Top 3 non-tender players that the SF Giants should sign

The non-tender deadline came on Friday and there were some surprising names to be cut loose. On the other hand, the SF Giants non-tendered a few players, but there were no surprises. There is an opportunity for the Giants to upgrade the roster with some of the new free agents.

Top 3 non-tender players that the SF Giants should sign

The Giants have been one of the more aggressive teams on the non-tender market in recent years. John Brebbia, Curt Casali, Kevin Gausman, and Matthew Boyd are just a few recent names that come to mind.

You may not always find superstar talent in this pocket of free agency, but the Giants have proven that they can find incredible value with a player like Gausman. Brebbia and Casali proved to be positive additions as well.

This front office is creative in how it builds the roster and the non-tender market can present some nice value opportunities. Perhaps, the most notable player to become a free agent on Friday was Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger.

The former NL MVP has posted a .611 OPS over the past two seasons and was set to earn $18.1 million through arbitration. The Dodgers decided that was too much, so they made him a free agent instead.

Is he a fit for the Giants? He is an above-average outfielder but the offensive numbers offer plenty of red flags. San Francisco has a lot of work to do in the outfield, and it feels like taking a flyer on a player who has performed poorly in recent seasons is too big of a risk. That said, there are plenty of other options.

1. Third baseman/outfielder Brian Anderson

After buying out Evan Longoria's $13 million team option for 2023, the Giants have a void at third base. David Villar can certainly fill that void after having an impressive finish to the season but the Giants could use some depth at the position as well.

I will admit that Brian Anderson is my favorite of any of the players who were non-tendered on Friday. At one point, he was emerging as one of the top young players in the game. However, he has battled a number of shoulder, back, and oblique ailments over the past two seasons.

He has not appeared in over 100 games since the 2019 season, so Anderson comes with plenty of injury risk. That said, the Giants have proven time and again to accept a high degree of injury risk.

Due in part to injuries, Anderson has struggled to the .681 OPS over the last two seasons. This includes a 9.7 percent walk rate against a 25.7 percent strikeout rate, so he still draws walks at a decent rate, which should hold appeal to the Giants front office.

Despite his struggles, the 29-year-old infielder had a three-year stretch beginning in 2017 where he slashed .266/.350/.436 (112 OPS+) with a 9.0 percent walk rate against a 21.8 percent strikeour rate.

In the field, Anderson would give the Giants a little extra versatility. He has generally been a plus defender at the hot corner with a strong arm in right field. The Giants need to get younger and more versatile, so adding Anderson would check off a few boxes.

The right-handed bat was projected to earn $5.2 million in his final trip through arbitration, but the Miami Marlins decided that the cost was too steep after a pair of injury-riddled seasons. This is a contract that the Giants can certainly absorb.