At the moment the MLB owners decided to lock out the players and freeze all MLB transactions, the San Francisco Giants hadn’t had the most excited offseason up to that point, but had signed a few significant players for 2022. Both Anthony DeSclafani and Alex Wood were signed to multi-year deals and in an extremely important and somewhat surprising move, Brandon Belt accepted the qualifying offer and will be back in a Giants uniform in 2022. Another addition to the rotation was also made with the signing of Alex Cobb, who had a fantastic 2021 with the Orioles.
However, there are still some holes to fill as the Giants could still use at least one more solid arm for their rotation and another outfielder to replace the recently released Alex Dickerson. Furthermore, a solid bullpen are or two couldn’t hurt. So let’s take a look at 10 potential free agent targets after the lockout for the San Francisco Giants.
Michael Pineda
While the Giants have already brought back Alex Wood Anthony Desclafani and signed Alex Cobb, they still have a hole in their rotation left by Johnny Cueto. Michael Pineda is an available righty who is also from the Dominican Republic but is 3 years younger than Cueto. In three years with Minnesota, he’s made 51 appearances — 50 starts — and posted a solid 3.85 ERA. In 2019, he was 11-5 with a 4.01 ERA. However, he can be injury prone and was suspended at one point for taking a PED masking agent. Nevertheless, if the price is right, Pineda could be a solid option for the back end of the Giants rotation in 2021.
Yusei Kikuchi
Three years ago, the Giants were extremely high on a pitcher being posted out of Japan. His name was Yusei Kikuchi. He ended up signing with the Seattle Mariners and has improved every year since joining the big leagues. This year Kikuchi made the All Star Team and had a fantastic season although he struggled some in the second half. He has strikeout stuff with a powerful fastball, a cutter, slider and great changeup. The reason this might not be the best match up is because Kikuchi turned down a player option to return to Seattle and is likely seeking a very lucrative multi-year deal. if the Giants are going to spend huge on a starting pitcher, they may look elsewhere, such as…
Clatyon Kershaw
Kershaw is still a top quality starter even with all the mileage on his arm over his 14 year career. He may be a lifelong Dodger, but the Giants have snagged legendary Dodger starting pitchers before, such as the 1988 World Series MVP Orel Hershiser, who pitched in San Francisco in 1998. Kershaw struck out 10.7 batters per 9 innings in 2021 and allowed just 103 hits in over 120 innings of work. He would immediately jump to the top of the Giants rotation along with Logan Webb, creating an unlikely 1-2 punch for the 2022 Giants. It would be weird to see him in a Giants uniform, but also amazing, especially during the crucial rivalry games as both teams battle for the division championship.
Kris Bryant
At this point, I find it unlikely that Bryant returns to San Francisco, but since he is an absolute superstar, extremely versatile, and still a free agent who was last seen in a Giants uniform, he is still some one to keep an eye on. Although there are some reports that the Giants were underwhelmed with his performance, he did hit .471 in the playoffs, going 8 for 17 with a home run. The Giants have every infield position covered, but with Bryant’s versatility, ability to play outfield, and the fact that the Giants infield tends to get injured, this would seem like a logial re-signing. Nevertheless, some tweets by Greg Zumach and Andrew Baggerly seem to doubt he will return in 2022.
Sergio Romo
The Giants bullpen is one area that looks to be a strength going into 2022 with Jarlin Garcia, Camilo Doval, Jake McGee, Tyler Rogers and Jose Alvarez all returning. However, extra depth and options never hurt and old friend Sergio Romo is actually a free agent. Last season with the Oakland A's he had an ERA of 4.67 with 60 strikeouts in 61+ nnings pitched. His slider is still strong and with Romo possibly near the end of his career, the Giants may be willing to give him a one year contract where he could finish his career in San Francisco and bring back one of the few remaining active players who was part of all three World Championships. In fact, with the retirement of Posey, the Giants now have no one left from the 2010 team.
Richard Rodriguez
Perhaps a more likely signing could be Richard Rodriguez, who is only 27 years old and was a solid closer for the Pirates before being traded to the Braves. Rodriguez ended 2021 with a 2.82 ERA and was non-tendered by Atlanta. He was projected to make about $3.1 million in arbitration and could be an affordable asset for the bullpen and could compete with McGee and Doval for closing duties. Even if Doval continues to dominate, Rodriguez would make for a solid setup man. He should be more affordable than other free agent relivers like Kenley Jansen and Brad Hand but still fit right in with the Giants to fortify and add depth to an already quality pen.
Jorge Soler
Now, moving on to the outfielders to target, we start with Jorge Soler, who put on quite a show during the 2021 World Series. Soler has mainly been a DH in his career but it is expected that the new CBA, whenever it finally gets negotiated, will bring the DH to the National League. Soler was struggling early in 2021 but figured out something with his swing later in the year and entered Beast Mode by the playoffs, crushing 3 home runs in the World Series alone. Soler is only 29 years and would fit nicely in the Giants outfielder as a right-handed bat to compliment lefties Yastrzemski and Wade Jr.
3. Nick Castellanos
Another possible right-handed power option is Nick Castellanos, who can also DH should the DH be adopted by the National League. Castellanos had a career year, hitting .309 with 34 bombs and 100 RBI. He had an on-base-percentage of .362, made the All Star Team and won the Silver Slugger Award. The Giants have already been reported as having an interest in signing the 29 year old slugger, but in my opinion, this is quite unlikely and there’s actually a couple outfielders I would rather have as there's a drive into deep left field by Castellanos and that'll be a home run. And so that'll make it a 4-0 ballgame. I don't know if I'm going to be putting on this headset again.
Joc Pederson
Although I’ve said the Giants could use a right-handed power bat in the outfield to compliment the lefty bats, there is one exception and that is Joc Pederson. This is a Bay Area native who would fit in nicely in San Francisco, crushing bombs into McCovey Cove regularly. He is a solid veteran yet only 29 years old and also brings a plethora of playoff experience. Pederson his 36 home runs as recently as 2019 and he is an impact player despite the down year he had in 2021. The Giants need to add a star bat to that outfield as the current names are solid but worrisome. Yastrzemski really struggled, especially in the second half and Austin Slater looks great at times but also slumps often. Darin Ruf is more of a platoon player who can fill in at first base and pinch hit. Wade Jr. was of course amazing and looks to be a star in the making, especially in the clutch, but he doesn’t have the track record of success that Pederson does. Also, just imagine playing the Dodgers in 2022 with Joc Pederson in the lineup and Alex Wood & Clayton Kershaw in the rotation.. okay, that’s a bit weird.
Seiya Suzuki
However, there is one player I prefer over all of the ones this article has mentioned. It is Seiya Suzuki, the powerful outfielder from the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of the NPB. Last year, Suzuki hit .319 with 38 home runs to go along with 87 walks and a fantastic .433 on-base-percentage. He will be available for only a short time after the lockout and the Giants should do everything they can to swoop him. His contract is predicted to be somewhere in the 4 years/$40 million range and the Giants can certainly afford him. He is only 27 years old and with a .309 career average in Japan and 189 career home runs and 524 career walks, this guy is a no-brainer. It is well worth the risk to outbid every other team interested such as the Mariners and Rangers and lock Suzuki up as soon as possible. It is true that he has never had an at bat in Major League Baseball and there is a chance his skills don’t translate as well as hoped but based on his analytics and highlights, I find it unlikely that he is a bust. At his age and talent level, this could be the superstar power hitting outfielder the Giants have been looking for since Barry Bonds. Make it happen, Giants!