With Haniger gone, Zaidi could add another OF for some pop

43 minutes ago

This story was excerpted from Maria Guardado’s Giants Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The Giants added another talented arm to their starting rotation by acquiring former American League Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray from the Mariners on Friday. Ray is expected to miss the first half while he completes his rehab from Tommy John surgery, but the Giants view the veteran left-hander as the “ideal” No. 2 starter who can form an elite tandem with Logan Webb once he’s healthy.  

While the trade filled one hole in San Francisco’s pitching staff, it may have created another in the club’s lineup, as slugger Mitch Haniger ended up going back to Seattle along with right-hander Anthony DeSclafani. Haniger disappointed in his lone season with the Giants, appearing in only 61 games due to injuries, but he crushed a career-high 39 home runs for the Mariners in 2021 and was projected to serve as a key power bat this year. 

Without Haniger, the Giants will be counting on other sources of pop to emerge. San Francisco hasn’t had a hitter produce a 30-homer season since Barry Bonds in 2004 — the longest drought in the Majors — and its power collectively disappeared as part of its offensive collapse in the second half of 2023. Wilmer Flores finished with a team-high 23 homers last year, but the Giants will need consistent production from more spots in the lineup to compete in 2024. 

President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi didn’t rule out the possibility of bringing another outfielder into the mix this offseason, especially since new center fielder Jung Hoo Lee is known more for his contact than his power. Still, Zaidi said the Giants could also get a boost from the development of young players like Heliot Ramos and Luis Matos. 

“When I look at our internal options, Ramos is certainly a guy who could provide that if he’s able to win a spot in our outfield,” Zaidi said. “We expect more power from Matos as he gets used to Major League pitching. He’s a guy who’s exhibited power in the past. But it could certainly come from outside the organization. 

“Obviously with Mitch being traded, that’s a power bat that you’re taking out of the equation, but it’s creating at-bats and opportunity. Whether one of our young guys steps up and takes that or if there’s an opportunity to add it from outside the organization, we’ll obviously keep our eyes open for that.”

The Giants have been most consistently linked to Chapman, who played for manager Bob Melvin in Oakland and could stabilize the left side of the infield with his Gold Glove-caliber defense at third base. Still, their fluid designated hitter spot would make it possible for them to explore other options as well. 

“Any time you make a move, it changes your depth chart and it rearranges your priorities and the level of fit of different players, whether it’s free-agent targets or trade targets,” Zaidi said. “I’m sure you can do the math that based on [Friday’s] trade, it probably creates more need in some areas and less need in others. It’s definitely going to impact how we’re viewing the free-agent board.”