San Francisco Giants Farm System Biggest Hurdle for Offseason Moves

As the San Francisco Giants begin to try and turn things around for 2018, their biggest hurdle in doing so is the team’s farm system.

If the Giants want to contend in 2018, they have to make some trades. There have to be a lot of changes on this team.

But one thing that will keep them from doing that is a poor farm system.

The general consensus is that the Giants’ farm system is one of the five worst in baseball.

The only prospect to make MLB.com’s top 100 ranking is Christian Arroyo. He had a good start in the majors this past season, but ultimately struggled before getting sent back down.

In all honesty, the Giants best prospect right now is 2017 draft pick Heliot Ramos. And part of that is just the upside and unknown involving Ramos.

But the bottom line is, the Giants don’t have a great farm system, and therefore don’t have much to give in return in trades.

A lot of people have rumored Giancarlo Stanton coming to the Giants. If that’s the case, then it would have to strictly be a money dump for the Miami Marlins.

Almost any other team interested in Stanton, or almost any tradable player this offseason, will be able to deliver a better package than the Giants.

While the Giants have hit on several prospects in the past — well enough to win three World Series with mostly homegrown talent — they have whiffed a lot lately.

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That’s what makes this offseason so difficult. The team they currently have is coming off a historically bad season, and while the front office would love to turn things around, there aren’t many options for doing so with a porous farm system.

This is why I was so adomant about the Giants shopping anyone and everyone at the 2017 trade deadline. And maybe the Giants did but weren’t offered anything significant.

But it at least they would have had a few more prospects to work with in deals this offseason.

I know the Giants can just go out in free agency to make upgrades, but if they are going to turn this thing around in 2018, they’ll need to make some big trades.

With the farm system we have in place, I think we only have enough talent to make one big move or a couple of small moves.

Next: What if the San Francisco Giants Could Only Make One Move this Offseason

At least with the terrible season in 2017, the Giants will have a lot of high draft picks in 2018, which will hopefully replenish the farm system going forward.