Building a Perfect San Francisco Giants Team Through Free Agency

If money weren’t an option, we look at the type of team the San Francisco Giants could put together through free agency this offseason.

With free agency now open, we’ll put together the best possible team for the Giants heading into the 2018 season.

Obviously these transactions are not real or even rumored, but it’s just a fun exercise.

This will not include any players that are available through trade, but that looks like the route the Giants might be going.

Still, let’s see what could be possible if money weren’t an option.

Catcher – Buster Posey: There isn’t a player on the market who comes close to touching Posey. He is still one of the best catchers in the game and will be starting for the Giants for a while.

First Base – Eric Hosmer: Hosmer might be the most sought after free agent this offseason, and for good reason. He’s still just 28 years old and is coming off of back-to-back 25 home run seasons. I would love for the Giants to sign him and move Brandon Belt, but unfortunately in real  life money is a factor.

Second Base – Joe Panik: Even though some Giants fans are ready to give up on Panik, there isn’t a single free agent at the position I’d take over him.

Shortstop – Brandon Crawford: Despite having a down year in 2017, there isn’t anyone on the free agent market I’d rather have. I think Crawford has a bounce-back season in 2018 and proves he’s still one of the best shortstops in baseball.

Third Base – Mike Moustakas: This is a move that many people think the Giants might make. Moustakas would be great at third base for the Giants if they are willing to give him close to $100 million over the next five years.

Left Field – J.D. Martinez: Even though he’s mostly played right field, I think he’d do just fine in left. Martinez is coming off a fantastic season in which he hit 45 home runs. He’s going to get paid this offseason, and I kind of hope the Giants are the one to pay him.

Center Field – Lorenzo Cain: Cain is someone that has been linked to the Giants a lot, and there is a reason why. The Giants are desperate for an upgrade defensively in center field, and Cain would provide that and more. He does have a qualifying offer attached to him, and he’ll play next year at 32.

Right Field – Jay Bruce: If you wanted the Giants to add power to their lineup, this would certainly get the job done. Bruce has hit 30 or more home runs in five seasons, and will play next year at age 31.

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Starting Rotation – Madison Bumgarner, Jake Arrieta, Yu Darvish, Johnny Cueto, Alex Cobb: That rotation would be sick, but I still put Bumgarner as the ace. And despite Cueto’s decline in 2017, he would still be a number four in this rotation. Arrieta and Dravish will definitely out-price us, but one can dream.

Bullpen – Wade Davis, Mark Melancon, Greg Holland, Hunter Strickland, Sam Dyson, Bryan Shaw, Addison Reed, Steve Cishek: Somehow the Giants would find a way to mess up this bullpen, but on paper that looks pretty good.

If the San Francisco Giants really want to win a World Series in 2018 they can almost guarantee that happening if they just sign these players.

As fun as it is to imagine a starting lineup looking like this, the great thing about baseball is you still have to play the game. Even this lineup wouldn’t go 162-0; although I would still love to see the Giants build this team to see what happens.

Next: Three San Francisco Giants Who Need to Have Rebound Seasons in 2018

Hopefully the Giants will be able to sign a couple of these players as free agency begins, but it’s nice to think about what could be possible if money weren’t a factor.