San Francisco Giants: Salary projections for arbitration-eligible players

On Wednesday, MLB Trade Rumors released their annual arbitration predictions for eligible players, including six members of the San Francisco Giants.

The San Francisco Giants have six players who will be eligible for salary arbitration this offseason.

Among the first big decisions of the offseason will be whether to offer those players a salary for the 2019 season, or non-tender them and release them into free agency.

The headliner of the arbitration-eligible group is Kevin Pillar, and he will represent the toughest decision for the front office to make.

Here’s a look at the full list of eligible players and their salary predictions:

That $9.7 million projected salary for Pillar represents a sizeable raise over the $5.8 million he earned in 2019, and it’s no lock that he will be tendered a contract.

The 30-year-old led the team in hits (157), doubles (37), RBI (87) and runs scored (82), and he tied for the team lead with 21 home runs.

However, he also managed a dismal .293 on-base percentage and was worth just 1.4 WAR during his time in San Francisco, which makes that hefty salary at least worth second-guessing.

Utility infielder Donovan Solano (1.6 WAR) and slugger Alex Dickerson (1.0 WAR) are both locks to be tendered with a very reasonable $1.2 million projected salary.

Solano hit .330/.360/.456 with 18 extra-base hits and 27 runs scored in 228 plate appearances, while Dickerson provided an immediate spark in July and batted .290/.351/.529 with six home runs and 26 RBI in 56 games.

That leaves relievers Kyle Barraclough and Wandy Peralta, and outfielder Joey Rickard as the biggest remaining question marks.

Barraclough, 29, posted a 3.21 ERA and 11.5 K/9 with 11 saves and 67 holds in 227 appearances during his four seasons with the Miami Marlins.

He struggled to a 6.66 ERA in 33 games with the Washington Nationals this season before he was cut loose and claimed off waivers by the Giants. After some time in the minors, he made 10 appearances down the stretch with a 2.25 ERA and 10 strikeouts in eight innings, albeit along with a 1.75 WHIP and nine walks.

Is there enough upside there to justify a $2.1 million salary?

Likewise, Peralta has been a quality reliever in the past, posting a 3.76 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with 16 holds in 69 appearances as a rookie in 2017.

The 28-year-old had a 3.18 ERA and 0.88 WHIP in 5.2 innings after joining the Giants, and left-handed relievers with power stuff don’t grow on trees, so he seems worth the risk on a sub-$1 million salary.

Rickard hit .326/.404/.555 with 20 doubles and 10 home runs in 272 plate appearances at the Triple-A level this past season, and he batted .280/.333/.380 with two doubles and one home run in 54 plate appearances with the Giants.

There’s a bit of useful upside there, but there’s also an outfield logjam of sorts, and there’s a good chance he will be a casualty of that situation.

What will the San Francisco Giants decide to do with these six arbitration-eligible players this offseason? We’ll see once the World Series wraps and the offseason kicks into gear.