Ranking the top 4 shortstop free agents for the SF Giants

Ranking the top 4 shortstop free agents for the SF Giants

2. Trea Turner

Trea Turner can do everything on the baseball field. It is a shame that he plays for the division rivals but I will not hold that against him if he signs with San Francisco.

Oddly enough, the San Diego Padres selected turner in the first round of the 2014 draft but immediately shipped him to the Washington Nationals in a three-team deal that brought Wil Myers to San Diego. It was an odd situation as the speedy infielder was not eligible to be traded right away, so he remained in the Padres organization for about six months after the trade while knowingly being the player to be named later.

Since that trade, Turner has firmly established himself as one of the better players in the game. He has been an All-Star in each of the last two seasons and finished seventh in the NL MVP voting last year.

The 2022 campaign has been no different as he has slashed .299/.345/.472 (122 OPS+) with 20 home runs, 97 RBI, and 95 runs while being worth 4.9 bWAR in 669 plate appearances. This includes 25 stolen bases in 28 opportunities to go along with a 6.4 percent walk rate against a 17.8 percent strikeout rate.

Unlike Xander Bogaerts, Turner is excellent with the glove at shortstop as he has been worth 10 DRS and 11 OAA across eight seasons. He has experience in center field and maintains the athleticism and sprint speed to be able to handle the position in a full-time role if needed.

There is a lot to like with Turner. Perhaps, my one concern with him is how his offensive value, which is derived to some degree by speed, will age. Plus, he is not necessarily a true power hitter like some of the other top free-agent shortstops.

I have a feeling that Turner will receive a substantially larger contract than Bogaerts and he certainly deserves a contract of that nature. I like Bogaerts' offensive profile more than Turner's but you cannot go wrong with either option.