By CJ Carlson
The San Francisco Giants have remained interested in numerous free agents throughout the offseason and it’s been rumored that the interest hasn’t faded. It’s just been reported that the Giants have a 50-50 chance of signing either Blake Snell or Matt Chapman.
Blake Snell Fits The San Francisco Giants Needs
The Giants are notably more interested in Snell, as he would cover their largest need. Their rotation behind Logan Webb isn’t terrible, though it’s clear that it could use some improvement. They signed Jordan Hicks to add to their rotation, but Hicks hasn’t pitched over 70 innings in a season since 2018, with his career-high being 77 in 2018 when he was still a rookie. After Hicks, they have Kyle Harrison, a pitcher with only seven MLB games played so far. These are the three pitchers that are likely going to be out there on Opening Day, but adding somebody like Snell could be a huge help for them.
San Francisco does have other names on their pitching rotation, though they’re going to miss some time with injuries. Alex Cobb is anticipated to start the year on the injured list after getting hip surgery. Robbie Ray had Tommy John surgery and isn’t expected to be back until the All-Star break at the earliest. Then Tristan Beck and Keaton Winn both suffered minor injuries which have set them back in their race for a rotation spot. Simply put, the team would benefit tremendously from adding more talent there, and Snell provides that.
The most difficult part of adding Snell is matching his asking price. Since he’s become a free agent, there hasn’t been a single team to match what Snell has been asking for. The market has been so slow that a report even stated that Snell might be interested in taking a one-year deal just so he could test free agency again next year. The New York Yankees have been vying for Snell’s services for weeks now, so the Giants wouldn’t even have a free pickup even if he does drop his asking price.
Chapman Could Be Intriguing
The other name that they’re linked to is Chapman. Chapman’s position isn’t a need for the Giants, with J.D. Davis holding it down on third bases. However, they could get interesting and flip Davis after signing Chapman to try and improve elsewhere. He could definitely help their interior defense, but one has to wonder if the effort and money would be worth it considering that Davis does remain on the roster.
All in all, the Giants would need to find the money and present a convincing case to either of these free agents to try and land one of them.
