San Francisco Giants Rumors: Could Wil Myers be a fit?

It’s no secret the San Francisco Giants are in desperate need of power. Could their division nemesis Wil Myers be the slugger their looking for?

Possibly. According to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Diego Padres’ slugging outfielder/first baseman could be a fit for the San Francisco Giants.

Schulman adds since Wil Myers is a natural first baseman, this could open the door for moving Brandon Belt, who’s been tormented by right-center field at AT&T Park.

Myers could be an excellent fit in the Giants’ lineup. For the second-straight season, San Francisco finished second-to-last in baseball in home runs with just 133.

And power is more important than ever in today’s analytics environment. Eight of the top 10 teams in home runs made the postseason in 2018.

Nothing illustrates the Giants’ power void like this: Myers hit six home runs at AT&T Park in 2017. That was more than any other Giant that season.

So, it’s not like other players are getting completely shut out by the wide-open power allies of Third and King. Former Miami Marlins’ slugger Giancarlo Stanton had no problem making AT&T Park look like a bandbox.

Then there was Barry Bonds, Jeff Kent, Ellis Burks, and Kevin Elster? They all had no issues hitting in San Francisco.

It’s time the Giants realize it’s not their gem of a ballpark stifling their offense–it’s their player selection. And Myers would be a good start to jolting this offense, showing he can mentally withstand the challenges of the ballpark.

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In just 312 at-bats last season, Myers had a .253 average but with 11 home runs and an average OPS of .763.  And he was a positive player for the Padres, with a WAR of 2.4. A year before, Myers hit 30 home runs.

Schulman examined a possible Myers for Evan Longoria trade. The Padres sold their third baseman Christian Villanueva to Japan’s Yomiuri Giants, opening up the hot corner for San Diego. Longoria is from Southern California and could be a veteran presence for that young, up-and-coming team. The potential trade would also make the Giants younger, as Myers is 27 and Longoria is 33.

As Schulman noted, the deal would be an even-money swap. Longoria is making $12.5 million in 2019 and Myers is making $5.5 million but is due for a $17 million raise. Add it all together and the contracts are roughly even.

The potential swap would leave the Giants open to trading Belt for prospects. Belt would thrive with the short right-field porch at Yankee Stadium and the Giants could ask for slugging outfielder prospect Clint Frazier.

Myers also can play the outfield, although not very good, and new Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi likes versatility on his teams–as shown by the Los Angeles Dodgers’ roster last season.

The Giants will definitely have to be creative to remake this roster, which is full of big contracts and older players.

But if there’s one person up to the task, it’s Zaidi.