Passan: Opposing teams expect the SF Giants to sign at least one of the top remaining free agents

It has been a slow offseason but the SF Giants remain in the market for some of the top names remaining. Jeff Passan of ESPN (subscription required) mentioned that opposing teams believe that the Giants will sign "at least one top-end" option among the Scott Boras clients.

Passan: Opposing teams expect the SF Giants to sign at least one of the top remaining free agents

Some of Boras' clients currently in free agency include Matt Chapman, Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell, and Jordan Montgomery. We have been covering free-agency rumors all offseason and there have been plenty of connections to each of the four players.

Perhaps, there has been less substance to Montgomery than the other three. That said, you can make a compelling case that any of the four could end up with the Giants. I should add that while rumors do not often carry a lot of weight when it comes from some MLB insiders, Passan is an exception. He does not usually speak unless there is substance to it. And, he does not necessarily serve as the voice of an agent as some insiders do.

Does that mean that the Giants will land any of the four free agents? Not necessarily, but the Giants have a lot of money to spend and are motivated to add to a roster that has grown stale in recent seasons. Sure, the ownership group wants to make a profit or break even, but that cannot happen unless they put a dynamic product on the field and any of the four free agents listed above would improve the roster.

Of course, the Giants have had very little success in free agency over the past 30 years. Is that tide beginning to turn with the addition of KBO star outfielder Jung Hoo Lee? It could be and there is no doubt that he will bring some extra attention to the Giants next season. It would help quite a bit if the Giants could add another notable name to the mix.

This offseason has been extremely slow and it will not speed up much with any of Bellinger, Chapman, Snell, or Montgomery given that Boras is the agent. His clients tend to wait out the market in an effort to maximize their payday.

Perhaps, another factor that is holding up the market is Shōta Imanaga. Imanaga has spent the past eight seasons with the Yokohama Bay Stars of the NPB, but the Bay Stars posted him at the end of November. His posting period runs through January 11, so there is going to be a decision on him sooner rather than later. He cannot wait out the market.

This has been an odd offseason not only with how slow it has been but with how few teams have been active. The Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals, and St. Louis Cardinals have been the most active teams in free agency, whereas the Atlanta Braves have been working the trade market.

It feels like the Giants are one of the few remaining teams who are willing to spend this winter and they could end up with one of the top names. That could change, but even teams like the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets have not been active at all. The quiet offseason might just benefit a team like San Francisco who is eager to add a known name to the roster.