Kenneth Walker Fantasy Outlook 2026: Why He Could Be a League-Winner

I Drafted Kenneth Walker for Value – and Finished Fifth

I drafted Kenneth Walker to be my RB3 behind Jonathan Taylor and Breece Hall. On paper, it felt like one of those quiet, smart moves that wins leagues. Walker had already posted two top-20 fantasy finishes and was coming off a 2024 season where he finished RB27 despite playing only 11 games. As a FLEX with RB2 upside, he was exactly the kind of depth piece championship teams are built on.

Instead, I finished fifth.

Not terrible. Not irrelevant. Just close enough to know what might have been.

And the reason sits in Seattle’s backfield philosophy.

The Seattle Seahawks’ Running Back Committee Limited Kenneth Walker’s Fantasy Value

All season, Walker was stuck in a near-even split with Zach Charbonnet. The usage numbers tell the story:

• Walker: 13 carries, 60.4 rushing yards per game
• Charbonnet: 11.5 carries, 45.6 rushing yards per game

The difference wasn’t workload — it was touchdowns.

Charbonnet scored 12 times in 16 games. Walker scored 5 touchdowns in 17 games. That disparity dragged Walker down to RB22 in fantasy, with Charbonnet right behind him at RB24.

The Seahawks didn’t just split the backfield. They split the upside.

And in fantasy football, upside is everything.

Kenneth Walker’s Playoff Usage Proved He’s a True RB1

When Charbonnet tore his ACL in the divisional round against the San Francisco 49ers, the committee vanished.

So did the limitations.

In three playoff games, Walker averaged:

• 21.7 carries
• 104.3 rushing yards
• 4 total touchdowns

Fantasy totals:

• 35.5 points in the NFC Divisional Round vs. the 49ers
• 21.1 in the NFC Championship vs. the Rams
• 18.1 in the Super Bowl vs. the Patriots

Projecting Kenneth Walker’s Playoff Numbers Over a Full 2026 Season

Project those averages across a full 17-game season and you’re looking at:

• 369 carries
• 1,773 rushing yards
• 23 touchdowns

Yes, that volume would regress. 369 carries would tie for the 31st most in NFL history. Twenty-three rushing touchdowns would rank sixth all-time. But even adjusting for realism, you’re staring at clear top-10 production.

At that pace, Walker would have scored 315.3 fantasy points — good for RB6.

That’s not a FLEX. That’s a league-winner.

He didn’t just produce in fantasy either. He rushed for 135 yards in the Super Bowl, tied for eighth-most in Super Bowl history, and became the first running back since Terrell Davis in Super Bowl XXXII to win Super Bowl MVP.

That’s not a committee back.

That’s a bell cow who was finally treated like one.

What the Seahawks Must Decide: Pay Kenneth Walker or Let Him Walk?

Now the fantasy question becomes an NFL question.

Walker is 25 and entering free agency after the final year of his rookie contract. The Seahawks can franchise tag him at roughly $14.5 million or let him test the market. They have the cap space — projected around $75 million — but the league has made it clear: running backs don’t get paid like they used to.

We just watched James Cook seek $15 million annually after leading the league in rushing touchdowns, only to settle closer to $11.5 million per year.

The league says running backs are replaceable.

January said otherwise.

Seattle now has to decide whether it believes what it just watched: a player who carried them through the postseason when given true RB1 volume.

The Fantasy Football Takeaway: Should You Draft Kenneth Walker in 2026?

Here’s the part that stings.

I wasn’t wrong about Walker.

I was early.

Fantasy football punishes early adopters. If you draft the breakout one year too soon, you eat the volatility and someone else reaps the reward. It’s like buying stock before the earnings report or investing in tech before the market catches up. The indicators are there. The flashes are there. The usage just isn’t.

Kenneth Walker didn’t suddenly become elite in the playoffs.

The workload did.

If he stays in Seattle and the committee disappears, he’s a top-10 back next year. If he signs somewhere that feeds him 20+ touches per game, he might flirt with top-five territory.

Which brings me to my official 2026 fantasy recommendation:

Final Thought: Maybe Don’t Draft Him…So I Can

Please, nobody draft Kenneth Walker.

He’s totally volatile. Definitely risky. Probably headed for another frustrating split. You should absolutely let him slide.

Preferably to the middle of the second round.

Preferably to me.

Because this time, if the volume shows up in September instead of January, I don’t plan on finishing fifth.

Can We Talk About Bryce Eldridge?

I know what you must be thinking. Two blogs in two consecutive days? Well in my haste to compose superlatives on the state of the Giants young stars, I omitted a name that we must pay attention to. That would be one Bryce Eldridge. Eldridge was the Giants' 1st round pick in the 2023 MLB draft out of James Madison High School in Vienna, Virginia. At the time, Eldridge was the top two-way prospect in the draft having pitched and played in the field in high school. Eldridge would continue playing two ways in his first professional season, pitching and playing right field for the Giants rookie affiliate and at Single-A San Jose. Prior to the 2024 season, the Giants announced that Eldridge would no longer be pitching and would instead be moved to first base full-time. In 25 games at San Jose so far, Eldridge has hit .265 (26-98) with 6 doubles, 5 home runs, and 25 RBI. He does have some swing-and-miss to his game as he's struck out 28 times (29%), but he's also walked 10 times. Eldridge is only 19 years old, so I think we're still a long way off from hearing his name in San Francisco, but this might be the next big name to watch as he ascends through the minor leagues. Given the rosters, I think it would be reasonable to see Eldridge at AA Richmond at some point this season depending on how aggressive the Giants want to be with his development, but expecting to see him at AAA Sacramento this year would probably be a stretch unless he absolutely catches fire.

To give you a little background on Eldridge and his scouting report, the first baseman stands at 6' 7" and weighs in at 223 pounds. As an amateur pitcher, he had a 92-94 mph fastball topping out at 96 mph, and a low-80s slider. So, he definitely flashes some arm strength. As a hitter, he was ranked one of the best raw power hitters in the 2023 draft class. He has a quick swing with power and leverage that allows him to hit the ball hard and can hit the ball out of any part of the ballpark. He shows a feel for hitting with a compact swing for his size and a disciplined plate approach. Eldridge has below-average speed but is more athletic than most players his size. On defense he has soft hands and plus arm strength and should be at least average defensively.

So that's the report. If you're in San Jose and get a chance to see this kid play, I suggest you do it before he moves on to Richmond and beyond. And if his trajection holds, it may only be a matter of time before we see him on the field at Oracle Park.

The Giants Youth Movement Has Begun

Well, hello everyone. It has been some time since I last crafted a blog. Not that I haven't had things to think about or talk about, but nothing that really inspired me to write. That changes today!!!! The Giants have been forced to play a number of their young prospects in the last few weeks due to a plethora of injuries to their regular roster. Jorge Soler, Michael Conforto, Nick Ahmed, Austin Slater, and Jung Hoo Lee are just a few of the names who have appeared on the Injured List, and that's not counting Patrick Bailey and Tom Murphy who were both lost a day apart during a rainy weekend in Philadelphia. But in their absences, we've seen prospects like Heliot Ramos, Luis Matos, and Marco Luciano promoted from AAA Sacramento and contribute in a big way. In the case of Matos in particular, I'm watching him and asking myself, why didn't he break Spring Training with the big club? 

Let's start with Luis Matos who has undoubtedly become a star in about a week. Matos is the youngest of the trio at 22 years old. He made his Major League debut in June 2023 and played 76 games in San Francisco with 228 at-bats. He reportedly put on 15 pounds of muscle during the offseason in order to hit the ball harder. The reviews coming out of Spring Training were positive and there was talk about Matos starting the year with San Francisco, especially given the health statuses of Mike Yastrzemski and Austin Slater. Matos would actually be in San Fransisco during the first week of the season when Yastrzemski was placed on paternity leave, but that tenure lasted 1 game where Matos went 0-4 with 1 RBI. Since returning to San Francisco on May 12, Ramos has played 7 games and gone 10-26 (.385 batting average) with 3 doubles, 2 home runs, and 16 RBI. He's also struck out only once. This is not an outlier as Matos boasts a career contact rate of 85%. What this means is that when Matos swings at a pitch, he makes contact 85% of the time. Where Matos falls short is defensively. He has been graded as an average to below average center fielder in his career. He has made a couple of spectacular catches in San Francisco, but also misplayed a few balls earlier in the week. The coaching staff has been playing him deeper which may be giving him a better read on balls in the air. It is possible that Matos could move over to right field when Jung Hoo Lee can come back but given that Lee is expected to miss the entire 2024 season after shoulder surgery, Matos is likely the starting center fielder going forward.

Heliot Ramos is the oldest of the trio at 24 years old and frankly he's the one I'm rooting for the hardest. Ramos made his debut with San Francisco in April 2022 and in my opinion, Gabe Kapler and the management at the time had no faith and no patience. The best example of this came from last year. In August 2023 the Giants were down to the Rays 6-1 with the bases loaded. The Rays had left-handed relief pitcher Colin Poche on the mound and Kapler elected to allow left-handed rookie Wade Meckler to hit instead of pinch-hitting the right-handed Ramos or Austin Slater who were both bench options at the time. Meckler proceeded to strike out. A day later the Giants were down to the Rays 6-1 with the bases loaded. The Rays had left-handed relief pitcher Colin Poche on the mound with Meckler's spot in the order coming up. If this sounds identical it's because it is. On this occasion, however, Kapler elected to pinch-hit Slater who proceeded to ground into an inning-ending double play. Ramos did not have eye-popping statistics in either 2022 or 2023 hitting only .100 in 20 at-bats in '22 and .179 in 56 at-bats in '23. But now Bob Melvin is the manager and is giving Ramos an opportunity that Kapler never afforded him. Since arriving in San Francisco on May 8, Ramos has hit .293 in 41 at-bats (11 games) with 3 doubles, 1 home run, and 8 RBI. He has struck out 13 times which is a rate of about 32%. This is not unexpected as Ramos' career contact rate is only 68.6%. Defensively Ramos has graded as above average and has made some spectacular plays in both right field and left field. He had 2 outfield assists on May 11 against the Cincinnati Reds, throwing out runners trying to stretch singles to doubles in the 3rd inning and again in the 4th inning. Given that Michael Conforto is only under contract through this season, it could make sense to allow Ramos to go into 2025 as the starting left fielder.

Marco Luciano is also 22 (turning 23 in September) but has the least amount of Major League experience of the trio. Luciano is currently the top-rated position prospect in the Giants organization and the #2 rated prospect overall. Luciano has seemingly been dubbed the shortstop of the future for years, but only made his Major League debut in July 2023. In 14 games in '23, Luciano hit .231 (9-39) with 3 doubles and 17 strikeouts (44%). Since being called up to San Francisco on May 14, Luciano has played 4 games hitting .333 (4-12) with 2 doubles and 1 RBI. He has struck out 3 times and walked twice. Luciano has always been regarded as a hit-first prospect. His scouting report boasts his lightning-fast bat speed which generates plus-plus power to all fields. His ceiling could be a .270 batting average with 35 home runs per year. Defensively he has a strong arm and high baseball IQ, but many scouts outside the Giants organization think he will have to move off shortstop. His speed projects better to third base or right field. Though the Giants do seem to be showing faith in him at shortstop as he is getting a bulk of the starts with Nick Ahmed on the Injured List.

The youth movement is not only occurring at the Major League level, but also at AAA Sacramento. Enter one Hunter Bishop. Bishop is another one I'm really rooting for. Bishop was the Giants 1st round draft pick in 2019 out of Arizona State but missed the entire 2020 season due to the Minor League season being cancelled due to COVID and the 2023 season with injuries. When he was drafted, he was one of the top power prospects in the country with 22 home runs and 63 RBI in his final year in college. His scouting report lists plus power with above-average speed and arm strength but because of injuries he hasn't had much of an opportunity to showcase them outside of 2022 when he hit 13 home runs and stole 20 bases at High-A Eugene. In 2024, Bishop was assigned to AA Richmond and was an emergency promotion to AAA Sacramento as many of the AAA outfielders have been promoted to San Francisco. Since the promotion to Sacramento, Bishop has hit .455 (10-25) in 6 games with 2 doubles, 2 home runs (including an inside-the-parker), 7 RBI, and 2 stolen bases. At 25 (will turn 26 in June), he is older than most prospects, but I think and hope that people can take his injuries into account and realize that Bishop has only been playing professional baseball for 3 years. Bishop has the athleticism to play either center field or right field but has a subpar arm for a right fielder. It's possible that his ceiling may be as a 4th outfielder, but I am holding out hope that we'll see Bishop contribute at the Major League level sooner rather than later. Jung Hoo Lee is under contract through 2029 so it's possible that one of these outfielders will need to be traded to get significant playing time, but what if we could see an outfield of Lee, Matos, and Ramos, with Bishop as the designated hitter? What if Bishop moved to first base a la Bryce Harper?

Now, not every move has worked out. Casey Schmitt was called up before Luciano and looked like he was overmatched by Major League pitching. He hit only .206 in 253 at-bats (90 games) in 2023 and was hitting only .136 in 22 at-bats (6 games) this year. Defensively he's a plus at 3rd base or shortstop, but currently he's blocked at 3rd by Matt Chapman, and it appears that Luciano may have jumped him in line at shortstop. If we can put a silver lining on this however, back in February new Giants third base coach and former Giants superstar Matt Williams said in an interview that Schmitt reminds him of himself and it's important to note that Williams hit .188, .205, and .202 in his first 3 Major League seasons (1987, 1988, and 1989) respectively. It wasn't until Williams' 4th season (1990) that his bat caught up with his defense. Williams hit .277 with 33 home runs and led the National League with 122 RBI. Williams would be named to his first All Star team and finished 6th in MVP voting. Will Schmitt follow a similar career arc? Maybe, maybe not. But it would be a lot cooler if he did (doing my best Matthew McConaughey from Dazed and Confused impression).

There are plenty of other players in the minors that I would love to see as major league contributors. Logan Wyatt and Will Wilson, both currently in AA Richmond, are two names that jump to mind. Not every prospect is going to be a hit, but we can certainly hope. And the Giants have been in need of a rebuild for some time. I have long believed that the Giants will never fully embrace a rebuild because the fan-base would not accept it. The fans expect a winner and contender every year and would revolt at the thought of losing for 3-4 years in order to rebuild a team that could compete with teams like the Dodgers. But let's look at the Houston Astros as an example. The Astros began their rebuild around 2011 and endured 3 straight 100-loss seasons. All the while acquiring prospects, trading away high-priced assets, and putting together the core of their team for years to come. Since the 2017 season when the Astros won their first World Series, they have won 100 games 4 times, played in 4 World Series winning 2, and finished first in their division 6 out of 7 years finishing 2nd in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Now it seems like the Giants might be figuring out their own rebuild out of necessity.

The 49ers have failed Trey Lance

Yesterday, August 23, 2023, the 49ers officially named Sam Darnold the backup quarterback for the upcoming 2023 season. While the announcement itself wasn't exciting, the result of this announcement was very impactful. That being, Trey Lance, who was the #3 overall draft pick in 2021 and whom the 49ers gave up 3 consecutive 1st round picks (in 2021, 2022, and 2023) and a 3rd round pick in 2022 to move up to select, is now the #3 quarterback in San Francisco and could be traded before the end of August. This is a monumental failure by the 49ers coaches and front office, but they have not failed as a team. In an interesting twist, Brock Purdy, the 49ers 7th round pick in the 2022 NFL draft (the 262nd overall pick and final pick in the 2022 draft earning him the title of Mr. Irrelevant) has exceeded all possible expectations and won the starting job outright in San Francisco. So, the failed selection of a quarterback has not hurt the team's success. 

This is not typical as a number of teams who have drafted quarterbacks in the 1st round only to see them not pan out have historically struggled to find success after that draft. See the Las Angeles Chargers (then San Diego) and Ryan Leaf, the Las Vegas Raiders (then Oakland) and JaMarcus Russell, the Detroit Lions and Joey Harrington, the list goes on. The 49ers are on that list as well. In 2005, the 49ers opted to select Alex Smith with the #1 overall pick instead of Aaron Rodgers. In 50 starts (54 games overall) from 2005 through 2010, Smith led the 49ers to a 19-31 record, threw 51 touchdowns and 53 interceptions, and never recorded a 3,000+ yard season. Rodgers, meanwhile, got to sit behind Brett Favre from 2005 through 2007, becoming the starter in 2008. Rodgers won his first (and to this point, only) Super Bowl in 2010 and his first of 4 MVP awards in 2011. The 49ers did not have a winning record until the 2011 season which was Jim Harbaugh's first with the team.

Throughout the 2021 draft process, the speculation was that the 49ers were going to draft quarterback Mac Jones out of Alabama. Jones seemed to fit the types of quarterbacks Shanahan had worked with in the past: Matt Schaub in Houston, Kirk Cousins in Washington, Brian Hoyer in Cleveland, and Matt Ryan in Atlanta. Shanahan even admitted in a 2022 interview on the I Am Athlete podcast that Jones and Lance were the ones he really wanted. In the end they went with Lance. According to Shanahan, "We ended up going with Trey because of what we believed he could do for our team, and the upside of him..." So, in the end, how did this go so wrong?

This is not Shanahan's first experience working with a quarterback with a comparable skill set to Trey Lance. In 2012 while the offensive coordinator with the Washington Commanders (then Redskins), the team selected Robert Griffin III with the #2 overall selection. Griffin won the 2011 Heisman Trophy and was unanimously expected to be the #2 quarterback taken in 2012 after Andrew Luck. Sadly, Griffin's career would be cut short by injuries and Shanahan (along with his father, Mike Shanahan, who was the head coach) was ultimately fired by Washington following the 2013 season. The coaching staff came under heavy criticism for the way they had handled Griffin. Specifically in 2012, Griffin would injure his right knee in a December 9 game against the Baltimore Ravens. Griffin would stay in the game for several plays before leaving the game. It was confirmed that Griffin had a Grade 1 LCL sprain and would miss just 1 week before returning to the lineup. It was later revealed on January 6, 2013, that Dr. James Andrews had not cleared Griffin to return post-injury to the December 9 game. Griffin would then re-injure his knee in an NFC wild card game against the Seattle Seahawks requiring surgery to repair the LCL and ACL. Griffin would never be the same and would be out of the league following the 2020 season. 

I bring up the case of Griffin because I think it is relevant to how the 49ers have handled Trey Lance. In Lance's rookie season, Shanahan opted to use him mostly in RPO (Run Pass Option) plays and designed runs. As a result, Lance suffered a Grade 1 knee sprain in a game against the Arizona Cardinals on October 10, 2021. In 2022 in the 2nd game of the season against the Seattle Seahawks, Lance would suffer a fractured and dislocated ankle on a run up the middle. It stands to reason that this was a designed run. Here's a link to the play from Highlight Hell, you be the judge: (854) Trey Lance full injury sequence vs. Seahawks - YouTube. In an interview on August 24, 2023, on the Murph & Mac show on KNBR, general manager John Lynch stated, "We didn't tailor an offense that highlights a lot of the things that Trey is able to do." While Lynch was saying this to illustrate how well Lance had played and how much he's grown as a pro, I think it illustrates an obvious problem. You have a quarterback who has a unique skill set. Yes, the quarterback position is still largely a drop back and pass league, but over recent years you have seen an influx of quarterbacks who are better athletes and who can use their running ability to add a different layer to an offense. In 2022, 5 quarterbacks rushed for over 700 yards. Justin Fields (Chicago Bears) topped the list with 1,143 yards. This is the 2nd highest rushing total for a quarterback in the history of the NFL. The only player with more? Lamar Jackson who rushed for 1,206 yards in 2019. Jackson also coincidentally won the MVP in 2019. The other quarterbacks who rushed for over 700 yards in 2022? Jackson (Baltimore Ravens), Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills), Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles), and Daniel Jones (New York Giants). Of those 5 teams, only the Bears failed to make the playoffs and Hurts led the Eagles to the Super Bowl. In a losing effort, Hurts was by far the best player on the field. For you fantasy football players, Hurts put up 41.16 fantasy points in the Super Bowl (completed 27 of 38 passes, 304 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions, 70 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns). This was good for the 2nd best fantasy output in any Super Bowl. The only player with more? Steve Young who put up 41.9 fantasy points in Super Bowl XXIX in 1995. Speaking of Steve Young, do you know who his offensive coordinator was in that Super Bowl season? Mike Shanahan.

To return to what Lynch said, it seems ridiculous that you wouldn't tailor an offense to maximize Lance's skill set. Isn't that what you're supposed to do as a coach? Shanahan is regarded as one of the brightest offensive minds in the game, but the only plays you could come up with for Lance are designed runs up the middle? And if you're not going to create plays for the player, why draft the player in the first place when there was another in Mac Jones who would better fit the system that you currently have? While the team has found success with Jimmy Garappolo and Brock Purdy since Lance was drafted, demoting him to the #3 quarterback is certainly a failure by this coaching staff. They threw him into the fire without putting him into a position to be successful. And now it remains to be seen whether this highly regarded prospect will be able to find success with another team or if he will follow Robert Griffin III and be out of the league. As it stands, the 49ers could trade him before the end of August which would be in the best interest of both the team and the player. However, in the same KNBR interview, Lynch said, "The most likely option is that he's here...Our focus is on Trey getting back here and us being the best football team." Keeping Trey Lance as your #3 quarterback does not help the 49ers and it most certainly does not help Trey Lance as he will likely not see the playing field unless the 49ers experience a catastrophic rash of injuries. To be fair though, that's exactly what happened last year when Lance was injured in week 2 and then Garappolo was injured in week 13. I suppose if history repeats itself (unlikely), Lance could get some playing time.

All this is to say, I hope Lance can find his footing in the NFL. As a 49ers fan, I do have an affinity for all 49ers players. I wanted Jalen Hurd to be able to play and to find success in the NFL. For those of you who are asking, Jalen Hurd was a 3rd round draft pick by the 49ers in 2019. During the 2019 preseason, he suffered a fracture in his back and missed the entire 2019 season. He then suffered a torn ACL during practice in 2020 and missed the entire 2020 season. He then suffered another knee injury that cost him the entire 2021 season. He was then signed by the New England Patriots in 2023, but suffered another injury in training camp and officially announced his retirement on August 1, 2023. While we as 49ers fans can celebrate the team's success and the incredible story that is Brock Purdy, it does not change the fact that the 49ers have failed Trey Lance.

The San Francisco Giants and the 2023 Trade Deadline

Note: I began this article on August 3, 2023. It is now August 9, 2023. All information was as accurate as possible at time of writing, though small notes have been made where new information needed to be added.

I’ve had to wait a few days to write this as I’ve been out of town for work, but it is finally time to sit and address what the San Francisco Giants did at the trade deadline. They did…nothing??? Wait, that can’t be right. Hang on (shuffling papers…) Nope, they did nothing. To be fair, they did make a trade on July 31 acquiring A.J. Pollock and Mark Mathias from the Seattle Mariners for cash considerations or a player to be named later. What impact will those 2 players have on the Giants push for the playoffs? Probably not much. Pollock was hitting .173 at the time of the trade (has gone 0 for 6 since the trade and was placed on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain today) and Mathias is a utility infielder that was sent to AAA Sacramento after the trade (Mathias was called up to the major league club on 8/6/23 and Casey Schmitt was optioned back to AAA Sacramento). We’ve spent weeks hearing arguments whether the Giants were going to be buyers or sellers at the deadline. In the end they ended up being neither.

President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi has been telling us that the Giants were going to be aggressive at the deadline. They were also looking at middle infield options. So…Mark Mathias is your aggressive addition? I can get on board with the thought process that the Giants didn’t want to make a trade just for the sake of making a trade. I think there are plenty of young players that the team and the fan base can get excited about and trading any of those pieces would have been the wrong choice in my opinion. But there were plenty of veteran options you could have dealt to acquire more young talent. Wilmer Flores has been one of the hottest hitters in all of baseball since June 1. In the months of June and July, Flores hit .380 with a 1.110 OPS. There was only 1 player that had a higher OPS during that time. You might have heard of him. Shohei Ohtani? As of writing, Flores is hitting .310 on the season with 15 home runs. Surely, he would have netted something in a trade. Pitching is always valued more at the trade deadline, but hitters do have some value. The Giants made their own trade for a hitter as recently as 2021 when they traded Alexander Canario and Caleb Kilian to the Chicago Cubs for Kris Bryant. Canario is currently the #10 prospect in the Cubs organization and Kilian is #16.

When asked about the lack of movement, Giants manager Gabe Kapler said, “I think the biggest signal it sends to the clubhouse is we believe in them. We believe this is a good group capable of going to the postseason and making a deep postseason run.” The team also acknowledged that they would be getting Thairo Estrada back (he was activated from the injured list on Saturday, 8/5) and could be getting injured outfielder Mitch Haniger back by the end of August. These players could be contributors in the playoff push, but it’s hard to think that these two players will dramatically improve a team that is currently 20^th in the league in combined batting average at .240 and 23^rd in OPS at .708. For reference, there are 30 teams, so they are bottom 3^rd in both categories.

While we’re talking about believing in players, let’s talk about how the Giants used Casey Schmitt. Schmitt was called up from AAA Sacramento on May 9 and made an immediate impact hitting home runs in 2 of his first 3 games, including in his debut. Unfortunately, he has struggled since then seeing his batting average drop to .205 and 0 home runs since those initial 2 in May. He also has 51 strikeouts and 10 walks in 218 plate appearances so he’s basically striking out 1 out of every 4 plate appearances and drawing a walk in 1 out of every 20. Admittedly that’s not ideal, but if a player is struggling, isn’t it the coaches’ and manager’s job to help figure out the issue and work with a young player to overcome it? Instead, the Giants decided to play guys like David Villar, Brett Wisely, and Isan Dias at second base. When Brandon Crawford got hurt, did they let Schmitt step in and take those reps at shortstop? Nope, they called up Marco Luciano. Luciano did pretty well in his 4 games, hitting .273, but he also struck out 5 times in 11 at bats and only walked once. So, to compare that to Schmitt’s performance, he struck out 1 out of every 2 at bats and walked 1 out of every 10. Wisely has hit .175 over his 51 games and Villar has hit only .145 over 46 games, though he is slightly more of a power threat having hit 5 home runs over 124 at bats. Diaz got his first and only hit as a major leaguer on August 5 and is hitting .053. So, were any of those 3 actually improvements over what Schmitt would have given you? Arguably no. Mathias got a hit in his first game with the Giants on August 7 and drove in 2 runs in an 8-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. Overall, he’s hitting .228 on the season.

So that’s where we are with the Giants in 2023. They are currently 10 games over .500 at 62-52 and trail the Dodgers in the NL West by 5 games. They are also tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for the top Wild Card spot and lead the Chicago Cubs by 3 games for the final Wild Card. This team is definitely in the playoff hunt, but I would feel a lot better about their chances had they made some kind of move at the deadline. And I certainly can’t finish an article without taking a dig at the Colorado Rockies who currently sit as the worst team in the National League at 45-69 and are the 3^rd worst in all of baseball. Only the Kansas City Royals (37-79) and Oakland A’s (33-82) have worse records.

Just for a bit of fun, I wanted to look at some of the important trade deadline acquisitions the Giants have made over the years. I think Zaidi is missing a key point in thinking that acquisitions made at the trade deadline this year are only going to impact the team in 2023. Obviously, you want to acquire a player that will help your team this year, but hopefully that player can also help your team in the years to come. Historically the Giants have done that, particularly during their World Series title years. But we’re actually going to start the year before in 2009.

July 29, 2009: 2B Freddy Sanchez acquired from Pittsburgh Pirates for RHP Tim Alderson.
Sanchez was a former NL batting champion in 2006 and hit .284 for the Giants following the trade which was a marked improvement over the incumbent second baseman, Emmanuel Burriss. After the season, Sanchez signed a 2-year, $11 million contract extension and hit .292 in 2010 playing a key role in the Giants first World Series title since moving to San Francisco. Alderson was a key player to give up. At the time he was the #4 prospect in the Giants organization and #45 in all of MLB at the start of 2009. I remember conversations about whether Alderson or Madison Bumgarner was going to be the next star pitcher for the Giants. Sadly, Alderson never reached the major leagues, never playing above AAA.

July 1, 2010: C Bengie Molina traded to the Texas Rangers for RHP Chris Ray and RHP Michael Main.
It’s not so much the trade itself, but what the trade signified. Molina was entering his 4^th season as the Giants starting catcher in 2010 and he had performed well enough. But with this trade, the Giants officially entered the Buster Posey era. Chris Ray was a decent addition to the bullpen with a 4.13 ERA in 28 appearances with the Giants. Molina retired at the end of the 2010 season.

July 31, 2010: RHP Ramon Ramirez acquired from Boston Red Sox for RHP Daniel Turpen.
Ramirez had a 4.46 ERA in 44 appearances with Boston at the time of the trade, so this move didn’t exactly set the world on fire. However, after joining the Giants, Ramirez had a 0.67 ERA in 25 appearances and was a key member of the bullpen in the playoffs. Ramirez was later traded following the 2011 season to the New York Mets along with OF Andres Torres in exchange for OF Angel Pagan. Pagan was a key contributor to the 2012 World Series team having arguably his best season finishing 32^nd in MVP voting and leading all Major League Baseball with 15 triples.

July 31, 2010: LHP Javier Lopez acquired from Pittsburgh Pirates for 1B John Bowker and RHP Joe Martinez.
Lopez posted a 1.42 ERA in 27 appearances with the Giants following the trade and was one of the most effective lefty specialists in all of baseball during his stint with the Giants. He also retired 16 of 18 batters faced during the playoffs in 2010. Lopez was one of the “Core Four” relievers that were a part of each of the Giants’ 3 World Series championships with Jeremy Affeldt, Sergio Romo, and Santiago Casilla so this trade was key to the Giants dynasty. Overall Lopez had a 2.47 ERA in 446 total appearances with the Giants in addition to a 1.38 ERA in 25 playoff appearances and held batters in the playoffs to a .119 batting average.

One caveat to 2010. The Giants made additional moves in August acquiring Mike Fontenot and Jose Guillen in waiver trades. However, the biggest acquisition the Giants made in 2010 was the addition of OF Cody Ross in a waiver claim from the Florida Marlins. Ross hit 2 home runs off Phillies ace Roy Halladay in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series and 3 home runs overall to win the NLCS MVP. Halladay was the 2010 NL Cy Young Award winner and led the NL in wins (21), innings pitched (250 2/3), and complete games (9) along with 4 shutouts. He also set a career high in 2010 with 219 strikeouts. Halladay pitched the 20^th perfect game in MLB history on May 29, 2010 against the Florida Marlins and then in his first career postseason appearance, he pitched a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds in the 2010 National League Division Series. This was only the 2^nd no-hitter in postseason history joining Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series. The Houston Astros have since thrown a combined no-hitter (4 pitchers) in the 2022 World Series against the Phillies.

July 28, 2011: OF Carlos Beltran acquired from New York Mets for RHP Zack Wheeler.
The first trade on the list that didn’t work out, though it was not for a lack of production by Beltran. Beltran hit .323 with 20 extra-base hits in 179 plate appearances with the Giants following the trade. The Giants were leading the NL West by 4 games at the time of the trade but would end up going 6-13 at the beginning of August and ended up missing the playoffs entirely, finishing 8 games back in the NL West and 4 games out of the Wild Card. Beltran would sign with the St. Louis Cardinals following the 2011 season. Meanwhile, Wheeler was the #2 prospect in the Giants organization and #55 in all of baseball at the start of the 2011 season. He has developed into a standout pitcher in the major leagues and is currently pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies.

July 27, 2012: 2B Marco Scutaro acquired from Colorado Rockies for IF Charlie Culberson.
Was there a more important player to the 2012 World Series Champion Giants than Scutaro? Sure, Buster Posey won the MVP that year. Freddy Sanchez had undergone season-ending back surgery in 2012 so the Giants acquired Scutaro who was hitting .271 in 93 games at the time of the trade. In 61 games with the Giants, he hit .362 with 20 extra-base hits. In the playoffs? .328 batting average and .377 OBP. In the NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals? Scutaro went 14-for-28. For you math folks, that’s a .500 batting average. Scutaro won the NLCS MVP. The Giants would re-sign Scutaro to a 3-year, $20 million contract and while he did make the All-Star team in 2013, he would play a total of 5 games over the final 2 years of the contract.

July 31, 2012: RF Hunter Pence acquired from Philadelphia Phillies for OF Nate Schierholtz, C Tommy Joseph, and RHP Seth Rosin.
Pence did not have as great an impact on the Giants in 2012 as Scutaro. Pence would hit just .219 with 7 home runs in 59 games following the trade, and then only hit .210 in the postseason with 4 RBI in 16 games. But do you remember the rally speech before Game 3 of the NLDS against the Cincinnati Reds? The Giants finished the regular season with a 94-68 record winning the NL West by 8 games over the Los Angeles Dodgers. But they would lose the first 2 games of the NLDS at home against the Reds. Going into Cincinnati and facing elimination, Hunter Pence delivered a rally speech in the dugout before Game 3 and the Giants would proceed to win the next 3 games on the road becoming the first NL team and 8^th in MLB history to come back from a 2-0 hole in a best-of-five series by sweeping 3 games on the road. They also fell to a 3-1 deficit in the NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals before winning the next 3 elimination games and going on to sweep the Detroit Tigers in the World Series winning their second championship in 3 years. Pence would return in 2013 with a strong season hitting .283 with 27 home runs, 35 doubles, 99 RBI and 22 stolen bases. The Giants would sign Pence to a 5-year, $90 million deal following the 2013 season and Pence would play a key role in the 2014 World Series championship season while also being named to the 2014 All-Star team.

July 26, 2014: RHP Jake Peavy acquired from Boston Red Sox for LHP Edwin Escobar and RHP Heath Hembree.
Matt Cain would struggle in 2014 with an elbow injury. He was ruled out for the rest of the season on July 9, 2014, and would finish with a 2-7 record and a 4.18 ERA. Tim Lincecum would pitch his 2^nd no-hitter against the San Diego Padres on June 25, 2014, but was eventually moved to the bullpen. So, the only reliable starting pitchers for the Giants in 2014 were 18-game winner Madison Bumgarner, Tim Hudson, and Ryan Vogelsong. The Giants needed reinforcements for their starting rotation. Enter Jake Peavy. Over 12 starts following the trade, Peavy would post a 2.17 ERA and finish 6-4 with the Giants before making 4 more starts in the postseason. The Giants would re-sign Peavy to a 2-year, $24 million deal following the 2014 season, but it did not lead to success. Peavy would go on to a 13-15 record in those 2 years and finished with a 3.97 ERA as a member of the Giants. His final year in the Major Leagues was 2016 and he officially announced his retirement in 2019. At the time, the Giants paid a steep price for Peavy. Escobar was the #2 prospect in the Giants organization and #56 in all of baseball while Hembree was the #7 prospect with the Giants. Escobar never developed, but Hembree became a solid middle reliever with Boston.

August 1, 2016: LHP Matt Moore acquired from Tampa Bay Rays for 3B Matt Duffy, SS Lucius Fox, and RHP Michael Santos.
Moore was the #2 prospect in all of baseball at the start of 2012 and had established himself as a solid starter by the time he joined the Giants. Moore had a 4.08 ERA with the Rays and pitched to an identical 4.08 ERA in 12 starts with the Giants. Moore would make 1 start with the Giants in the postseason starting Game 4 of the NLDS against the Chicago Cubs. He pitched 8 innings allowing only 2 hits, 1 earned run and struck out 10. Unfortunately, the Giants bullpen would blow the game with 5 pitchers allowing 4 runs in the 9^th inning. The Cubs would win the game and the series on the way to their first World Series Championship since 1908. The Giants gave up significant resources to acquire Moore. Duffy had finished 2^nd in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2015, while Fox was the Giants’ #4 prospect and Santos their #19 prospect.

August 1, 2016: LHP Will Smith acquired from Milwaukee Brewers for C Andrew Susac and RHP Phil Bickford.
Smith excelled in a setup role with the Giants bullpen posting a 2.95 ERA and 11 holds in 26 appearances following the 2016 trade. He averaged 12.8 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched. Smith was one of the relievers that blew Game 4 of the NLDS mentioned above. Smith would miss the entire 2017 season and part of 2018 following Tommy John surgery but came back in 2019 as one of the top closers in the game and made the NL All-Star team. In 3 seasons with San Francisco, Smith was 9-4 with a 2.70 ERA in 143 appearances and had 48 saves. He would sign with the Atlanta Braves following the 2019 season and is currently pitching with the Texas Rangers. As for the players the Giants gave up, Susac was once considered the Giants’ catcher of the future but has only played in 27 games at the Major League level following the trade. Bickford was the #3 prospect in the Giants organization at the time of the trade but did not appear in his first Major League game until 2020. He is currently with the New York Mets organization.

 

As 2016 was the last time the Giants appeared in the playoffs until 2021, those are the last trades we’re going to cover. If you're looking forward to the playoff push, leave me a comment and let me know. Who's your team? Did they make any moves that you liked? That you didn't like? Or are you completely checked out and looking forward to preseason football? Thanks for reading.

The Hypocrisy of the BBWAA

Today is January 25, 2022, and the Baseball Hall of Fame has announced their inductees for the class of 2022. It contains one name who was voted in by the Baseball Writers Association of America. ONE NAME. David Ortiz. This is not going to be a blog tarnishing the legacy of David Ortiz, nor is it going to discuss whether or not he was deserving of being elected. That is really not for me to say. But with his election, it sheds a curious light on the firm stance that many writers have taken against voting for players who have been linked to performance enhancing drugs in any way whether by testing, admission, or suspicion. So let's take a look, shall we?

First let's take a look at some numbers. David Ortiz had a 20-year career, playing for the Minnesota Twins for 6 seasons before spending the next 14 seasons with the Boston Red Sox. In his 6 seasons in Minnesota, Ortiz hit .266 with 58 home runs and 238 RBI, hardly a Hall of Fame beginning. To put that into comparison, in 2006 alone, he hit 54 home runs. In his 14 seasons with Boston, Ortiz would hit .290 with 483 home runs and 1530 RBI. That gives him a .286 batting average with 541 home runs and 1768 RBI for his career. That puts him at 17th overall in career home runs between Mike Schmidt (548) and Mickey Mantle (536). Ortiz played a majority of his career as a designated hitter. For those of you who are unfamiliar, that means he did not play a defensive position. In fact, in 2408 career games, Ortiz only played 278 in the field at first base. Prior to his election, there were only 4 players in the Hall of Fame whose primary position had been DH; Frank Thomas, Paul Molitor, Harold Baines, and Edgar Martinez. Thomas is actually a very apt comparison as he hit .301 with 521 home runs and 1704 RBI over a 19-year career. Ortiz also was a 10-time All Star, won 3 World Series' with Boston (2004, 2007, 2013) and, while he never won a league MVP, he was the 2013 World Series MVP. That's quite a career.

Now for the controversy. In 2009 it was revealed and confirmed by Major League Baseball that David Ortiz had tested positive for a banned substance. Major League Baseball was conducting anonymous survey testing at the time and the results were meant to remain private, but in all, 104 players tested positive. In addition to Ortiz, the list included Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, and Manny Ramirez. You'll notice there is no mention of Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens. Both players were still playing in 2003 and both have long been suspected of PED use and essentially blacklisted from the Hall of Fame because of this connection. However, David Ortiz, who is known to have tested positive for a banned substance, is elected in his first year on the ballot. It is curious that in 2016, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred urged the Hall of Fame voters to show leniency to Ortiz because he COULD HAVE BEEN one of 10-15 false positive tests. Not that he WAS, only that he COULD HAVE BEEN. Let's put a pin in all of that for now.

As I said, I am not here to question whether Ortiz is deserving, but if the Writers Association was willing to show leniency and vote for a CONFIRMED steroid user, why have they been so firm in their refusal to vote for Barry Bonds who had never tested positive for steroid use during his career? Let's again go to the numbers. Bonds had a 22-year career playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates for 7 seasons and playing his final 15 seasons with the San Francisco Giants. Bonds finished his career with a .298 batting average with 762 home runs and 1996 RBI. That 762, by the way, is the all-time record for career home runs. He also holds the single-season record of 73 home runs which he set in 2001. I happened to be in the stands when Bonds hit #57 that year. It was August 31 against the Colorado Rockies. Russ Ortiz gave up 5 runs in the 1st inning and the Giants were doing nothing on offense. My friend and I were about to leave after the top of the 8th, but we knew Bonds was coming up so we decided to stay. Bonds then proceeded to hit an 0-2 pitch from John Thomson into McCovey Cove. My friend and I left after the 3rd out in the bottom of the 8th and the Giants would go on to lose 5-2. Bonds was a 14-time All Star, a 7-time Most Valuable Player including 4 in a row from 2001 to 2004, and a 7-time Gold Glove winner in left field. In fact, the only accolade where Bonds does not exceed Ortiz is in World Series championships. Bonds only played in 1 World Series in 2002 when the San Francisco Giants lost to the (then) Anaheim Angels. Bonds hit .471 with 4 home runs and 6 RBI in that series with a .700 on-base percentage and a 1.294 slugging percentage. So it would seem that the only reason that Bonds is excluded is because of his link with steroids. But as we've already explored, that doesn't seem to have deterred the voters for casting their ballot for Ortiz.

Maybe it's the championships. OK, let's look at that. I'm going to give you another player who won 3 World Series. This player was also a 4-time All Star, 2-time Cy Young award winner, and pitched 2 no-hitters. In the history of the game, only 35 players have thrown multiple no-hitters. Who is this player? This player is Tim Lincecum, but in his first year of eligibility Lincecum did not receive the 5% requirement to keep him on the list for next year or beyond.

Going back to a name I've already mentioned, Alex Rodriguez was on the ballot for the first time this year. He was not elected in, only received 34.3% of the vote. For the record, Bonds received 36.2% of the vote in his first year of eligibility and his lowest output was 34.7% in his second year. Rodriguez tested positive in 2003 in the same survey testing that revealed Ortiz's positive test. He was then suspended for the entire 2014 season for steroid use. Overall, during a 22-year career, Rodriguez hit .295 with 696 home runs and 2086 RBI. He was a 14-time All Star, 3-time MVP, and 2-time Gold Glove winner. He also won a World Series in 2009 with the New York Yankees.

All of this is to show the hypocrisy of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Keep in mind, they have already elected multiple players who have been suspected of steroid use in Ivan Rodriguez, Jeff Bagwell, and Mike Piazza. They have already elected players who have admitted to cheating in Gaylord Perry and Whitey Ford who both admitted to doctoring baseballs and Hank Greenberg who admitted to have stolen signs during the 1940 season in which the Detroit Tigers won the American League pennant. Obviously the last three players played during a much different era, but it shows that the BBWAA has voted for cheaters before. In summary, it shouldn't matter what you think of these players personally, nor what you suspect them to have done. Obviously the BBWAA doesn't care about a confirmed positive test. The fact that they have refused to elect Barry Bonds and Roger Clements, two of the greatest players of their generation and arguably of all time in their final years of eligibility, and chosen to elect David Ortiz in his first year of eligibility shows how truly hypocritical the BBWAA is and how much they have failed the game of baseball and us, the fans.

A look at MLB free agency and the San Francisco Giants

 Hello friends!!!! I realize it's been a while since I have written a blog. There have been a lot of things happening in my life between then and now and while I may write a blog detailing my health issues and my final semester at CSU, Chico at a later time, today I wish to talk about the San Francisco Giants and MLB free agency. For any of you who follow baseball, you have seen some insane contracts being reported. Noah Syndergaard switches coasts, leaving the New York Mets for the Los Angeles Angels for one year and $21 million. Speaking of the Mets, they have been on a shopping spree not only signing Max Scherzer to a three-year, $130 million deal which sets a record for highest average annual value at $43.3 million per year. They also added a trio of position players in Mark Canha (two years, $26.5 million), Eduardo Escobar (two years, $20 million), and Starling Marte (four years, $78 million). Not to be outdone, the Texas Rangers (who lost 102 games in 2021) seem to be trying to buy their way back into the win column, signing infielders Marcus Semien (seven years, $175 million) and Corey Seager (ten years, $325 million), and pitcher Jon Gray (four years, $56 million). Other major signings include Javier Baez with the Detroit Tigers (six years, $140 million), 2021 AL Cy Young award winner Robbie Ray with the Seattle Mariners (five years, $115 million), and our own Kevin Gausman leaving San Francisco to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays (five years, $110 million).

You may notice that the San Francisco Giants are not included in the above list of signings. Traditionally the Giants have not jumped early into the free agent pool. Even when they signed Barry Bonds back in 1992, which was one of the highest profile signings of the time, they didn't sign him until December 6. On top of this, President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi and General Manager Scott Harris are not known for giving out long-term and big money deals, something that the previous hierarchy was keen to do. The Giants will likely continue to fly under the radar while they try and replace some key members in their pitching rotation and lineup.

After the 2021 season, it was largely assumed that the Giants would be in the market for up to four starting pitchers. Kevin Gausman, Alex Wood, and Anthony DeSclafani were all entering free agency and it was assumed (correctly) that Johnny Cueto's 2022 option would not be picked up. Out of the five starters in the rotation at the end of the 2021 season, only Logan Webb was under contract for 2022. While the Giants expressed interest in bringing back Gausman, he signed with Toronto. I would tend to believe that the years offered was the sticking point in any contract negotiations that may have happened. Again, Gausman got five years from Toronto and, looking at the next contracts we're going to talk about, none of the pitchers that the Giants have signed have received more than three years. So let's look at what the Giants DID do.

First they brought back DeSclafani (13-7, 3.17 ERA) for three years and $36 million. While DeSclafani only pitched 167.2 innings in 2021, he did start 31 games and his 13 wins were second on the Giants behind Gausman's 14. Next the team signed Alex Cobb (8-3, 3.76 ERA with the Los Angeles Angels) for two years and $20 million. Finally the Giants brought back Wood (10-4, 3.83 ERA) for two years and $25 million. Wood started 26 games and was fourth on the team in wins with 10. The Giants may be looking at either Sammy Long or Tyler Beede to win the fifth starter spot. Long split time between the rotation and the bullpen appearing in 12 games with 5 starts. He flashed good stuff including a wipeout curve, but was inconsistent, finishing with a 2-1 record and a 5.53 ERA in 40.2 innings. Beede spent most of 2021 in the minors after having Tommy John surgery in March 2020. He pitched 1 inning with the Giants in 2021 facing 6 batters, allowing 2 hits, 3 earned runs, hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch. He also struck out 2. Beede has always had an above average fastball with a good curveball and changeup, but his command has been an issue and he may need some more time at the minor league level after missing the entire 2020 season. It is possible that the Giants may be looking at starters in the trade market as well. One name mentioned by Susan Slusser who covers the Giants for the San Francisco Chronicle was Sonny Gray of the Cincinnati Reds. Gray went 7-9 with a 4.19 ERA for the Reds in 2021. Zaidi is familiar with Gray who pitched with Oakland in 2013 and 2014 while Zaidi was with the A's organization.

That covers the pitching, but what about the lineup? Well, the biggest announcement regarding the Giants lineup so far was the retirement of Buster Posey on November 4. Posey hit .304 with 18 home runs and 56 RBI in his final season after sitting out the 2020 season. The Giants plan to replace him with top prospect Joey Bart (.294, 10 home runs, 46 RBI with AAA Sacramento) and backup Curt Casali (.210, 5 home runs, 26 RBI). Bart replaced Posey as the primary catcher during the shortened 2020, playing 33 of the 60 games, but appeared overmatched hitting only .233 with 0 home runs and striking out 41 times in 103 official at bats. There was speculation that the Giants would be interested in a free agent catcher like Yan Gomes (.252, 14 home runs, 52 RBI with the Washington Nationals and Oakland A's) but he signed with the Chicago Cubs for two years and $13 million. The Giants do have another top catching prospect in 2020 first round pick Patrick Bailey (.265, 9 home runs, 39 RBI in the minors), but he has yet to play above A+ ball and is not projected to reach the major league level until 2023.

The Giants agreed to a contract extension with MVP candidate Brandon Crawford for two years and $32 million that will keep Crawford with the Giants through the 2023 season. Crawford hit .298 with 24 home runs and 90 RBI in 2021. The Giants also extended a qualifying offer to Brandon Belt for $18.4 million which Belt accepted. Belt hit .274 with 29 home runs and 59 RBI in only 97 games in 2021. Both Belt and Crawford set career highs in home runs in 2021 with Belt missing 30 only because of the games he missed due to injury. Projected over a full 162 game season, Belt was on pace to hit 48 home runs. The Giants look to be seeking upgrades at second base and in the outfield. San Francisco has been rumored to be interested in nearly every free agent middle infielder on the market with specific mention of Semien coming back to the Bay Area after spending 2015-2020 with Oakland. I would like to see them make a run at Trevor Story (.251, 24 home runs, 75 RBI with the Colorado Rockies) but his strikeout numbers (139 in 526 at bats) don't tend to line up with the Giants hitting philosophy. In the outfield, the Giants had been linked to Canha who signed with the Mets. They are also linked to Nick Castellanos who opted out to become a free agent after signing a four year, $64 million deal with the Cincinnati Reds following the 2019 season. Castellanos had a great 2021 with Cincinnati hitting .309 with 34 home runs and 100 RBI. Defensively, he might not be a wizard in right field, but there is speculation that the universal designated hitter will be negotiated when the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on December 1. If the universal DH is accepted, then Castellanos' defensive concerns may not deter the Giants from pursuing him. Castellanos is said to be seeking a seven or eight year deal.

The name we haven't mentioned is Kris Bryant who the Giants acquired from the Chicago Cubs at the 2021 trade deadline. Bryant hit .262 with 7 home runs and 22 RBI for the Giants giving him a .265, 25, 73 line for the season. Bryant immediately fit in the lineup and in the clubhouse, and the Giants have expressed great interest in bringing him back. Bryant gives the Giants plenty of versatility in the field playing third base and all three outfield spots in 2021. Current Giants GM Scott Harris is very familiar with Bryant having been the director of player operations with the Chicago Cubs 2012 - 2017 and the assistant general manager in 2018 and 2019. Bryant played with the Cubs 2015 - 2021. Bryant looks to be a target for several teams including the Giants, the Seattle Mariners, the New York Mets (though after their signings it remains to be seen if the Mets can afford him and where he would play), and recently the Colorado Rockies. If Bryant signs with another team, it is unclear who else the Giants could target in the outfield. The Giants have been linked to Joc Pederson who hit .238 with 18 home runs and 61 RBI between the Chicago Cubs and World Series champion Atlanta Braves.

One final name the Giants have been linked with if they decide to pursue another starting pitcher is Marcus Stroman. Stroman went 10-13 with the New York Mets in 2021 with a 3.02 ERA. Stroman was an all star as recently as 2019 and finished eighth for the Cy Young award in 2017 while pitching for Toronto. So that's the report folks. With the Collective Bargaining Agreement expiring, it is unlikely that we will see much action on the free agent market until a new agreement is reached. But there is still much work to be done. And with that Giants fans, I thank you for reading and here's looking forward to Spring Training!!!!