Five Free Agent Outfielders the San Francisco Giants Should Target

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – APRIL 23: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals warms up on the on-deck circle before hitting in the third inning against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on April 23, 2018 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

The San Francisco Giants need severe help in the outfield. Given that the current Market is starting to heat up, and players are accepting the reality that they won’t be getting long term massive money deals when they’re in their mid-30’s here are five outfielders the Giants should attempt to land.

Since the start of the 2015 season, the San Francsico Giants outfield unit has posted a 10.5 fWAR (Fangraph’s calculation of WAR). That’s good for the second worst outfield unit in baseball since then. For comparison, the Red Sox top the list with a 54.8 collective WAR from their Outfield in the same time-span.

Now, for context, the Padres are in the bottom third of the league in outfield WAR since 2015, and they still have doubled the Giants’ WAR total over that same time period. The league average WAR over that time frame is a 30.1, just less than three times as much as the Giants outfield has produced.

None of those make the Giants outfield look good, because it hasn’t been good. They need help there, and the answer is likely not in the system. So they need to supplement production there from outside the system. Enter, the free agent market.

There are still a few free agents who could easily come in next year and be better than Mac Williamson, or Austin Slater. The Giants can afford to sacrifice offensive production in center field because their catcher can hit. So Duggar is safe there. But the Giants need a lot more than Mac and Slater. So let’s look at a few bargain deals, and a couple serious deals that could still be had on the market.

Gerardo Parra

Parra wouldn’t move the needle a whole lot, and to be honest, they’d probably get as much out of Parra as they would Mike Gerber. Parra hasn’t posted a WAR above 1.0 since 2013. But, if they really felt like they wanted to throw a veteran into the outfield mix, then Parra could be the guy, especially on a cheap deal.

Parra was only paid $9 million in Colorado last season. He’s played across all three outfield positions in his career and even played at first out of necessity for the Rockies. I don’t think he’s the guy, but if they happen to miss out on all the guys mentioned after him, he wouldn’t be a bad option. But on a deal any more than $5million? No thanks.

Parra is an on base machine, and actually hits for a decent average. He just has no power. He has a career .278 average and a .332 on base percentage, but that lack of power rings in at a career slugging percentage of .407.

Parra is only 31, and probably has a few decent years left. Is he “THE Answer?” Goodness no. But could be at least one answer? Sure. They’ll need to add something significant power wise somewhere, because between him and Duggar you’d be lucky to get close to 12 homers on the year. But his speed, defense, and overall on-base threat could definitely be of use for the Giants, especially as an every third or fourth day guy, or a late inning defensive replacement/pinch hitter.

Carlos Gonzalez

Car-Go is the type of player I would covet in the outfield in like 2011 or 2012. Now? He’s a nice one year option to give the Giants some sort of production there. Car-Go was also paid around $8 million for the Rockies last year and could be had for roughly $5-$6 million or so.

Car-Go isn’t anywhere near his old self, and moving to AT&T Park probably won’t do him a whole lot of help either. However, he’s been a solid outfielder throughout his career and even had a bounce back season in 2018. 2017 was dismal, but CarGo found his feet again. He posted a decent, but not great 2018, but still was about as fruitful for the Rockies as someone like Evan Longoria was for the Giants in 2018.

CarGo’s bat however could potentially suffer at AT&T park. Defensively, he hasn’t been the same either. He’d likely play in left field and that would be that. Gonzalez is almost to “Pence” levels of ineffectiveness compared to his past, and that’s something the Giants would have to live with. He’s probably an upgrade over Slater and co., but is he enough of an upgrade to matter?

So should they look to CarGo? Maybe. I think he’d be just as good as Mac Williamson or Chris Shaw (if Shaw proves he’s truly ready for the leap). CarGo would be a solid second get if the Giants land any one of the next three players. I’d consider both Parra and CarGo as solid “Option B” types to add to the outfield. But not as good as the three remaining options.

Adam Jones

Jones is actually intriguing as nobody has really even made a run at him. It’s been extremely quiet on his front this offseason, and I don’t think it’ll be good for his salary numbers in 2019. He would be perfect for the Giants on a one or two year deal, to be honest.

Jones had a rough 2018, but so did the entire Orioles organization. Jones still has plenty of power, and could be fine in left field. After-all, he was playing in center for the majority of the year, and clearly he can’t play that position on a regular basis any more.

Jones hit 16 homers and batted .280 plus. His on base percentage is decent enough to keep him around and Jones would be a strong upgrade in left. His right handed power is something the Giants could benefit from, as a majority of the remaining players are all left handed hitters.

Jones is also a solid locker room presence, and his tutelage to some of the younger outfielders could really benefit the Giants in the long run. His salary shouldn’t cost more than $7 or $8 million and again, would be a solid get on a one or two year deal.

He’s closer to being a difference maker than either CarGo or Parra, and at roughly the same cost, it’d be a solid pickup if they can get a deal done. Jones would really be a solid add to the locker room, and could definitely benefit from a change in scenery. Let’s see if they decide to go this route.

Marwin Gonzalez

Marwin has been at the forefront of many Giants fans lips, and why not. The guy is incredibly versatile, and could be a late J.D. Martinez type bloomer. He’s already a fantastic hitter with a ton of power. His left handed swing would put plenty of baseballs into McCovey Cove, and his overall ability at multiple positions helps the Giants significantly.

Not only could Marwin play in the outfield for them, either left or right field, but he can play as a second baseman, short-stop, and third-baseman as well. That versatility alone would be massive to add to the Giants, with the ability to not lose a whole lot, but give guys a day off here and there at the same time.

We really haven’t even gotten started on his bat either. Marwin struggled at times last season, but we do know he’s capable of a solid 4 WAR year. In 2018 he hit .247 but still posted a .300+ OBP and higher OPS than most on the San Francisco Giants in 2018. Marwin’s average has never been that low and would be likely to rebound. The only time he has posted below a 100 wRC+, was in 2015.

Marwin is probably available on a 2-4 year deal at somewhere between $10-$15m a year AAV. That type of deal wouldn’t hurt the Giants very much, and thanks to the Astros not extending a Qualifying offer to him, the Giants could sign him to whatever deal they want and not suffer draft pick and international bonus money penalties.

Bryce Harper

So many people I’ve come across, are so against the idea of Bryce Harper being on the Giants. I get it if it’s for the money. But to straight up say “I don’t want him” is absurd. The guy is a league wide star, one of the most recognizable names/faces in the game. He is miles better than any outfielder the Giants have, and likely better than even the ceilings of any outfield prospect the Giants possess. He most certainly is not getting a 10year $400 million dollar deal. Which means he’s starting to become incredibly affordable to the Giants.

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Harper defensively would be solid in right, and probably too good for left. Left field at AT&T is fairly straightforward, and if Duggar wants to hawk anything into the deep gaps, he can be whoever is there’s guest. Harper can cover all of right pretty well, which means they can afford to be defensively “hampered” in left field, as long as the guy has a decent arm, not one of those noodles that Pagan and Span possessed a few years back.

We know what Harper is with the bat. In one of his worst years at the plate he still cranked 34 homers and brought in 100 runs. The guy is an absolute monster and the Giants haven’t had that in years. Plus, he’s usually pretty healthy. Only in 2014 has Harper played just 100 games. And forget his batting average, the guy had nearly a .400 OBP! That’s insane.

Harper is obviously going to cost north of $25 million. If the Giants are still working on some trades, let’s say they trade away Evan Longoria and can get rid of most of the financial hampering of the contract. Then, Harper is most definitely in play and that’s fine. The Giants payroll will continue to get smaller in the next few years and they can afford it much more in 2020 and beyond than they can this year.

Next.

The Giants haven’t had a solid outfielder since Barry Bonds. Now, with Bryce Harper available, and the price likely dropping a bit, the Giants have to take that chance again. Will they? Probably not. And that’s fine. But don’t be surprised if they do.

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