San Francisco Giants: 5 Under the Radar Acquisitions

With the hiring of Farhan Zaidi and the recent talk of a potential Madison Bumgarner trade, the San Francisco Giants do not look like they’re going to just stand pat this offseason.

Although with a veteran core, high payroll, and (admittedly) spoiled fan base, it’s tough to believe the San Francisco Giants will undergo a full sale and kick the 2019 season altogether.

The Giants will acquire players who can help the team in 2019 — that’s essentially a sure bet. Chances are one of those players will not be Bryce Harper or Manny Machado, but I would never say never with regards to the ambitions and wallets of this ownership group.

They are also not going to make an impact trade that takes away from the top talent in the farm system, so the core four of Joey Bart, Heliot Ramos, Shaun Anderson, and Chris Shaw are off the table.

This article also won’t delve into the chances of the Giants signing other free agents near the top of the rankings, which they still definitely could do.

Instead, I want to dive a bit deeper and evaluate the fit for players who will require a lesser commitment, both in terms of projected contract or prospect cost.

The team needs are pretty clear: corner outfield, starting pitching, bullpen – probably in that order. Some may argue second base could be an area of need, but I believe the Giants will be content giving Joe Panik another shot there and will not sell him at a low point in his value. Like many of their players, he probably has more value to them than he does to other teams.

With that intro out of the way, let’s get right into some potential under the radar acquisitions I think the Giants should pursue before breaking for Spring Training in Scottsdale.