3 glove-first outfielders that the SF Giants should target to bolster the defense

3 glove-first outfielders that the SF Giants should target to bolster the defense

2. Free agent outfielder Albert Almora Jr.

Similar to Michael Taylor, adding Albert Almora Jr. would require a tradeoff between offense and defese. Of course, trade capital is not a factor with Almora Jr. as he is currently a free agent. The only cost would be financial.

Oddly enough, the 28-year-old outfielder was doing just fine for the Cincinnati Reds before he was released in September. Evidently, he was not in the team's future plans, so they wanted him to land with another team before the end of the season. That never came to fruition.

The 2022 season was a strong one with the glove for Almora Jr. He was worth +4 DRS, 1.7 UZR, and +4 OAA in center field. He is much closer to Mike Yastrzemski in terms of defensive prowess than Michael Taylor, but that is still a step in the right direction for a team that struggled mightily in the outfield.

Almora Jr. would not offer much with the bat. He registered a .223/.282/.349 (71 OPS+) with five home runs, 29 RBI, and 26 runs in 235 plate appearances. This includes an acceptable 7.2 percent walk rate against a 19.6 percent strikeout rate.

The seven-year veteran has eclipsed the 10-homer threshold just once, which was in 2019, and he has a career .300 on-base percentage. The question is, can the Giants afford to have a player on the roster who cannot consistently produce with the bat?

If they want to improve the outfield defense, then the answer might be a reluctant yes. That is the tradeoff that they would need to make.