San Francisco Giants: Three players most likely to be traded this offseason

CF Steven Duggar

Steven Duggar was supposed to be the San Francisco Giants starting center fielder in 2019.

Instead, the acquisition of Kevin Pillar and Duggar’s own injury changed things.

After posting a 92 OPS+ in 152 plate appearances and posting a 1.1 WAR in 41 games during the 2018 season, the hope was that he would emerge as the team’s center fielder of the present and future in 2019.

Unfortunately, he did not progress as hoped offensively, hitting .234/.278/.341 for a dismal 65 OPS+ in 281 plate appearances. That’s not the kind of production you would want from a speedy left-handed batter who began the season hitting in the leadoff spot.

Speaking of his speed, Duggar only recorded one steal in 2019 while he was caught stealing four times, after stealing five bases and only getting caught once in 2018.

That’s concerning since speed is one of the main assets that Duggar brought to the team. If he’s not wreaking havoc on the bases, his value depreciates significantly.

Given that stalled development, Duggar could also be viewed as expendable with a premium now being placed on offensive production from the outfielders. There’s no question he’s a standout defender, but he simply hasn’t shown the ability to hit enough to warrant everyday playing time.

Pillar proved he is still more than capable of manning center field and Mike Yastrzemski was solid defensively as well.

There is now a log jam of outfielders and it would make sense for them to deal one or two to at least get something in return and not have them waste away at Triple-A.

One may ask, why not Austin Slater instead of Duggar?

Well, Farhan Zaidi places value on versatility in players, and Slater has shown he can play in the infield as well as in the outfield. That makes him more valuable and Duggar more expendable.

With bigger bats like Alex Dickerson and Jaylin Davis also vying for playing time in the outfield, Duggar may be the odd-man-out when all is said and done in the outfield log jam.

So there you have it, the three players most likely to be traded by the San Francisco Giants this offseason.