overshadowed by the Dodgers acquisitions. Yet fans seem to forget that the Giants have successfully accomplished their two goals for the offseason: improving their starting pitching and their defense up the middle.
The Giants have made three major acquisitions so far. To start, the Giants added Korean superstar center-fielder Jung-Hoo Lee from the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO). Nicknamed “Grandson of the Wind,” Lee has an incredible mix of contact, speed, and plate discipline— assets that were sorely missed in the Giants lineup last season. He is also an incredible center fielder and should be able to roam the vast outfield at Oracle Park with ease. A six-year, 113 million dollar contract may seem like a slight overpay for someone who has never seen a Major League pitch, but Lee’s potential and ceiling make his contract worth it.
Next, the Giants traded away outfielder Mitch Haniger and pitcher Anthony Desclafani for former Cy Young award winner Robbie Ray from the Mariners. The Giants exchanged two players who struggled immensely in 2023 and were most likely not going to make a big impact on the team during this upcoming season. In return, they received a pitcher who was once the best overall pitcher in the American League. Although Ray is coming off a major surgery, the potential in this deal is hard to ignore.
Finally, the last splashy move the Giants made was signing flamethrower Jordan Hicks to a four-year, forty-four million dollar contract. Hicks has one of the premier fastballs in the game. Interestingly, the Giants plan to use Hicks as a starting pitcher, although he has been primarily a reliever for his entire career. The Giants are taking a gamble on Hicks, but if he does end up struggling, they can easily move him back to the bullpen.
Even after making these moves, the Giants can do more. There are still a couple ideal fits for them in free agency, such as third baseman Matt Chapman and outfielder Cody Bellinger. Only time will tell if Farhan Zaidi, the team’s general manager, decides to add more to a successful offseason haul.
