How San Francisco Giants Can Compete Under the Luxury Tax Cap


Sign CF Jarrod Dyson (1 year, $8 million)
What does the outfield lack? Well, it may be easier to ask what doesn’t the outfield lack? Hunter Pence, Denard Span and Mac Williamson/Jarrett Parker/Austin Slater/Gorkys Hernandez were a big reason the Giants offense stalled last year.
They’re also a huge reason why the team’s pitching struggled, as they — by some metrics — were the worst defensive outfield in baseball.
For instance, last season Pence and Span combined were worth -0.8 WAR. Despite posting positive oWAR numbers, their defense was so bad that their dWAR made them worse than replacement level players.
Jarrod Dyson on the other hand, while having a very light bat, is a speedster with great defensive metrics. While he is likely to be benched against lefties no matter where he goes, he hit right-handed pitching to the tune of .271/.342/.388 last season.
Putting him in center field for one season might actually make the outfield defense palatable going into the season, as he’s consistently a top 10 defender at the position in terms of UZR and dWAR.
He also won’t require a Denard Span/Angel Pagan-esque contract, where we get to watch a player’s declining years right before our eyes.