San Francisco Giants: Offseason Approach Beginning to Take Shape

Though, the San Francisco Giants have been quiet during the Winter Meetings, there is some information that can be gleaned from their activity thus far.

Both Lance Lynn and Tanner Roark switched teams yesterday. Lynn signed a 3 year deal with the Texas Rangers. Whereas, Roark was traded from the Washington Nationals to the Cincinnati Reds. How does this impact the San Francisco Giants you might ask?

I’ve heard they also had some interest in Roark, who got traded today. There’s definitely a push to acquire starters, just not at higher prices. https://t.co/kbjKyuSo0p
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) December 13, 2018

The Giants, in a very Giants-y way, “kicked the tires” on both Roark and Lynn. Farhan Zaidi felt the asking price for both was too high.

In addition to Roark and Lynn, the Giants appear to be interested in Japanese pitcher, Yusei Kikuchi, as well.

The Giants are targeting a specific type of pitcher. They were not involved in the high-end starters like Patrick Corbin or J.A. Happ. And, they do not appear to be involved in Dallas Keuchel either.

Rather, the San Francisco Giants are targeting mid-rotation pitchers. Pitchers like Roark and Lynn have had periods of success throughout their respective careers. These are the types of pitchers who can still be effective, especially if they pitch half of their games at AT&T Park.

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As a result, there is a better understanding of who the Giants might target through free agency or trades. The names may not excite, but Zaidi does not have a history of buying the high-end names. He seems to prefer getting a comparable performance from a lesser name at a fraction of the cost.

Zaidi will likely scour the trade market for starting pitching. Though, he seems to be patient in his approach and will likely wait for free agent pitchers to become bargains.

The Giants have not necessarily been tied to all of these names, but I would expect Zaidi to target pitchers like Derek Holland, Trevor Cahill, Edwin Jackson, Anibal Sanchez, Matt Harvey, Wade Miley or Mike Fiers.

There could be more as well. These are not the splashy names, but they are the names of pitchers who excelled in 2018.

Even better, none of these pitchers are seeking long-term deals. There is value in that as the Giants have a number of expensive contracts on the books.

By signing any of these pitchers, the Giants may get good performances on a shorter term deal. This seems to be the approach the Giants are taking.

Next.

The San Francisco Giants have not been connected to any of the big name free agents. However, they seem to be looking for bargain starting pitcher options to fill out their rotation.

Despite this, there is very little indication on how the Giants will approach their outfield situation. But, these recent rumors suggest they will be taking more of a middle-of-the-road approach. Given their financial obligations and weak farm system, they may not have any other option besides seeing how the market plays out.

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