SF Giants still looking to address several holes as Dodgers, Phillies make splashes
ORLANDO, Fla. — Scott Boras was holding court on Tuesday afternoon when a true Winter Meetings moment unfolded.
As Boras fielded questions about his clients and responded with pun-laden answers, news broke that 2025 NL MVP runner-up Kyle Schwarber and the Philadelphia Phillies agreed on a five-year, $150 million deal. Moments later, All-Star closer Edwin Díaz reportedly agreed on a three-year, $69 million pact with the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
There was more spectacle in store, albeit the organized kind. In the middle of the afternoon, the Toronto Blue Jays held a press conference at the front of the spacious media workroom for Dylan Cease, who signed a seven-year, $210 million deal with the reigning American League champions.
“I don’t know what you’re supposed to say or not — sounds like the Phillies got better today,” said new Giants manager Tony Vitello.
The Giants, by contrast, are still exploring avenues to meaningfully improve their roster.
At the halfway point of MLB’s annual Winter Meetings, left-handed reliever Sam Hentges remains the team’s only free-agent signing of this offseason. The Giants added outfielders Joey Wiemer (trade) and Justin Dean (waivers) and left-hander Reiver Sanmartin (waivers), but they still have vacancies in their rotation, bullpen and outfield, and could continue exploring options at second base and backup catchers.
“I think it’s a really fun roster,” Vitello said. “It’s almost got a parallel to a college team because it’s high turnover with guys graduating or getting drafted. You’ve got a solid group of guys that are solidified … and then there’s also open competition at several spots, whether it be on the position side or the pitching side.
“I think the combination is good to already have a quality roster, but the whole point of recruiting — or the front office conversations that we’re having here — is (asking) where can we improve things?”
San Francisco’s most pressing need remains in the starting rotation, which currently features Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and Landen Roupp.
President of baseball operations Buster Posey discussed the possibility of trading top prospect Bryce Eldridge on Monday, saying that the team “will listen” to offers. That said, Posey affirmed the team’s belief that Eldridge can be an impact bat for more than a decade.
“In a perfect world, you get as much pitching as you can,” Posey said. “It’s just going to be somewhat dependent on what our options are cost-wise, whether it’s free agency or through the trade route. I mentioned a few of those names, the Tidwells, the Whisenhunts, the Birdsongs. Bump McDonald and Teng into that list as well. If we got to the point where that group’s competing for the fifth spot, then that’s where we’ll be.”
Regarding the Giants’ potential budget for starters, Giants chairman Greg Johnson told The San Francisco Standard earlier this offseason that the team would be “very cautious” about giving out nine-figure deals to high-end starters. Posey acknowledged that all teams have “to operate within a certain set of parameters” but said Johnson will at least listen if the front office feels strongly about a certain player.
“Again, Greg and the ownership group didn’t blink — I shouldn’t say they didn’t blink — when we brought the Devers deal to him,” Posey said on Monday. “Obviously, they pushed it through for us. [Minasian] and I feel really lucky that we get to work with a group that if we’re passionate about something and we think that it makes sense and makes the team better, they’ll listen.”
Along with the rotation, the Giants are in need of high-leverage arms for the bullpen with All-Star Randy Rodríguez set to miss all of next season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
San Francisco’s list of relief options currently features Hentges, Ryan Walker, Erik Miller, Joel Peguero and JT Brubaker, among others. Along with trades and major-league free agency, Posey pointed out that assistant general manager Jeremy Shelley specializes in the minor-league free agent market.
“We’re confident we can put it together and have guys down there that can probably pitch in different spots,” Posey said. “I think every team would love to have a lockdown closer but those are hard to come by.”
When Posey was asked if he thinks his closer is already on the roster, he responded that he was “not sure.”
The Giants trimmed their group of outfielders last week when former top prospect Marco Luciano was claimed off outright waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates, but the team doesn’t have an apparent option to start alongside Heliot Ramos and Jung Hoo Lee. Along with Lee and Ramos, the list of outfielders on San Francisco’s 40-man roster features Wiemer, Dean, Jerar Encarnacion, Drew Gilbert, Luis Matos, Grant McCray and Wade Meckler.
“We’ll always look and see what our options are between (Drew) Gilbert, (Luis) Matos, (Jerar) Encarnacion, (Grant) McCray. I don’t think any of those guys would tell you based on last year that they feel like it’s a certainty at that position, but we have hopes that they’re going to continue to get better, and then our job as a front office is to consider all options.”
Second base isn’t as high a priority as pitching or the outfield, but the Giants should be inclined to explore their options at the position.
Casey Schmitt emerged as the starting second baseman by season’s end following Tyler Fitzgerald’s extended struggles, but he doesn’t quite own incumbent status. Schmitt recently underwent surgery on his left wrist, and Posey said Schmitt might be one or two weeks behind during spring training.
“We feel really good about the strides that Casey made last year,” Posey said.”(Christian) Koss, too, had some big moments for us. For me, he’s a guy that’s kind of an all-around baseball player and can impact the game in multiple ways. We’re very optimistic with both of those guys having a solid year under their belt and know that there’s room for growth.”