3 potential reunions that could help the SF Giants in 2023

The SF Giants have done much of the heavy lifting at this point in the offseason. That said, they could still look at ways to tweak the roster and there are several former Giants on the open market who could help them this season.

3 potential reunions that could help the SF Giants in 2023

A couple of former Giants including Adam Duvall and Andrew McCutchen just signed with the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates, respectively. McCutchen spent his first nine seasons with the Pirates and made a name for himself there, so it was a full-circle reunion.

The right-handed bat is not the player he was earlier in his career, but he has proven to still be a steady contributor. On the other hand, Duvall would have made some sense given his defensive reputation and how he has performed in center field in a very small sample.

The Giants have not done a lot to address the team's defense, but adding the nine-year veteran would have at least checked off that box.

The lineup, for the most part, is set. They will likely carry 13 position players and there is just not a lot of room to add in that area at this point in the offseason. However, the pitching staff is always an area of need for just about every team. San Francisco could look at a few reunions to bolster the bullpen.

1. Left-handed pitcher Matt Moore

Veteran pitcher Matt Moore never truly lived up to the hype that came with being the No. 1 prospect in baseball just over 10 years ago. However, he has transitioned to the bullpen and put together a very nice season in 2022.

Of course, the Giants acquired Moore from the Tampa Bay Rays at the 2016 trade deadline in exchange for middle infielder Matt Duffy and two prospects. This quickly became a polarizing move as Duffy was a fan favorite, so it was a bitter pill to swallow for many fans.

To his credit, Moore put together some impressive performances down the stretch that season including an eight-inning outing of one-run ball against the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS. The lefty struggled to the tune of a 5.52 ERA in 32 appearances in 2017 and was shipped to the Texas Rangers that offseason in a salary-dumping move.

The 33-year-old has been on the move a lot since then including a stint overseas in 2020. Moore returned to the Rangers last year where he posted a 1.95 ERA, 2.98 FIP, 1.17 WHIP, 10.1 K/9, and a 2.18 SO/W ratio in 74 innings.

Despite his strong season, the 11-year veteran remains on the open market. Perhaps, teams are a little cautious in handing out a multi-year deal to Moore, who had his best season by far in years. The 2022 season represented his first exclusively out of the bullpen, so it is possible his stuff played up in shorter outings.

The Giants are banking on a lot of things to go right next season, so it would not be a bad idea to have a little extra depth. If the Giants could add Moore on a one-year deal with a guaranteed salary in the range of $10 million, they should definitely consider it.

3 potential reunions that could help the SF Giants in 2023

2. Left-handed pitcher Will Smith

Veteran reliever Will Smith must be feeling lucky these days. After all, he won a World Series with the Atlanta Braves in 2021 and then another with the Houston Astros this past season. Similar to Matt Moore, Smith came over to the Giants at the 2016 trade deadline from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Andrew Susac and Phil Bickford.

This became a pretty successful move by the Giants as Smith emerged as one of the better Giants relievers in recent memory. This includes a 2019 All-Star appearance.

He departed via free agency after that season and signed a three-year, $39 million with a team option for a fourth season with the Atlanta Braves. He was shipped to the Astros in 2022 and they bought out that option for $1 million, making the lefty reliever a free agent.

He remained a quality arm throughout the life of that contract, but he was not necessarily as good the 2.70 ERA he posted with the Giants across three seasons. That said, Smith put together a solid season in 2022, posting a 3.97 ERA, 4.26 FIP, 1.40 WHIP, 9.9 K/9, and a 2.60 SO/W ratio in 65 outings.

Teams are likely concerned about his less-than-stellar peripherals such as the 4.26 FIP or 1.40 WHIP. Though, he still tallied good strikeout numbers and flashed a slider that remains tough to hit. Opposing hitters registered a .186 batting average against it in 2022, so he still has a plus pitch.

The Giants have not done a lot to address the team's defense, so having a good strikeout pitcher like Smith would sidestep that issue.