7 SF Giants second base options to consider for 2022

The SF Giants won 107 games in 2021, but they lacked at one position over all of the others: second base. Using WAR [Wins Above Replacement] as a barometer, the Giants were top-15 in the league at every position with the exception of second base and designated hitter (duh).

7 SF Giants second base options to consider for 2022

In total, Giants second basemen in 2021 hit 19 home runs (which was 12th in baseball) while driving in 71 runs (13th), and batting .254 (20th). For reference, their offensive WAR came out to be a total of 2.6, which was ahead of Washington -- who won 65 total games -- and behind Pittsburgh, who won only 61 games (it helps to have Kevin Newman anchoring that position). Needless to say, not all wins are created equally, and WAR for a particular position is not the final outcome for team success.

What we can gather from the info above is that offensive production by the second baseman for the Giants in 2021 was average at best. There were six total players who started a game at second base. However, only two of them had more than 100 plate appearances: Donovan Solano and Tommy La Stella.

On defense, Solano and La Stella are both below-average defenders with a combined -0.7 dWAR in 2021 to back up that claim. Wilmer Flores won't get much mention in this piece because he only had 87 plate appearances while at second base, so he might be under consideration for the spot, but we shall see.

Farhan Zaidi has shown while with the Giants he wants to operate like there is a tight budget even if there is not and spend the big bucks only when he feels like it is absolutely necessary. There was reported interest in Marcus Semien before he signed with Texas, so the bread crumbs lead us to believe the Giants are looking to upgrade that spot.

7 SF Giants second base options to consider for 2022

Trade market ideas

2. Whit Merrifield

The next player on the list is a bit older, but is cheaper and can play four - even five - different positions. Whit Merrifield is perhaps the best Royals position player not named Salvador Perez but has been the subject of trade rumors for what seems like the entirety of his career. Merrifield's contract length is the same as Ramirez's (1+ a team option) and is less than half of his salary ($2.7M in 2022, $6.5M in 2023).

Merrifield, as stated, is older, 33 in 2022, and 34 in 2023, but would bring stability to the top of the lineup. Not the big bopper Ramirez is, Merrifield, who hit a total of 10 home runs last season, still drove in 74 runs for a Royals team that was, to keep it kindly, not very good, in 2022. Defensively, Merrifield posted a slightly better WAR than Ramirez (1.7 compared to 1.2,), but did not compare offensively (2.4 oWAR versus Ramirez's 5.7).

Another asset when acquiring Merrifield's talent: his ability to stay on the field. Here is a look at his games played by season:

2017: 145
2018: 158
2019: 162
2020: 60 (out of 60-shortened season)
2021: 162

So he has started 687 out of a possible 708 games (or 97%) for the Royals since 2017. Another good fit by The Bay.

7 SF Giants second base options to consider for 2022

Trade market ideas

3. Jorge Polanco

Our final trade possibility we will not spend too much time on just because of the sheer unlikeliness of it happening, but it is still food for thought and comes from another team in the AL Central.

Jorge Polanco is a year younger than Ramirez and has a unique contract structure (age in parenthesis):

2022: $5.5M (28)
2023: $7.5M (29)
2024: $10.5 team option if Polanco has 530 at-bats in 2023 (30)
2025: $12M team option (31)

Clearly, this is the least likely candidate because of age and how many years of control he has left still, but he would be the perfect Giant. He had a career-high 33 home runs and 98 RBIs in 2022. Polanco has the highest strikeout percentage of any of the candidates listed (18.3%) and has a poor defensive WAR of just 0.8.

If the Giants are to swing any of these three, I would *presume* Merrifield would be the most likely, just because he would -- hypothetically -- be cheaper.

7 SF Giants second base options to consider for 2022

Free agent targets

4. Alex Blandino

So, what about the free-agent market? Well, just like trades, no team can make any major league signing at the moment because of the implemented lockout, but they did sign Alex Blandino to a minor league deal.

Blandino at this point might be known more for throwing 67-mph knuckleballs than actually hitting in the big leagues, but this just means that the organization is in fact looking. Blandino was not on my list, but here are four more players the Giants could sign for second base help.

7 SF Giants second base options to consider for 2022

Free agent targets

5. Carlos Correa

Call me hypocritical for actually wanting Correa on the Giants, call it a pipedream, or say whatever, but Carlos Correa would be a huge get for the front office. Correa is only 27-years-old and is coming off another trip to the World Series. 2021 was his final year before he became a free agent, and all he did was have a career-high in home runs (26), a league-leading defensive WAR (2.9), and had the third-highest overall WAR in 2021 (7.2). To put a cherry on top of his phenomenal season, Correa finished a career-best fifth in MVP voting.

Now, with that being said, it just is going to take a lot to get him. Would Farhan Zaidi want to offer Correa $400M? $300M? or even $250M? It's easy to spend someone else's money, but I certainly would pay him. Personally, I think Correa will eventually slide over to second base permanently at some point in his career, and even if he doesn't, you can eventually slide him back over to shortstop once Brandon Crawford's Giants career is over if they so choose.

One more Correa stat to whet the appetite further: a career .272 average in the POSTSEASON, with 18 home runs (which is tied for seventh all-time) and 59 runs batted in (sixth all-time). A proven winner who comes up clutch when it matters the most? Sign me up every time.

7 SF Giants second base options to consider for 2022

The return of an old friend and a second baseman already on the roster

6. Solano and La Stella

Not much more needs to be said about Solano and La Stella that was not already said in the opening. Solano will be 34-years-old in 2022, had a negative defensive WAR (-0.7), but contributed seven home runs and 31 RBI. Should he be the full-time second baseman? Probably not. Much like Solano, Tommy La Stella is past the point of his career where he should be a full-time starter in the majors, but the Giants are on the hook for $5.5M in 2022 and $11.5M in 2023 -- his age-34 season. La Stella had a negative defensive WAR (-0.2), as well and contributed seven home runs this past season. If you want to find a difference and make an argument between which one of these two you'd want, here's a start:

La Stella struck out less (10.7 K% compared to Solano's 16.9%) and walked *oh so slightly* more than Solano (7.4 BB% compared to 7.3%). Sure, it doesn't seem like much but La Stella striking out almost six percent less could be what helps the Giants decide between a 33-year-old and a 34-year-old for a full-time major league starting role.

7 SF Giants second base options to consider for 2022

The return of an old friend part 2

7. Joe Panik

Joe Panik *ahem*. World Series champion Joe Panik at this point wouldn't make sense for the full-time role, but we've seen Farhan sign once-forgotten and outcast players and turn them into gold before, so could Panik returning to San Francisco be the next resurgence tour to come through The Bay?

There was nothing pretty about Joe Panik's 2021 season: three home runs, 18 runs batted in (both career lows - excluding 2014 when he played only 73 games), and an overall WAR of -1.5 (oWAR -0.7, dWAR -0.8).

Given Solano didn't have the most offensively productive season, either, it wouldn't be that asinine to suggest Panik could fill the Solano role in 2022, and likely for less money for the younger Panik (31), if the Giants were to go that route.