Three free-agent additions that the SF Giants must make for 2022

The 2021 season was a magical year for the SF Giants. However, if they want to continue to take even bigger strides, they will, without a doubt, need to make some moves that can keep them in the upper echelon in the National League.  

Three free-agent additions that the SF Giants must make for 2022

While the 2021-2022 free-agent class is very rich in talent, there is also a lot of uncertainty around a possible labor strike between the players and owners that could impact free agency. 

However, for this story, we’ll act like it’s going to be a normal offseason where there are no issues surrounding the upcoming CBA discussions. 

This list will consist of players that didn’t play in San Francisco last season. Kris Bryant is one the would land on that list, With that, let’s get into the list. There are obviously plenty of pitchers that the Giants should keep, who won’t be included on the list as well. 

There are also a few honorable mentions that missed out on this list. Chris Taylor would be another great super-utility option that the Giants could add. He may even come a bit cheaper than some of the options listed.   

Three free-agent additions that the SF Giants must make for 2022

2. Marcus Semien

Another plug-and-play guy is Marcus Simien. It just so happens that he may be a great fit in San Francisco for a variety of reasons. 

Maybe the most fascinating reason to bring in Semien is the fact that he just had an MVP-caliber season with the Toronto Blue Jays. After all, he ended the year hitting .265/.334/.518 with 45 long balls and 115 RBI. He swiped 15 bags as well. The fact that he can steal a base makes him even more valuable since the Giants didn’t steal many bases last year, and sometimes runs have to be manufactured. 

Secondly, Semien is no slouch with the leather either. He has very respectable fielding percentages all over the diamond. His best place, defensively, is second base where he has a career .982 fielding percentage. This is where he played the majority of his games in 2021. He’s also got a .969 fielding percentage when playing shortstop, which is where he’s played for the majority of his career before 2021. Then, there’s third base where he has a .903 fielding percentage. However, he’s only played 50 games there in his career, so it's still in small sample territory. 

Maybe the best reason to bring in Simien is that he’s a Bay Area player. Semien grew up in San Francisco and went to the University of California - Berkeley.  He enjoyed playing for the A’s, so a return to the Bay Area makes a lot of sense.   

Three free-agent additions that the SF Giants must make for 2022

1. Marcus Stroman

We had to include a pitcher in here somewhere. After all, it’s a need that is always something that needs to be replenished every year. 

It’s safe to say that he was a tad bit underwhelming in his short stint with the Mets. Nonetheless, he could be a great addition to the Giants’ starting rotation in 2022. 

This season, he went 10-13 with a 3.02 ERA in a career-high 33 starts. Based on the body of work, it’s reasonable to think that half of his starts at Oracle Park could make him a Cy Young candidate. Plus, he’s a ground ball pitcher, which should help with the Giants’ solid infield.  

Stroman is also a guy who can get a strikeout when needed. In 2021, he struck out 158 and walked just 44. His WHIP was 1.145, which is very encouraging. 

The only issue when it comes to signing Stroman is the fact that he’s entering his 30s and has a history of injuries. With that being said, it is difficult to think that his decline has begun given how durable he was last season.

But Stroman is a veteran who knows what it takes to get through a season and take care of his body, so there’s not much reason to worry there.