The unpopular, but likely solution at first base for the SF Giants

There are a few avenues the SF Giants could go down to improve the lineup. First base is one area they could look to upgrade, but the likely solution there might also be the least popular alternative.

The unpopular, but likely solution at first base for the SF Giants

After yet another year of missing the postseason, fans and ownership alike are growing increasingly unsatisfied with their team playing .500 ball. The Matt Chapman extension, the return of Jung-Hoo Lee, and the imminent profit hikes after the A’s departure are just a few of the many reasons the Giants will look to return to October baseball as quickly as possible. Whether or not Farhan Zaidi will be the one steering the ship towards that is a question for another article (or MANY other articles), but whoever is in charge will face a bit of a conundrum at one position.

The vast majority of the team’s core is already in place heading into next season, which can be seen as a good thing because there aren’t a lot of problematic holes to fill, but it also doesn’t leave many obvious areas to upgrade. Adding some punch to a lineup that sits 18th with a 97 wRC+ could be easier said than done, since where will that new bat play? Could first base, the traditional locale of middle-of-the-order sluggers, be a spot to try and improve?

First base help is obviously on the way in the form of the Giants' top hitting prospect, Bryce Eldridge. Even though he’s only turning 20 next month, Eldridge has dominated at every stop and ascended all the way to Triple-A already, so a major league call-up around June or even May of next year is a very real possibility.

So, no, inking a 1B/DH-type to a multi-year deal isn’t – and shouldn’t – be much of a consideration. That rules out the premier impending free agent first baseman Pete Alonso. Besides, the Giants will already have two familiar faces under team control who could hold the bag down for a few months.

A platoon of LaMonte Wade Jr. and Wilmer Flores, though it won’t do anything to help the team win more games next season than this one, is obviously the most realistic option. After leading all of MLB in on-base percentage through April, Wade has come down to earth with a .264/.386/.390 slash line in 113 games.

The on-base skills are still fantastic, and his 123 wRC+ is not a problem spot in the lineup by any means, but his eight homers and often pronounced platoon splits make him an awkward fit at first base. Even if he’s not a prototypical first baseman, he does get on base, so Zaidi’s old friend Billy Beane would be proud.

Nothing can really be expected of Wilmer Flores after his lost year, but since he’s already under contract for one last season, it makes sense to see if he can rekindle some fire on the short side of a platoon before ceding the position to Eldridge.

Flores did just have the best year of his career last season, after all, and is a great clubhouse guy even if he’s not able to provide much. The problem, though, is if your whole lineup is filled with this kind of “good enough for the majors, but not significantly above replacement level” types, how can you expect to be anything but mediocre?

Other than Alonso or Christian Walker, there aren’t really any first basemen headed for free agency that profile as difference-makers. A trade would be a likelier option, but again, Eldridge is sitting right there. The only way you could see that happening is if Farhan Zaidi was unseated as the primary roster-builder.

Wade Jr. is someone Zaidi acquired and has loyalty to, but a new president of baseball ops might look at him in a different light. Perhaps, they could even see Flores as someone to be released rather than retained, too. It could happen - but in your heart, you know what’s really going to happen. The Giants are going to roll with their internal options at first and hope for the best. Change is coming, but don’t expect a new face standing at first on Opening Day.