Surprising SF Giants DFA may point to more substantial outfield addition

In a bit of a surprising move, the SF Giants DFA'd outfielder Joey Wiemer to make room for recently signed reliever Jason Foley. Perhaps this move portends a larger one in the outfield in the near future.

Wiemer seemed like a potential candidate to either serve in a platoon in right field alongside someone like Drew Gilbert if the Giants really didn't want to spend on an outfielder or at the very least the team's fourth outfielder given his above-average defense which makes him able to play all three positions.

SF Giants could be signaling a bigger outfield move is incoming

The Giants could still retain him if he clears waivers, but there is a decent chance that another team out there will claim him. If they do, maybe that means the Giants will go out and make a more meaningful addition in right field.

After San Francisco traded Mike Yastrzemski at the deadline, they held a mini-audition in right field in the second half of the season to see if any of their internal options could grab the job and run with it. Gilbert, Luis Matos, Jerar Encarnacion, and Grant McCray all showed promise at times, but none of them seemed like a realistic candidate to be a starter for the 2026 season.

There was some hope that maybe the Giants could reunite with Yastrzemski in free agency, but he signed a nice deal with the Atlanta Braves.

So if the Giants are looking for an outfield upgrade, they will have to look elsewhere. Landing Kyle Tucker seems like something of a pipe dream, but there are much cheaper options out there who would make sense.

Harrison Bader is one player whose profile seems to match what the Giants are looking for. He is a great defensive outfielder and could definitely manager right field or potentially even be the team's center fielder if they are planning to move Jung Hoo Lee to one of the corners.

The Giants have been connected to Bader through rumors this offseason and it would not be a surprise if they got something done. He is coming off acareer-best season as he slashed .277/.347/.449 with 17 home runs and 54 runs batted in.

It is doubtful he could match those numbers playing half his games at Oracle Park, but if he could just be average offensively and provide above average defense then the Giants could probably be happy with that.

The Philadelphia Phillies seem to be set in the outfield this offseason so a reunion seems unlikely. That means the Giants could swoop in and snag him.

Bader is sort of like a better version of Wiemer. They both have long blonde hair and have similar profiles, but Bader is a better defender and a better hitter. He makes perfect sense as an upgrade after the Giants DFA'd Wiemer.

Some other names to keep an eye on are J.J. Bleday, maybe a reunion with Mike Tauchman, or someone like Randal Grichuk.

The Giants still have a clear hole in the outfield so they should make an addition after their latest subtraction.