4 SF Giants who are playing their way out of the team's 2024 plans

Brandon Crawford

It is admittedly weird to think about the idea that Brandon Crawford could soon leave the Giants, but that is the reality. If Crawford had played well this season and stayed healthy, the pending free agent's connection to the organization would have made him a prime candidate for one last shortish extension before he called it a career.

However, Crawford's struggles in 2022 foreshadowed more trouble to come in 2023 as he has slashed .197/.267/.322 in 267 plate appearances with issues with his knee plaguing him all year long. When you combine that with the emergence of Marco Luciano as a realistic option at shortstop for 2024 and beyond, there just doesn't seem to be much justification for the Giants to hang on to Crawford. As much as he has meant to the organization over the last 13 years, it is time to let Crawford ride off into the sunset.

Ross Stripling

This is a weird one because Ross Stripling's contract complicates any plans to get rid of him. When the Giants signed Stripling to a two year deal, they were hoping that the version of him who put up a 3.01 ERA for the Blue Jays in 2022. The team did hedge a bit by signing him to a short-term deal given that he had never thrown more than 134.1 innings in a big league season. They are probably glad that they did.

In 18 appearances this season (11 starts), Stripling has posted a 5.10 ERA and missed significant time with a back injury. If one was looking for a spot in the Giants' rotation to upgrade, Stripling's would be one of the easier places to start. However, he has a player option for 2024 worth $12.5 million that he is almost certainly going to exercise. Ideally, the Giants find a pitching-starve team that loves his ability to throw strikes and limit walks to send him to in order to make room for a young arm like Kyle Harrison or Carson Whisenhunt.

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