6 Bargain Free Agents the San Francisco Giants Should Keep on Their Radar
The Giants moved to San Francisco in 1958, and it took until 2010 for this franchise to win its first World Series title. Amazingly, the Giants have now won three world championships in the past five years.
Behind the work of general manager Brian Sabean, manager Bruce Bochy and CEO Larry Baer, the Giants have become a model franchise.
In addition to winning, the Giants ownership group built their own stadium, AT&T Park, which is arguably the most beautiful venue in all of baseball. The team has an energized fanbase that sells out every home game. It is a true love affair between the team, the city of San Francisco and the fans.
Fresh off the latest World Series triumph, the attention has now shifted to free agency and restocking the roster. The Giants have five players from the 2014 team that are now free agents. Pablo Sandoval heads the list and is joined by Michael Morse, Jake Peavy, Sergio Romo and Ryan Vogelsong.
Sabean is now looking for ways to restock the talent and give the Giants a legitimate shot at repeating in 2015.
Sandoval is the Giants' top priority, but there are a few other big-name free agents on the market. These include pitchers Jon Lester, Max Scherzer and James Shields. Top position players available include Nelson Cruz, Hanley Ramirez and Torii Hunter.
The outcome of the Sandoval negotiations will largely dictate what directions the Giants will take to fill their remaining open holes.
In addition to third base, areas of need include left field, a starting pitcher and a right-handed relief pitcher. If the Giants do not sign Sandoval, they will likely go after some of the bigger names on the market more aggressively.
However, if he returns, that will take a large portion of the available budget, so Sabean and the Giants will be looking for some bargains. In recent years, Sabean has found players who slipped under the radar, such as Michael Morse, Aubrey Huff, Cody Ross, Pat Burrell and Ryan Vogelsong.
These players all contributed to the Giants' success over the past five years, and Sabean will be looking for others to step in and do the same.
Let's take a look at six players who could be bargains that Sabean and the Giants should keep on their radar.
No. 6: Emilio Bonifacio
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Emilio Bonifacio is a very intriguing player for the Giants. He can play multiple positions, with experience in the outfield as well as second and third base. Bonifacio can also fill in at shortstop in a pinch.
Bonifacio has minimal power and RBI potential, but he gives the Giants one thing they lack, which is speed.
In 2014, Bonifacio started the season with the Cubs and was traded to the Braves at the trade deadline. In 394 at-bats, his cumulative batting average was .259, with an OBP of .305 and OPS of .650. Bonifacio also had three home runs and 24 RBI.
However, run production is not an asset of Bonifacio's. He is a table-setter who uses his speed to be disruptive on the bases. Bonifacio had 26 steals and scored 47 runs. He would give the Giants and Bochy a great deal of versatility and speed.
Bonifacio made $2.5 million in 2014 and should be available for around that same figure this year. Even if the Giants were to pay him $3 million, it would still be a bargain.
No. 5: Chris Denorfia
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The San Francisco Giants should not be foolish enough to expect Angel Pagan to play a full season without injury. When he invariably gets hurt, the Giants will need a center fielder.
In addition, left field is currently a gaping hole in the Giants outfield. Michael Morse had a solid season, although it was filled with its share of highs and lows. John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (h/t Jeff Todd of MLBTradeRumors.com) reported that the Reds were interested in Morse. The expected asking price is somewhere in the two-year, $22 million range.
If this is the case, Morse will most certainly not be back in San Francisco, even though he was well-liked and contributed to the Giants' magical 2014 season.
With Hunter Pence in right field, Gregor Blanco, Travis Ishikawa and Juan Perez are the only other real outfield candidates the Giants have to play in left field or in center when Pagan is out.
The Giants have been rumored to be interested in Torii Hunter, and he would be an excellent fit in left field.
CSNBayArea.com highlights Ken Rosenthal's report that the Giants are among several teams that have expressed preliminary interest in Hunter.
If the Giants do not land one of the top outfielders like Hunter or Nelson Cruz, a lower-priced option would be Chris Denorfia.
He is a solid professional with a decent bat who is very good in the outfield. A platoon with him and Ishikawa would be a possibility.
If Denorfia was signed, the Giants outfield could start the season with Pence, Pagan and Denorfia or Ishikawa starting and Blanco as a reserve. When the oft-injured Pagan goes on the shelf, Perez can then be brought up from the minors.
Denorfia split time in 2014 with the Padres and Mariners. Overall, he had a down year, hitting only .230, with an OBP of .284 and OPS of .602. These numbers are well below Denorfia's career averages of .272/.331/.725.
A return to the National League might be just the thing to get Denorfia back up to his typical levels.
He made $2.25 million in 2014, and being that he's coming off a down year, the Giants should be able to sign him for that same amount.
If the Giants are unsuccessful in acquiring Cruz, Hunter or Yasmany Tomas and decide to search for bargains, Denorfia would be a good addition at a relatively inexpensive price.
No. 4: Ryan Vogelsong
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As a fifth starter, Ryan Vogelsong is a good option. Although he is 37 years of age, Vogelsong still pitched 184.2 innings during the 2014 regular season and another 12.1 innings in the postseason.
Ideally, the Giants would like to get a younger pitcher with more upside, but Vogelsong is still someone that GM Brain Sabean should keep on his radar.
He finished the regular season with an ERA of 4.00 and WHIP of 1.278. In those 184.2 innings of work, he allowed 178 hits and 58 walks while striking out 151.
The Giants signed Vogelsong last winter to a one-year, $5 million contract. If he is willing to return for that same deal this year, he would give the Giants a very good fallback option.
If none of the more coveted arms, such as Jon Lester, Max Scherzer, James Shields, Ervin Santana or Edinson Volquez joins the Giants, then Vogelsong would be a solid Plan B.
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No. 3: Jason Hammel
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2014 was a tale of two seasons for Jason Hammel. He began the year with the Cubs, starting 17 games and throwing 108.2 innings. Over that span, he allowed 88 hits and 23 walks while striking out 104. As a Cub, Hammel's ERA was 2.98, and his WHIP was 1.021.
He was then traded to Oakland, along with Jeff Samardzija. Unfortunately for Hammel and the A's, he struggled in Oakland.
Hammel appeared in 13 games for the A's and worked 67.2 innings. He allowed 66 hits and 21 walks while striking out 54. His ERA spiked to 4.26, and his WHIP jumped to 1.286.
A return to the National League might serve Hammel very well. He made $6 million last year and will fly under the radar below the top pitchers who are currently available.
Hammel should also come at a lower price than Jake Peavy, who is another consideration for the Giants.
If Sabean can sign Hammel to a two-year, $16 million deal, that would be a sound investment. This would give the Giants a decent fourth starter and enable Bochy to move Tim Lincecum into the fifth spot in the rotation.
No. 2: Pat Neshek
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Pat Neshek had an outstanding season in 2014. However, for Giants fans, he will be remembered as the pitcher who gave up a game-tying home run to Michael Morse in the eighth inning of Game 5 of the National League Championship Series.
Ishikawa's walk-off home run in the ninth inning sent the Giants to the World Series.
During the regular season, Neshek threw 67.1 innings and allowed only 44 hits and nine walks while striking out 68. His ERA of 1.87 and WHIP of 0.787 were tremendous.
Toward the end of the season and into the playoffs, he did seem to tire just a bit. That is something that Bochy and pitching coach Dave Righetti will watch for, if Neshek ultimately becomes a Giant.
If right-handed reliever Sergio Romo does not return to San Francisco, adding Neshek would fill the void. The Giants would like a right-handed reliever for the seventh or eighth inning.
At a salary of $1 million in 2014, Neshek was a bargain. He will definitely command a lot more this year but will still likely be less costly than Romo.
If the Giants could sign Neshek to a two-year, $8 million contract, it would alleviate the loss of Romo.
No. 1: Casey McGehee
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If the Giants sign Pablo Sandoval, there would be no need for Casey McGehee. However, if they cannot sign Sandoval, then McGehee becomes a very viable option.
McGehee missed all of the 2012 season due to injury, and there was a question as to whether he could ever play at a high level again. In 2013, he proved the doubters wrong.
He played a career-high 160 games and had 616 at-bats. He hit .287, with an OBP of .355 and OPS of .712. Although McGehee had only four home runs, he drove in 76 runs, three more than Sandoval.
Playing for the Marlins, McGehee made only $1.1 million last year. After such a strong season, he will be due for a raise but will still be far cheaper than Sandoval or the other top third baseman on the market, Chase Headley.
If Sandoval does not return, the Giants would be wise to jump on McGehee immediately. A two-year, $8-10 million deal would likely secure his services.
All contract data courtesy of BaseballProspectus.com. All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.
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