San Francisco Giants 2018 Free Agency Preview: Five Corner Outfielders to Target

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - APRIL 23: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals gets ready to bat against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on April 23, 2018 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - APRIL 23: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals gets ready to bat against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on April 23, 2018 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – APRIL 23: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals gets ready to bat against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on April 23, 2018 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – APRIL 23: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals gets ready to bat against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on April 23, 2018 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

The off season is finally here and as of Saturday November 3rd, MLB Free Agency is officially underway. The first order of business for the San Francisco Giants included finding a new Head of Baseball Operations, who will then hire a new General Manager.

With the hire of former Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi, the San Francisco Giants have their guy. While the Giants still needing to hire a new General Manager, this was a major step in determining which direction the Giants will go in 2019. One thing we knew for sure all along was that the Giants are going to be very active in the outfielder market this off season.

With rumors swirling of the Giants very strong interest in reeling in the biggest fish, Bryce Harper, the team was going to try and make a splash no matter who is running the ship.

Currently, the only Giant who will be starting in the outfield next year is injured, rookie Steven Duggar. The rest of the outfield roster includes “slugger” Gorkys Hernandez, Austin Slater, Chris Shaw and the human Yo-Yo, Mac Williamson.

Aside from Duggar, its safe to say that 2019’s starting outfield will not consist of any of these All-Stars. 2019’s free agent class as a whole is very impressive. Unfortunately, the outfielders include Bryce Harper and then a bunch of aging veterans, so the pickin’s are indeed slim this winter.

With the Giants needing to fill both corner outfielder spots, they are going to have to be very aggressive and get very creative if they want to compete in 2019. In no particular order, we’re going to look at five names the Giants could target this off season to fill their outfield holes.

DENVER, CO – SEPTEMBER 29: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals is congratulated in the dugout after scoring a seventh inning run against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on September 29, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – SEPTEMBER 29: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals is congratulated in the dugout after scoring a seventh inning run against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on September 29, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

Bryce Harper

Ahh yes the biggest free agent that baseball has probably ever seen. Bryce Harper came into the league as a 19 year-old slugger for the Nationals. The world-class phenom is entering free agency at the age of 25, something very few players have ever done.

With rumors about Harper’s looming decision being discussed for almost two years now, its finally time. There have been reports over the years that Bryce is looking for a $400 Million contract, or some insane number in that ballpark. Although its unlikely he will be getting that sort of money, he still will easily be the highest paid player in the history of the game.

This off season he will amass guys like Giancarlo Stanton and Alex Rodriguez with some absurdly lucrative contract that will rock the baseball world.

Since entering the league in 2012 as a 19 year-old, Harper has arguably been the biggest name in the game. His numbers have not consistently lived up to the hype generated, but the potential he possesses is un-heard of. Through his first seven seasons in the league, Harper is slashing .279/.388/.512 with 184 career home runs and 521 RBI’s. Other than the home run numbers, Harper’s stat-line doesn’t exactly scream “Super-mega-ultra-world-class-once in a life time-talent” like it should.

Bryce Harper has dealt with plenty on injuries throughout his young career. Playing in at least 150 games only twice in his career, Harper’s numbers have not been consistent due to his inability to stay healthy.

Why is Bryce Harper getting all this money? Why is he the biggest free agent, maybe ever?

Well basically he has Hall Of Fame potential, will put butts in the seats, and will make your team just that much more exciting. Harper’s contract has been talked about for years. How massive and insane will it be? Well reports came out yesterday that Harper shot down the Nationals offer of 10 years, $300 million with an AAV of $30 million.

The bidding war will begin slightly above that number and will continue to rise, but don’t expect it to reach $400 million, that’s just insane.

PHOENIX, AZ – SEPTEMBER 22: A.J. Pollock #11 of the Arizona Diamondbacks rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Colorado Rockies during the fifth inning of an MLB game at Chase Field on September 22, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ – SEPTEMBER 22: A.J. Pollock #11 of the Arizona Diamondbacks rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Colorado Rockies during the fifth inning of an MLB game at Chase Field on September 22, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images) /

AJ Pollock

Aside from the big fish that is Bryce Harper, AJ Pollock is the next biggest fish in the sea, a salmon if you will. The 31 year-old center fielder is coming off another injury plagued season, and will likely be the fall-back option for many teams after missing out on Harper. AJ Pollock (when healthy) has proven to be a dynamic, multi-tooled payer who can be a spark plug in any lineup he’s thrown into. He can hit for average, power, drive in runs, steal bases and play solid defense, all of which the Giants desperately need.

There’s no question that if Pollock is able to stay healthy, he’ll be able to put up good numbers. But again, can he stay healthy? Entering his age 31 season, Pollock is not exactly a young and spry Bryce Harper. In today’s game of baseball, 31 is the beginning of the decline, and with Pollock already being labeled as injury prone, its concerning.

What makes Pollock so intriguing is that he can do so much for a team when he’s healthy. He can bring so much to the table and can really give your team a boost offensively and defensively.

Any player that possesses the tools that Pollock does, is definitely someone worth adding to your team and can be a very underrated signing. Its still unsure what kind of money AJ Pollock will land, but there was speculation that if healthy, he could get money close to Charlie Blackmon‘s six-year, $108 million contract. Somewhere between $85-100 million seems like an accurate number for AJ Pollock, an estimated AAV of $15-18 million AAV.

CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 08: Michael Brantley #23 of the Cleveland Indians hits a sacrifice fly ball in the third inning to score Yan Gomes #7 (not pictured) against the Houston Astros during Game Three of the American League Division Series at Progressive Field on October 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 08: Michael Brantley #23 of the Cleveland Indians hits a sacrifice fly ball in the third inning to score Yan Gomes #7 (not pictured) against the Houston Astros during Game Three of the American League Division Series at Progressive Field on October 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

Michael Brantley

Michael Brantley is a name that will not be tossed around much in regards to the Giants. Brantley is a 31 year-old outfielder who has spent his entire career with the Cleveland Indians. On the surface some people may not know that Michael Brantley was an MVP candidate in 2014.

A season in which he hit .327/.385/.506 with 20 home runs and 97 RBI’s, Brantley quietly has put together some nice seasons for the Indians and could be a nice fit in the outfield for the Giants.

This past season, Brantley put together another solid season for Cleveland. Hitting .309/.364/.468 with 17 home runs and 76 RBI’s, Brantley was an All-Star for the third time in his career. Michael Brantley could be a nice depth piece for the Giants next season if they go all in on re-tooling that outfield.

If the price is right, the Giants should indeed look into a player like Brantley, but after their recent history of acquiring aging talent and over-paying, he may not fit the new regime’s mold for this team moving forward. A contract for Michael Brantley will probably be somewhere in the ballpark of $15 million AAV coming off another All-Star caliber year.

If i were the Giants front office, i would steer clear of giving a guy like Brantley a big contract entering his age 32 season. He’s been good his entire career, sporting a career .295 batting average, but switching to AT&T Park could leave him looking like a slightly better Denard Span. On the flip-side, if the price is right, maybe he could be a nice little piece for a new Giants team.

HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 16: Marwin Gonzalez #9 of the Houston Astros hits a RBI single in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox during Game Three of the American League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park on October 16, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 16: Marwin Gonzalez #9 of the Houston Astros hits a RBI single in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox during Game Three of the American League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park on October 16, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Marwin Gonzalez

Marwin Gonzalez, better known as “Swiss G” is a player I’ve liked for the Giants for almost a year now. Gonzalez is a product of the Astro’s organization and is highly regarded as one of the most versatile players in all of baseball. An outfielder who can also play shortstop, first base and a little bit of second base, Gonzalez is just what this Giants team needs.

In his introductory press conference, Giants new Head of Baseball Operations, Farhan Zaidi talked about how important it is to have players that can play multiple positions and are not tied down to just one position.

This is true with the Dodgers and players such as Chris Taylor, Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy, etc. Marwin Gonzalez is just that and i think it would be a perfect fit for the Giants. In 2017 during the Astros World Series run, Marwin Gonzalez put up some big numbers for the club in the regular season.

Hitting .303/.377/.530 with 23 home runs and 90 RBI’s, Marwin Gonzalez was a huge shot in the arm for the Astros that year. This year, Gonzalez took a step backwards in his production at the plate. Hitting around .250 with 16 homers and 68 RBI’s Gonzalez was unable to replicate this outstanding success from the year prior.

Coming off a year where he did not continue his success, his asking price could be pretty reasonable for a player of his caliber. He’s such a perfect fit for the Giants because of his flexibility and versatility all over the field and his potential to be a nice fit at the bottom of the Giants lineup.

After watching him in the World Series in 2017, Farhan Zaidi might just fall in love with the idea of signing Marwin Gonzalez this off season. Making just $5 million this past season, Gonzalez is due for a big pay day, but nothing crazy. Gonzalez could possibly land a deal around $15 million AAV, and i think the Giants should definitely entertain that dollar amount for a guy that can be so valuable in multiple ways.

BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 26: Adam Jones #10 of the Baltimore Orioles hits a single during the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on September 26, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 26: Adam Jones #10 of the Baltimore Orioles hits a single during the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on September 26, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Adam Jones

With the pool of free agent outfielders this off season, there are not many that are both young and impactful. So if the Giants are looking to fill those outfield holes with some good hitters, Adam Jones could be an option. On the wrong side of 30, Adam Jones is will be entering his age 34 season and thats not exactly what the Giants will be looking for as they look to shake things up.

Adam Jones is one of the most respected veterans in the game and has had a fantastic thirteen-year career with the Orioles. The five-time All-Star has put up big numbers throughout his career, and at a consistent pace. With seven seasons hitting 20 or more home runs, Jones has been one of the biggest power threats in the Orioles lineup since around 2009.

Most likely to be signed by an American League team, Jones will be a big free agent target because of his bat. Not to forget about his game-saving catch in the World Baseball Classic in San Diego, Jones has been a solid defensive outfielder his entire career. If the Giants starting outfield consisted of Steven Duggar in center and another solid defender in right, they could manage having an aging veteran in left field.

A four-time gold glover, Adam Jones has certainly been able to hold his own at Camden Yards, and could possibly do pretty well at AT&T if he decides to trade in his orange and black for a different style of orange and black.

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With a drop off in power in 2018, Adam Jones only hit 15 home runs this season, while driving in just 63. With his age and coming off a down year, Jones could come fairly reasonable this off season if teams are not interested. As free agency moves on and Adam Jones remains unsigned, i think the Giants should take a look at him, but at the moment i do not see them pursuing him right now.

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