SF Giants need to stay far away from veteran first baseman free agent

There are still some potential moves the SF Giants can make to improve the team before the start of the 2025 season. However, they should be sure to stay far away from first baseman free agent Anthony Rizzo.

First base is a potential area of improvement for San Francisco. As of right now, the Giants appear likely to roll with a platoon of Wilmer Flores and LaMonte Wade Jr. at first base. We know both of those players can be effective when they are healthy, the problem is that both have struggled with injuries and do not have much versatility.

SF Giants should not sign free agent Anthony Rizzo

Of all the free agent first basemen still available, Pete Alonso is certainly the best one on the market. His power is unmatched and he would provide a major jolt to the middle of San Francisco's lineup. Alonso has still been linked to the Giants even if a deal between him and San Francisco seems unlikely.

Beyond Alonso, one of the highest profile names still out there is Anthony Rizzo. The former star with the Chicago Cubs has become a shell of his past self with the New York Yankees. Last season with New York he slashed .228/.301/.335 with 8 home runs and 35 RBI in just 92 games. His statistics have steadily declined each of the last two seasons.

Compare Rizzo's 2024 to Wade's. Last season Wade slashed .260/.380/.381 with 8 home runs and 34 RBI in 117 games played. Those numbers do not fly off the page, but they are definitely better than Rizzo's. Wade's on base percentage alone makes him a much more valuable player than Rizzo.

As the Giants' front office looks for ways to improve the team, signing someone like Rizzo could be attractive because he would not be super expensive and he is a known name who fans would be familiar with. However, he just does not provide enough value to warrant signing him.

Plus, the Giants would probably have to try to trade Wade if they signed Rizzo because it would be a bit redundant having two left-handed first basemen on the team who are basically just limited to that position and being a designated hitter.

First base is a definite question mark for the Giants entering 2025, but signing Rizzo would not be a wise solution and would only add more questions rather than providing answers.