3 reasons why an SF Giants reunion with Brandon Belt makes sense

The SF Giants decided not to re-sign Brandon Belt after the 2022 season. Despite a resurgent 2021 in which Belt powered the team’s miraculous season before breaking his hand on a pitch in the last week of the season, Belt dealt with injury and regressed in 2022.

3 reasons why an SF Giants reunion with Brandon Belt makes sense

Plus, the Giants felt they had numerous options at first base with LaMonte Wade Jr., Wilmer Flores, and J.D. Davis. All this added up to Belt leaving the Giants, the team that drafted him and whom he helped win two World Series titles, to go play up north for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Belt had a nice bounceback year with the Blue Jays. The lefty bat slashed .254/.369/.490 with 19 home runs and 43 RBI in 103 games. Part of this resurgence has to do with the fact that Belt played in 69 games as a DH last year.

The fact that he did not have to play first base every day probably played a large part in him being able to be more productive for the Blue Jays.

Belt has seemingly always been a polarizing figure among SF Giants fans. Detractors say he never put up the power numbers he should have, he got injured too often, and blamed him when the offense wasn’t hitting.

Supporters point out his stellar defense, his solid (if not always for power) hitting, his patient eye, and the fact that he was a huge part of the team winning two World Series titles in 2012 and 2014.

Plus, it never hurts to bring up Belt’s stellar, dry sense of humor. He can deliver any line with a straight face, and his decision to anoint himself the captain of the Giants was a legendary decision that led to him entering Oracle Park on a boat in the 2022 home opener.

However you feel about Belt, one could make the case that a reunion with the SF Giants could make sense for both parties in 2024.

Here are three reasons the Giants and Brandon Belt could reunite this year.

3 reasons why an SF Giants reunion with Brandon Belt makes sense

2. The Giants love to bring back old players

We all know that the SF Giants have a soft spot for bringing back old players. Just a few years ago, the Giants brought Hunter Pence back after a successful campaign with the Texas Rangers.

Several years before that, the Giants brought back Pablo Sandoval after a tumultuous tenure with the Boston Red Sox.

While Pence’s second tour with the Giants was complicated by the shortened COVID season in 2020, Sandoval had a resurgence with the Giants and essentially saved his career.

Having Belt come back would be very in keeping with this Giants tradition. While he is polarizing, many Giants fans recognize the fact that he was a Great Giant and was instrumental in the success the team had last decade.

While most fans think nostalgic signings like these aren’t helpful, Belt proved last year that he still has something left in the tank. If he can replicate that success with the Giants it would be huge for a team whose offense cratered in the second half of the season. On a different note, the 13-year veteran never truly had the proper sendoff that he deserved. That is not a reason to sign him, but it needs to be mentioned.

Speaking of which, Belt would address a current need in the lineup.

3 reasons why an SF Giants reunion with Brandon Belt makes sense

3. The Giants don’t have a DH

Last season, the Giants had Joc Pederson as their main DH option when he was healthy. However, injuries forced him to play in the outfield much more than they would have liked and he did not hit well enough for the Giants to consider bringing him back in all likelihood.

As of right now, it is not clear what the SF Giants plan to do with the DH slot in the lineup. Our own Jeff Young believes the DH will be a revolving door, giving position players a chance to take a day off from the field for a day.

There is also the possibility that Wilmer Flores could see a lot of time in the DH spot. He hit well for the Giants last season but can be a bit of a defensive liability at times.

Michael Conforto and Mitch Haniger are options as well. Yet, they both carry question marks, especially Haniger, after last season.

Belt would solve this problem. He could be a DH for the team against righties and potentially against lefties not named Clayton Kershaw.

Many Giants fans have had enough of platoons after the Gabe Kapler tenure in San Francisco, but it may not be a bad option if they aren’t able to land any other big fish in free agency or via trade.

The likelihood that Belt re-signs with the Giants is slim. The Giants probably want other options and he does not necessarily fit into their plan to get younger and faster. It would be a tough positional fit as well, but it could work.

The left-handed bat should get an opportunity with another team though. He proved last year that in a DH role with limited time at first base, he can be a valuable component for a good team.

At the very least, whenever Belt decides to retire he should do it as a San Francisco Giant. He was a Great Giant no matter what and he deserves to be recognized as such even though he is often overlooked or undervalued by fans.