First base was one of the few positions the SF Giants could have looked to upgrade this winter. That might be hard to do now as the market dried up quickly due to last weekend's frenzy.
The first-base market has dried up for the SF Giants in free agency
You have to give credit to teams like the Cleveland Guardians and Texas Rangers. They traded Josh Naylor and Nathaniel Lowe, respectively, while replacing that player's offensive value in the lineup. For the Guardians, they reunited with Carlos Santana. The Rangers added Joc Pederson. Each team got value in the trade and will not lose much, if anything, with the additions they did make. Of course, the Giants could have pursued a similar approach with LaMonte Wade Jr.
As things currently stand, they will return the same players at first base in Wade Jr. and Wilmer Flores but neither player has proven to be durable in recent seasons. They might be fine at first base with the relatively low ceiling that those two options offer.
San Francisco only needed a stopgap option. They hope that Bryce Eldridge could be the first baseman of the future as soon as 2025. Even if he needs another year of seasoning in the minors, the Giants should have targeted a bridge to cover that gap.
This would have ruled out someone like Pete Alonso. There is no doubt that Alonso would improve just about every lineup in baseball. However, the power-hitting veteran is likely looking for a multi-year deal, whereas the Giants are probably only interested in a one-year stop.
Outside of Alonso, the remaining options fit the description of a stopgap but are not an obvious upgrade over the internal options like Wade Jr. and Flores. These options include Donovan Solano, Josh Bell, Justin Turner, and Ty France.
Bringing back Solano would be a fun addition as he continues to produce at the plate late into his career. The right-handed bat posted a .760 OPS with eight home runs and 35 RBI in a part-time role with the San Diego Padres last season.
Turner and Bell are on the downside of their respective careers. Plus, it would just be weird to see Turner in a... No, let's no go there.
France showed some impressive power earlier in his career. He put together a solid season with the Seattle Mariners as recently as 2022 when he had a .774 OPS with 20 home runs and 83 RBI in 613 plate appearances while earning an AL-All-Star nod. Players who can hit at T-Mobile Park should have no problem with the confines at Oracle Park.
France has played primarily first base in recent seasons, but an offseason report indicated that he would be open to seeing time at catcher. That might be one of those experiments that do not make it out of spring training.
That is it for the first-base options in free agency now. The market has dried up and so have the chances for the Giants to upgrade at that position.