Giants: Three free-agent infielders to avoid this offseason

While the San Francisco Giants could look to add to improve their infield options this offseason, there are a few free agents they should steer clear of this winter.

After previously exploring free-agent pitchers and outfielders that the San Francisco Giants should steer clear of this offseason, the only remaining category is infielders.

This one is a bit trickier than the previous two.

Unlike the pitching staff and the outfield, where the team has young and unproven talent that would be bolstered by the addition of a veteran free agent, the Giants are more or less set across the infield.

While the “young and unproven” tag certainly applies to 25-year-old second baseman Mauricio Dubon, he impressed in his September audition and the team seems ready to give him a shot at an everyday role.

So if the Giants are going to make a real splash in the free agency pool of infielders, it will have to come in one of two ways. Either they find a way to trade first baseman Brandon Belt, shortstop Brandon Crawford, or third baseman Evan Longoria to clear a spot, or they target a utility player who can produce in a semi-regular role while giving those players a day off.

Moving Belt has proven difficult, even when he’s been at his best,  and Crawford has been consistently mediocre over the past three seasons with an uninspiring line of .245/.311/.383 and an average of 13 home runs.

Longoria enjoyed a nice bounce-back season after a disappointing first year with the Giants, hitting .254/.325/.437 with 20 home runs and 69 RBI in 508 plate appearances. However, it’s would be hard to imagine his offensive numbers going much higher than that, especially after he turned 34 years old in October.

All of that is just to say, it would take some maneuvering for the Giants to bring in a more productive bat on the infield. But, there is a chance the front office tries to make a deal, especially since the free-agent pool includes some quality infielders.

That said, there are a few free agents that may fit what the Giants will be looking for this offseason, but the team should avoid.

Eric Sogard

Aside from his time with the Oakland Athletics, Giants fans may also remember the name Eric Sogard as a name that popped up as a potential trade target around the 2019 trade deadline.

While on the hunt for players who could help the Giants in their fleeting push for a wild-card spot, Sogard was rumored as a possible addition to the team.

He was in the middle of an efficient summer with the Toronto Blue Jays where he smacked a .300/.363/.477 line with 13 home runs and eight steals prior to the trade deadline. He also brought valuable versatility on defense with time spent at second base, third base, shortstop and the corner outfield positions.

A quick comparison of those numbers to the rest of the 33-year-old’s career should provide some reason for hesitation.

First off, don’t expect that many home runs again, especially if he were to play half of his games at spacious Oracle Park. Those 13 home runs in 396 at-bats last season are a statistical anomaly; he hit just 11 long balls in 1,743 plate appearances through the first eight years of his career.

His above-average offensive numbers last season were also inflated. If you look at his career line, which includes last season’s performance, he sports a .248/.318/.343 line, which is probably more in-line with what his next team should expect.

And though Sogard has some speed in his artillery, it is not base-stealing-threat speed. He has cracked double-digit steals twice in his career, and that was in 10 in 2013 and 11 in 2014 while he was with the A’s.

Sogard is a nice back-up piece to have for many teams because of his ability to play many positions, and he brings a steady approach to the plate. However, he would not be a game-changing piece for the Giants, and Donovan Solano is a much cheaper option who can fill a similar role.

Gordon Beckham

If Gordon Beckham rings a bell for San Francisco Giants fans, it’s because he was briefly a member of the team.

Beckham had a three-game stint with the Giants in 2016 in which he went 0-for-5. That sample size is far too small, so we have to see more data before he can be dismissed.

On paper, he fits the Farhan Zaidi’s utility player mold, having played multiple games across all infield positions with the Detroit Tigers last year.

In his first five seasons in the majors, Beckham hit .249 while averaging 11 home runs and five steals each year. He was even fifth in the voting for AL Rookie of the Year in 2009.

But since then, his slash line over the last six seasons has been an abysmal .216/.275/.341. He has not hit more than nine home runs in a season during that span, and that was in 2014 when he had 483 plate appearances to do so.

Though he once showed he could post some stats similar to those of Brandon Crawford early in his career, Beckham is little more than organizational depth at this point in his career.

It’s hard to predict exactly what the San Francisco Giants infield will look like next season.

Will the front office stick with who they have and find backups, or will they find a Mark Melancon-type move to unloaded one of the high-priced, underperforming veterans.

Versatile players like Beckham and Sogard or a once-dynamic hitter like Dozier may look like potential targets at surface level. However, those three players do not offer the consistency nor the production the San Francisco Giants will need going forward and should be avoided.