Outfield defense remains an area to upgrade for the SF Giants in the offseason

Last offseason, the SF Giants aimed to upgrade outfield defense and thought they did by adding Harrison Bader. Regardless, it has been more of the same, as they rank near the bottom in outfield defense again.

Outfield defense has been an issue for the Giants for the better part of the past decade. In fairness, playing half of their games at Oracle Park makes this a tough area to upgrade.

In general, the outfield will be a tough area to improve in the offseason because they need a few different things. An above-average defender would help, but they could also use a right-handed-hitting platoon bat. Can they check off both boxes with one addition? Certainly, but it will not be easy.

In 2025, the Giants outfield put up -21 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), -18 Outs Above Average (OAA), and -15 Fielding Run Value (FRV). Regardless of the metric you use, they were near the bottom.

The Giants made a couple of moves by signing Harrison Bader and shifting Jung Hoo Lee to right field. For obvious reasons, that Bader signing has not played out as they had hoped. There is a good chance that his Giants tenure is already over after appearing in just 30 games.

It has been more of the same this year, but maybe with a promising wrinkle. The Giants still rank near the bottom in outfield defense. As a unit, they have posted -2 DRS, -12 OAA, and -15 FRV. Compared to last year, there has been some improvement.

Defense in center field has shown signs of improvement for the SF Giants

Defense in center field and left field were extreme weak spots last year, but there has been notable improvement at one of those positions. Drew Gilbert and Jonah Cox have combined to put up solid marks in center field. Gilbert has been worth 5 OAA and 4 FRV, whereas Cox has tallied 3 OAA and 2 FRV in center field. That combines to be a solid cohort at a premium position.

The issue remains the corners. To some degree, the Giants have addressed that by shipping Heliot Ramos to the New York Yankees. Casey Schmitt graded out unfavorably in left field, but he was learning the position on the fly. He has the athleticism and arm strength to develop into a quality outfielder.

Unfortunately, it has been more of the same for Lee, who continues to grade out as a below-average outfielder. This comes with playing arguably the most difficult right field in baseball. This could lead to shifting Lee to left field and trying to upgrade right field.

There has been some improvement but the Giants still have work to do to improve outfield defense.

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