San Diego Padres' Juan Soto (22) celebrates after hitting a grand slam home run in the eighth inning of their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — With the free-agent market stalled so far as the baseball world awaits Shohei Ohtani’s decision, the MLB Winter Meetings this week may not feature many major signings. But with the league gathered under one very large roof at the sprawling Opryland Resort, teams can still use the opportunity to lay the groundwork for trade talks.
On Monday, Farhan Zaidi said the Giants were engaged in “lots of trade conversations” while providing some insight to their plans.
“Certain areas like shopping to add starting pitching at the front end of the rotation, that’s probably more likely to happen in free agency. But some of the things we’re looking to do on the position player side – athleticism, speed, defense – often times trades are better avenues to accomplish those,” Zaidi said. “It’s not necessarily that simple, but I think that’s been the demarcation of our approach.”
The Giants have a surplus of young starting pitching, allowing them to perhaps dangle one or two in a trade while still shopping at the top of the free agent market for a partner for Logan Webb at the top of the rotation, whether it be Yoshinobu Yamamoto or Blake Snell.
They would also like to get younger and more athletic in their position player group, which is a tough thing to do in free agency, where by definition domestic players have accrued six years of MLB service time.
With an eye toward the outfield, where the Giants need the most help, here are some names that you could see in trade rumors:
Juan Soto, Padres: One of only four players last season to play all 162 games, few hitters regardless of availability would bring the type of everyday presence to the lineup as Soto. However, he is set to make north of $30 million in 2024 and is unlikely to sign an extension before hitting the open market. His defense also leaves something to be desired, and there’s no guarantee the Padres would deal him within the division, though A.J. Preller has done crazier things.
2023 stats (age 24): .275/.410/.519 (.930 OPS), 35 HR, 109 RBI, 132 BB, 129 K, 5.5 bWAR
Luis Robert Jr., White Sox: One of the game’s most dynamic players, locked up on a club-friendly contract through 2027, Robert won’t come cheap and may not be moved at all, despite Chicago overhauling its front office after a 101-loss campaign.
2023 stats (age 25): .264/.315/.542 (.857 OPS), 38 HR, 80 RBI, 20 SB, 5.0 bWAR
Tyler O’Neill, Cardinals: St. Louis has been shopping O’Neill since last season, which began with manager Oli Marmol benching him for not hustling on the base paths. Whether or not the two-time Gold Glove center fielder can rediscover his form from his breakout 2021 (.931 OPS), he would add an element of speed the Giants have been lacking.
2023 stats (age 28): .231/.312/.403 (.715 OPS), 9 HR, 21 RBI, 28 BB, 67 K, 0.3 bWAR
Christian Yelich, Brewers: If Milwaukee goes full teardown after the departures of David Stearns and Craig Counsell, Yelich would make a lot of sense in San Francisco. Shortstop Willy Adames is another Brewer to keep an eye on, though Zaidi said he doesn’t want to block top prospect Marco Luciano.
2023 stats (age 31): .278/.370/.447 (.818 OPS), 19 HR, 76 RBI, 28 SB, 3.6 bWAR
Randy Arozarena, Rays: In a bit of a surprise, the Rays are reportedly shopping the ebullient World Baseball Classic star.
2023 stats (age 28): .254/.364/.425 (.789 OPS), 23 HR, 83 RBI, 22 SB, 3.5 bWAR
Alex Verdugo, Red Sox: With Joc Pederson and Alex Wood gone, the Giants need another one of Zaidi’s former Dodgers, right?
2023 stats (age 27): .264/.324/.421, 13 HR, 54 RBI, 45 BB, 93 K, 2.6 bWAR
Jake Fraley, Reds: The Giants have the pitching the Reds desire, and the Cincinnati has a multitude of position players.
2023 stats (age 28): .256/.339/.443 (.783), 15 HR, 65 RBI, 21 SB, 0.9 bWAR
Originally published at Evan Webeck