SF Giants News: Dansby Swanson, Carlos Correa, and more

After adding veteran starter Jameson Taillon to a four-year, $68 million pact, the Chicago Cubs made another free-agent splash by signing shortstop Dansby Swanson to a seven-year, $177 million contract. The SF Giants checked in on Swanson before inking star shortstop Carlos Correa to a 13-year contract.

Chicago Cubs sign SF Giants shortstop target

Of course, the news connecting the Giants to Swanson came out hours before they signed Correa. This could have been an element of gamesmanship on the Giants' part as the front office wanted it to appear that they had a contingency plan if a deal with Correa could not be completed.

Swanson is coming off of a career-year, slashing .277/.329/.447 (114 OPS+) with 25 home runs, 96 RBI, and 99 runs in 696 plate appearances. The seven-year veteran was as durable as they come, appearing in all 162 games in 2022.

That said, the Giants made the right call in signing Correa. Both shortstops have put together impressive careers, but Correa offers more upside.

The New York Mets pursuit of SF Giants shortstop Carlos Correa

Speaking of Correa, the New York Mets got into the bidding for the 28-year-old shortstop right before signing with the Giants. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Mets emerged as a potential destination for Correa.

When news of this originally came out, this sounded like a ploy by Correa's agent, Scott Boras, to spur teams into action. With how the Mets have been spending this winter, they are legitimately a threat to sign any and every player.

However, this was not a ploy at all. The Mets had genuine interest, but by the time they expressed it, the Giants and Correa were deep into discussions.

Oakland A's sign former SF Giants lefty pitching prospect to minors pact

The A's have been busy lately, signing Jace Peterson, Aledmys Díaz, and Trevor May in recent days. One minor move they made was signing former Giants pitching prospect Garrett Williams to a minor league pact. There is no word yet on whether that includes a camp invite.

Williams is likely best known as being the prospect that the Giants shipped to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Zack Cozart and middle infield prospect Will Wilson. They bought a prospect in Wilson by assuming the remainder of Cozart's three-year, $38 million deal.

Williams appeared with the St. Louis Cardinals organization in 2022, posting a 6.55 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 11.8 K/9, and a 2.20 SO/W ratio across 77 frames. Control had been an issue with Williams when he was with the Giants and it appears that the trend has continued. At the very least, he is returning to somewhat familiar territory.