Five Free Agent Outfielders the San Francisco Giants Should Target

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.

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.