SF Giants miss out on affordable outfield addition as Reds swoop in to get him

Last month the Athletics moved on from outfielder JJ Bleday. It seemed like he could make some sense for the SF Giants as they are in search for a boost in the outfield, but the Cincinnati Reds swooped in and signed him.

The Reds got him on a one-year, $1.4 million contract. He was not one of the premier outfielders on the market by any stretch, but he represented a player with some upside who could be had for cheap.

SF Giants miss out on outfielder JJ Bleday

Last season was a bit of a struggle for Bleday as he slashed .212/.294/.404 with 14 home runs and 39 runs batted in. However, the center fielder had a much better 2024 campaign in which he slashed .243/.324/.437 with 20 home runs and 60 runs batted in.

The center fielder ranked barely above Jung Hoo Lee defensively last season so he does not bring a ton to the table on defense, but the Giants could have moved him to right field to make things a little easier for him even though right field at Oracle Park may be one of the most difficult right fields to play in the major leagues.

Really, he would have made sense mostly if the Giants were committed to not spending much of anything to improve the team which seems to be the way they are operating thus far.

The Giants have mostly made minor additions to the outfield, picking guys like Justin Dean and Joey Wiemer up off waivers although they did just designate Wiemer for assignment which was a bit of a surprise.

Making a play for Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger seems exceedingly unlikely as their price tags will probably be prohibitive for San Francisco. Perhaps the priciest outfield upgrade the Giants would even entertain in free agency is Harrison Bader who is a strong defender and is coming off his best offensive season at the plate.

Maybe the trade route could provide some interesting options. Would the Giants be willing to part way with prospects and perhaps some major league talent to land someone like Bay Area native Steven Kwan from the Cleveland Guardians? It would not be cheap but the Giants would use a defender like him with his offensive profile in the lineup.

We'll see what the Giants decide to do, but if they wanted a cheap option with upside they missed out on the prime example of that in Bleday.