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Ranking the top 3 center fielders the SF Giants could sign in free agency

By Katrina Stebbins |
Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier
Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier / Mark Blinch/GettyImages
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It's hard to keep track of how many San Francisco Giants played center field for the team in 2023. Mike Yastrzemski was there on Opening Day, Luis Matos was there the day before the All-Star break, and then it was No. 30 prospect Tyler Fitzgerald on the last day of the season. Clearly, the Giants need to find a more regular presence to take over in center to give the team more stability across the board, and because it looks like it won't be coming from inside the organization, their attentions have turned to this year's free agent class.

Ranking 3 top center fielders the SF Giants could pursue in free agency

Given their pursuit of Aaron Judge last year and their expected pursuit of Shohei Ohtani this year, the Giants are clearly not afraid to chase after the players they want with large amounts of money they seem to conjure out of thin air. It's slim pickings for position players this year, so they may need to do just that in order to lock up one of the players on this list. Here are three center fielders the Giants could go after in free agency.

3. Harrison Bader

Teen heartthrob Harrison Bader ended the year struggling for the Cincinnati Reds — he batted .161/.235/.194 over 34 plate appearances — but we'll give him some well-earned benefit of the doubt here, as he did fine work for the Yankees in his one and a half years with the team and he's clearly a good presence in the outfield. He was a Gold Glover in 2021 for the Cardinals, and his Baseball Savant fielding numbers reflect a fast center fielder with great arm strength who saved nine outs this year, for an overall fielding run value in the 93rd percentile. He also only strikes out 17% of the time and is capable on the base paths, having stolen 20 bases this year.

Bader is a charismatic, easy player to root for who also happens to have better fielding numbers that Michael Conforto or Mike Yastrzemski. His numbers at the plate aren't always great, but if he can get his walk rate up he could be a scary, steal-prone runner at first. At 29, Bader also still has a few years ahead of him in the majors. With market value estimated at about $15 million a year, a multi-year contract with options built in, given Bader's offensive volatility, could be a good way to go in adding not only stability but real proficiency to the outfield.

2. Kevin Kiermaier

Kevin Kiermaier's long-standing reputation as the best defensive center fielder in baseball is well earned, and that may be an understatement. He's a four-time Gold Glover, having won his fourth this year, and a Platinum Glover in 2015. He's a walking, talking highlights reel, with clips that show off everything from his speed to his insane reads on fly balls to his arm strength in center. It only makes sense that he's on this list. He could've been the most sought-after center fielder in this year's free agent pool if it weren't for the player ranked No. 1 on this list, who you might've already guessed.

Kiermaier doesn't bring much in the way of power; in 2023, he put up some of his best offensive numbers in years (.265/.322/.419), but he still only batted in 36 runners and never cracked sixth in the Blue Jays' lineup. The bulk of his value comes from his defensive capabilities, which he clearly still possesses a great deal of, and he could be a great one or two year sign — MLB Trade Rumors predicts $26 million for two years. His bat and his age might be causes for minor concern, but he's still one of the best available options for center fielders on the free agent market.

1. Cody Bellinger

Who other than Cody Bellinger could be ranked No. 1 on this list? Bellinger is the most sought-after position player in 2023's free agent class after his comeback year with the Cubs. He might not be as great a center fielder on paper as someone like Kevin Kiermaier, but he has what Kiermaier and Harrison Bader don't: a great bat. In 130 games this year, Bellinger batted .307/.356/.525 (so tantalizingly close to an elite .300/.400/.500 spread), with 26 home runs and 97 RBI.

It's not that he's incapable at center, either. In his first game back in LA against the Dodgers, he robbed a home run off of Jason Heyward and responded gamely to the hometown boos. He saved five outs this year and has an arm strength in Baseball Savant's 86th percentile. While a little bit of skepticism around Bellinger's wild resurgence is fair and maybe even healthy, he managed to reinhabit something like his old MVP-winning form consistently enough in 2023 that while a slight regression to the mean might be possible, all signs point to Bellinger being an excellent cleanup bat and leader in the outfield.

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