Former SF Giants outfielder agrees to join the KBO

Former SF Giants outfielder Mike Tauchman will not wait for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) to be ratified as he has found a new home. Sung Min Kim of The Athletic reports that the veteran outfielder has agreed to a deal to play overseas for the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

Former SF Giants outfielder agrees to join the KBO

Tauchman's contract is a one-year deal that includes a $300,000 signing bonus and a base salary of $700,000. Presumably, if Tauchman plays well enough in the KBO, he has a chance to return stateside in 2023. Plus, this deal gives the 31-year-old outfielder a little extra stability given the unknown that comes with a lockout.

The Giants acquired Tauchman from the New York Yankees in a rare April trade that sent left-handed reliever Wandy Peralta and power-hitting prospect Connor Cannon to the New York Yankees. The move paid early dividends for the Giants as the left-handed bat grinded out at-bats and had a knack for the clutch hit.

However, things began to go south as the season progressed with Tauchman struggling to make consistent contact. That said, the Giants were playing well and there was a belief that the left-handed bat would come out of his slump. That belief never came to fruition.

Tauchman was designated for assignment at the end of July in a series of roster moves that included activating Brandon Crawford from the 10-day injured list and reinstating Aaron Sanchez from the 60-day injured list.

In total, Tauchman slashed .178/.286/.283 (56 OPS+) with just four home runs, 15 RBI, and 21 runs scored in 175 plate appearances with the Orange and Black. This included a solid 12.6 percent walk rate but an unsightly 29.7 percent strikeout rate.

Despite these struggles, the outfielder had some key moments in a Giants uniform such as robbing both Albert Pujols of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals of key home runs. His play on Pujols robbed the 21-year veteran of a wal-off home run in a game that the Giants eventually won by a score of 8-5.

We did not know it at the time but that play proved to be a pretty decisive moment for a Giants team that narrowly beat out the Dodgers for the National League West title. That is the type of play that Giants fans will remember for a long time and one that made Tauchman something of a fan favorite to some.

He provided plenty of value with the glove and showed, in a vacuum, some of the value he can generate on offense by displaying occasional power, working the count, and getting on base at a decent clip. Hopefully, he can find the consistency that helps him stick because he had quite a few fun moments in a Giants uniform.