Zaidi: SF Giants still looking to add starting pitcher, utility bat

SF Giants team president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi made his boldest move yet in signing KBO star Jung-Hoo Lee. However, the team is still looking to make additions to the roster including starting pitchintg and a utility bat.

Zaidi: SF Giants still looking to add starting pitcher, utility bat

Zaidi met with reporters on Tuesday shortly after it was reported that the Giants were signing Lee to a six-year, $113 million pact with an opt-out after the fourth season. Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area conveyed that the Giants are prioritizing starting pitching. A utility bat is a need, but likely lower on the priority list.

The Giants have been targeting frontline starters all offseason. They met with highly-touted NPB pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto over the weekend. The Giants had been scouting the right-handed hurler well before he was posted by the Orix Buffaloes, so they have genuine interest. However, Yamamoto has plenty of interested suitors and is expected to land a contract in excess of $200 million.

In addition to this, Blake Snell could fill an obvious need in the rotation and Jordan Montgomery remains one of the better pitching options available. There are not a lot of obvious upgrades on the position-player said, but the Giants could create a bit of a competitive advantage by targeting multiple starters to give the rotation both quality and length.

On the other hand, Marco Luciano is penciled in to be the everyday shortstop for 2024. He has ranked as one of the organization's top prospects for years and there is an obvious void with Brandon Crawford's 13-year tenure likely coming to an end.

They have remained consistent in saying that Luciano will be the starter, but it would behoove them to add a quality utility player who can capably fill in at shortstop and move around the diamond. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of obvious solutions in free agency with Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Adalberto Mondesí being some of the better options.

They could look to the trade market as well. Similar to free agency, there are not a ton of obvious upgrades. However, Minnesota Twins infielder Kyle Farmer could be a nice addition in case Luciano experiences regression or injury. Shortstop was one of the bigger problem areas on last year's roster, so the Giants will want to avoid that by adding a reliable backup.