1 early-season 2024 move that the SF Giants probably already regret

The SF Giants swung a minor trade with the Toronto Blue Jays right before spring training to acquire speedy, versatile bat Otto López. He did not remain with the organization for long as he was shipped to the Miami Marlins early in the season, but this is one move that the Giants probably already regret.

1 early-season 2024 move that the SF Giants probably already regret

Middle infield depth was one of the key needs for the Giants this winter. They moved on from Brandon Crawford and expressed support that Marco Luciano would get a chance to be the everyday shortstop in 2024.

However, that was an uneasy assignment given that Luciano still needed to work on his defense and that remains true today. That said, they could have mitigated some of the risk by adding a glove-first infielder as a backup to Luciano. They did that by adding Nick Ahmed. Ahmed competed with Tyler Fitzgerald and López for a spot on the Opening Day roster.

Of course, both Ahmed and Fitzgerald made the roster but López was placed on waivers before being shipped to the Marlins. Both Fitzgerald and López bring an element of speed to the table. However, Fitzgerald offers more power upsde, whereas López brings more of a hit tool and contact to the table.

On defense, they both had experience at some of the same positions, including second base, shortstop, and center field. That said, center field is still a new position for Fitzgerald. On the other hand, López had a lot of experience in the outfield. In the infield, second base is arguably the best position for either player. That position is covered by Thairo Estrada.

However, López looked more passable on the left side of the infield compared to Fitzgerald. It might be semantics, but López looked more like the part of a utiltiy glove, whereas Fitzgerald looks more like a second baseman with experience at a few other positions.

Since being sent to the Marlins, López has registered a .284/.319/.463 line (121 wRC+) with three home runs, 14 RBI, and nine runs in 73 plate appearances. This includes a 4.1 percent walk rate, 15.1 percent strikeout rate, and a .179 ISO. The 25-year-old infield has spent the bulk of his time at second base, but he has seen some time on the left side of the infield as well.

For a team that has not gotten consistent production from the shortstop position, they could really use these types of numbers. This is not to say that the Giants should have chosen López over Fitzgerald on the 40-man roster. There are always a few other moves on the table than the ones they did make. At the end of the day, the Giants likely regret not finding a way to keep López.