Locked On Giants – Daily Podcast On The San Francisco Giants

Kolten Wong to the San Francisco Giants? According to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the SF Giants are among the teams interested in trading for Kolten Wong, the left-handed-hitting second baseman under contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers are likely to trade Wong, who's owed $10M in the final year of his contract, this offseason. Wong is historically someone who's hit right-handed pitching pretty well, and he has historically been one of the game's best defensive second basemen. Interestingly, Kolten Wong took a major step back defensively in 2022 according to most advanced defensive metrics, but it's generally best to look in three-season samples when dealing with such metrics. Given that he's only signed for one more year and is owed $10M, the cost to acquire Wong seemingly wouldn't be too high.

A viral tweet by MLB Network is discussed. In the tweet, MLB Network put out a San Francisco Giants projected lineup that included Aaron Judge. Social media went to work dunking on the SF Giants for an extremely weak looking lineup. On the one hand, it certainly doesn't inspire a ton of confidence, even with Judge. On the other hand, that lineup is essentially the same one that was above average at scoring runs in 2022. Every single member of the projected lineup, except for the No. 9 hitter Joey Bart, has been above average by wRC+ over the last three seasons. The Giants certainly shouldn't roll into 2023 with a lineup like that if they were to sign Judge, but it's also not nearly as listless as some are making it out to be.

Switching gears, how should the progress of some young players on the SF Giants' roster be evaluated? Thairo Estrada, Joey Bart, and David Villar are given a closer look. Estrada had a legitimately strong season that flew somewhat under the radar. He amassed 14 home runs and 21 steals, and overall was the Giants' best position player by fWAR. Joey Bart struggled with strikeouts as expected in 2022. He was pretty bad to start the year, got better, and then regressed to a rolling K% back near 50% over the final month-plus of the season. David Villar is definitely someone to watch moving forward. The power is legit, he won the PCL MVP Award, and he could be a breakout candidate for the Giants in 2023, or he could potentially be trade bait this offseason if the Giants want to make a big splash.

Find and follow Locked On Giants on your favorite podcast platforms:

🎧 Apple Podcasts http://apple.co/3ycRK3U

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🎧 Overcast https://bit.ly/3wqZsbg

🎧 Megaphone https://bit.ly/3wGGcXD

The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

Follow Ben Kaspick on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the San Francisco Giants and talking with fans.

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenKaspick

#SFGiants #FirstListen

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While San Francisco Giants fans range from hopeful to skeptical about the team's chances of landing Aaron Judge, MLB Network reporter Jon Morosi said on Thursday "There's a legitimate chance that Aaron Judge becomes a San Francisco Giant." Judge's favorite player growing up, Rich Aurilia, went on KNBR on Wednesday and said that Morosi told him the Giants' odds of landing Judge were 50 percent, whereas the combined odds of the Yankees plus everybody else equaled 50 percent. That would mean, in essence, that Morosi views the SF Giants as the most likely team to come away with Judge. Morosi also said that the Giants would need to prove to Judge that they can win around him, but all indications are that that is their intention. He also said that the Giants might need to get closer to $40M per year to come away with Judge. As has been suggested on this show, something like 8/$320M ($40M AAV) could possibly get a deal done. The Yankees' reported offer on the table to judge is 8/$300M ($37.5M AAV).

If the San Francisco Giants are able to land Aaron Judge, what else would they do around him? It all depends on how high they're willing to push their payroll. Adding Judge would push them beyond where they've been in recent years, but they also have a lot of future flexibility with almost no guarantees on the books for 2024 and literally $0 committed in 2025 and beyond. So it's not out of the question that that could carry a $200M+ payroll in 2023, and they could go lower in 2024 if they wanted to. The Giants are set to receive $30M from the sale of BAMTech to Disney. The first luxury tax threshold is $233M in 2023, and the SF Giants are nowhere near it. Adding Judge, Carlos Correa, and Carlos Rodón at roughly their predicted AAV's would push the Giants to about $225M, still underneath the first luxury tax threshold.

Find and follow Locked On Giants on your favorite podcast platforms:

🎧 Apple Podcasts http://apple.co/3ycRK3U

🎧 Spotify http://spoti.fi/3Bak0pN

🎧 Google Play https://bit.ly/3D356mr

🎧 Overcast https://bit.ly/3wqZsbg

🎧 Megaphone https://bit.ly/3wGGcXD

The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

Follow Ben Kaspick on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the San Francisco Giants and talking with fans.

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenKaspick

#SFGiants #FirstListen

Built Bar

Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.

BetOnline

BetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!

SimpliSafe

With Fast Protect™️ Technology, exclusively from SimpliSafe, 24/7 monitoring agents capture evidence to accurately verify a threat for faster police response. There’s No Safe Like SimpliSafe. Visit SimpliSafe.com/LockedOnMLB to learn more.

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The New York Yankees' approximate offer to Aaron Judge was reported today by ESPN's Jeff Passan. Is it something the San Francisco Giants will be able to exceed? The Yankees' offer to Judge, according to Passan, is around eight years and $300 million. That would be an average annual value (AAV) of $37.5M. That would make Aaron Judge the highest-paid position player in baseball on a per-season basis, surpassing Mike Trout's $35.5M. However, Bryce Harper's $330M total guarantee would still stand as the largest free-agent deal ever handed out. The SF Giants should be able to match or exceed the Yankees' reported offer, but it stands to reason that New York is willing to go higher than their standing offer of $300M.

If the Giants miss out on Judge—and heaven forbid he ends up on the Dodgers or something—what should they do? They're perhaps even somewhat likely to sign Carlos Correa if Judge falls off the board. Judge is clearly their top target, but Correa seems to have emerged as their second choice. Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area has consistently reported as such over the last few days and weeks, and other local journalists have echoed this sentiment. Correa is 2.5 years younger than Judge, and is likely to command a similar number of years. When all is said and done, Judge is the best right now and is certainly the most likely to drive fan interest and ticket sales, but Correa might be a better fit from a long-term perspective. If the Giants miss out on Judge and Correa, there are still other top shortstops, and there are some really good top-of-the-rotation arms, and center fielder Brandon Nimmo. A lot is expected to happen at the upcoming Winter Meetings in San Diego, which kick off on Sunday.

Would the Giants consider just letting their young guys play if they miss out on free agents? Could Bryce Johnson do what Cody Bellinger does? The SF Giants seem unlikely to just let their young guys sink or swim their 2023 season. The Giants are determined to put a far more compelling team on the field next year, and they certainly should feel pressure to get back to the playoffs. It's hard to envision a scenario in which they don't come away with a much better looking team on paper going into 2023. That being said, their organizational philosophy is to always create opportunities for younger players who are deserving of such chances.

Find and follow Locked On Giants on your favorite podcast platforms:

🎧 Apple Podcasts http://apple.co/3ycRK3U

🎧 Spotify http://spoti.fi/3Bak0pN

🎧 Google Play https://bit.ly/3D356mr

🎧 Overcast https://bit.ly/3wqZsbg

🎧 Megaphone https://bit.ly/3wGGcXD

The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

Follow Ben Kaspick on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the San Francisco Giants and talking with fans.

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenKaspick

#SFGiants #FirstListen

Built Bar

Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.

BetOnline

BetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!

SimpliSafe

With Fast Protect™️ Technology, exclusively from SimpliSafe, 24/7 monitoring agents capture evidence to accurately verify a threat for faster police response. There’s No Safe Like SimpliSafe. Visit SimpliSafe.com/LockedOnMLB to learn more.

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How upset will fans of the San Francisco Giants be if the team misses out on all of the top talent this offseason? The Giants' top target is clearly Aaron Judge, and a resolution could come within a week. Judge may very well end up back in New York, but there's also a chance he ends up elsewhere. Can you imagine the reaction if the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Aaron Judge? Giants fans would go absolutely ballistic. If Judge signs anywhere other than San Francisco, it's been pretty clearly reported that Carlos Correa is their next target. But what if the miss on him as well, and essentially don't land any top players? There's always the trade market, but the Giants' preferred method for adding top talent this winter should be cold hard cash.

What's the latest with the SF Giants' reported interest in Kenley Jansen? About a week and a half ago, it was reported that the Giants were discussing a two-year contract with the former Dodgers closer. But we haven't heard anything since. It's possible that those reports were planted by an agent. No new reports have emerged on Jansen in the last 10 days or so, so it's unclear where the San Francisco Giants stand—and whether or not those original reports were even true.

Other questions addressed on today's mailbag Locked On Giants: Have the Giants overused or underused platoons under Gabe Kapler? What do you make of Kapler's comments in The Athletic at the end of the season when he said he likes platooning and finds using a lot of pinch hitters "fun"? Could the Giants look to unload Tommy La Stella in a bad contract swap? Might they attach a top prospect in order to move the $11.5 million he's owed in 2023?

Find and follow Locked On Giants on your favorite podcast platforms:

🎧 Apple Podcasts http://apple.co/3ycRK3U

🎧 Spotify http://spoti.fi/3Bak0pN

🎧 Google Play https://bit.ly/3D356mr

🎧 Overcast https://bit.ly/3wqZsbg

🎧 Megaphone https://bit.ly/3wGGcXD

The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

Follow Ben Kaspick on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the San Francisco Giants and talking with fans.

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenKaspick

#SFGiants #FirstListen

Built Bar

Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.

BetOnline

BetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!

SimpliSafe

With Fast Protect™️ Technology, exclusively from SimpliSafe, 24/7 monitoring agents capture evidence to accurately verify a threat for faster police response. There’s No Safe Like SimpliSafe. Visit SimpliSafe.com/LockedOnMLB to learn more.

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Aaron Judge is the San Francisco Giants' top target, but at what point should they bow out and pivot to other targets? Aaron Judge is expected to command an eight, nine, or 10-year deal worth north of $300 million. If his deal is for eight years, over $40 million per year would probably be "too high". An eight-year deal for $40M per year would be $320M. If it's nine years, the SF Giants probably wouldn't want to go higher than $37M per season (which would come out to $333M in total). If Judge gets 10 years, the Giants might want to pivot to other options, but assuming they'd be willing to pay Aaron Judge through his age-40 season, anything north of $340M total would arguably be too high.

Is it Aaron Judge or bust for the San Francisco Giants? What should they do if the miss out on Judge? There are lots of other good options out there, but none would be as big of a splash as Judge. Carlos Correa should be their next-highest target, with Trea Turner also in the conversation (but we have it on pretty good authority that he won't want to come to San Francisco). Brandon Nimmo, Xander Bogaerts, and Dansby Swanson are other good options, as are the top starting pitchers such as Jacob deGrom, Justin Verlander, and Carlos Rodón.

Why all the talk of free-agent shortstops when the SF Giants already have top prospect Marco Luciano? And what about Thairo Estrada, who would theoretically block one of the free-agent SS from playing second base? The Giants believe Estrada can move all over the diamond if need be, and most scouts believe Luciano won't be able to stick at shortstop and will end up at third base or in left field. Speaking of Luciano, whom is he worth trading for? Rafael Devers, who could theoretically be available this winter? Shohei Ohtani? Corbin Burnes? All this and more discussed on today's Locked On Giants podcast.

Find and follow Locked On Giants on your favorite podcast platforms:

🎧 Apple Podcasts http://apple.co/3ycRK3U

🎧 Spotify http://spoti.fi/3Bak0pN

🎧 Google Play https://bit.ly/3D356mr

🎧 Overcast https://bit.ly/3wqZsbg

🎧 Megaphone https://bit.ly/3wGGcXD

The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

Follow Ben Kaspick on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the San Francisco Giants and talking with fans.

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenKaspick

#SFGiants #FirstListen

Built Bar

Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.

BetOnline

BetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!

SimpliSafe

With Fast Protect™️ Technology, exclusively from SimpliSafe, 24/7 monitoring agents capture evidence to accurately verify a threat for faster police response. There’s No Safe Like SimpliSafe. Visit SimpliSafe.com/LockedOnMLB to learn more.

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Despite the legitimate fan angst, there really is a lot to be grateful for as a fan of the San Francisco Giants. The 2022 season with a big letdown, but in a lot of ways the SF Giants' .500 record likely motivated them to have a big offseason this winter. The Giants are linked to all of the top free agents, including Aaron Judge, who is reportedly the Giants' top target. Reports indicate the San Francisco Giants are looking to add two outfielders, a middle infielder, and a starting pitcher this winter, and they're likely to add depth pieces as well, including addressing the bullpen. Not every team can claim to have such interest in adding talent, and it's very much something to be grateful for as a Giants fan.

The Giants are also starting from a pretty good baseline win projection, according to the ZiPS projection system featured on FanGraphs. The projection system has the SF Giants at 83 wins—before accounting for any offseason additions. That projection doesn't include Carlos Rodón, since he is a free agent. It's a pretty good place to start considering the first item on the list, that the San Francisco Giants are likely to be very active this winter. Add, say, Aaron Judge, a center fielder, a shortstop, and an ace pitcher, and it's not hard to see the Giants with a projection of 90-95 wins.

The state of the SF Giants' farm system is also something to be grateful for. While they've fallen or stalled out in a lot of subjective rankings in the last couple of years, there's something unique about this moment in time as a Giants fan regarding their farm system. Finally, after years of waiting, their top prospects are getting closer to the major leagues. Marco Luciano stalled out a bit in 2022, but Kyle Harrison dominated in Double-A and is a strong candidate to make a legitimate impact in 2023. Casey Schmitt has flown under the radar as perhaps the Giants' best position player prospect, and he ended the season with a handful of games in Triple-A, so he's also on the doorstep to the majors. All in all, it's a pretty good time to be a Giants fan. Now they just need to execute their offseason plans.

Find and follow Locked On Giants on your favorite podcast platforms:

🎧 Apple Podcasts http://apple.co/3ycRK3U

🎧 Spotify http://spoti.fi/3Bak0pN

🎧 Google Play https://bit.ly/3D356mr

🎧 Overcast https://bit.ly/3wqZsbg

🎧 Megaphone https://bit.ly/3wGGcXD

The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

Follow Ben Kaspick on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the San Francisco Giants and talking with fans.

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenKaspick

#SFGiants #FirstListen

Built Bar

Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.

BetOnline

BetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!

SimpliSafe

With Fast Protect™️ Technology, exclusively from SimpliSafe, 24/7 monitoring agents capture evidence to accurately verify a threat for faster police response. There’s No Safe Like SimpliSafe. Visit SimpliSafe.com/LockedOnMLB to learn more.

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The San Francisco Giants seemingly will stop at nothing to lure Aaron Judge home. Judge, a native of nearby Linden, CA, would be the Giants' most significant free-agent addition since Barry Bonds. The Giants met with Judge on Monday night and again pretty much all day on Tuesday, according to NBC Sports Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic. Part of the SF Giants' pitch reportedly involved connecting Aaron Judge with Steph Curry, whose Warriors play down the street from the Giants' Oracle Park. Joc Pederson, Brandon Crawford, and Logan Webb also took to instagram in an attempt to recruit the Judge, whose 62 home runs in 2022 set the American League record. Judge was a near unanimous pick for AL MVP.

Aaron Judge has also made it clear that his top priority is winning, and many have said that this makes the Giants less likely. But Dan Szymborski's 2023 ZiPS projections, which account for current rosters (so no free agents are assigned to any team) has the Giants projected at 83 wins vs. the Yankees' 85. Take Judge off the Yankees and suddenly they don't look like such a great team right now. They have a ton of money locked up to aging or underperforming players, so it could actually be argued that the San Francisco Giants are in a better spot in terms of projecting into future seasons.

Relatedly, Baseball Prospectus' top Giants prospects list came out a few days ago, and once again they're high on the SF Giants' farm system. They're led by Marco Luciano and Kyle Harrison, as expected, although Luciano is more volatile now that he has been in the past. Harrison, whom Szymborski mentions as part of the reason ZiPS is relatively high on the Giants despite the absence of Carlos Rodón, is considered one of the best pitching prospects in baseball and BP suggests his ceiling is that he could be one of the best pitchers in the game.

Find and follow Locked On Giants on your favorite podcast platforms:

🎧 Apple Podcasts http://apple.co/3ycRK3U

🎧 Spotify http://spoti.fi/3Bak0pN

🎧 Google Play https://bit.ly/3D356mr

🎧 Overcast https://bit.ly/3wqZsbg

🎧 Megaphone https://bit.ly/3wGGcXD

The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

Follow Ben Kaspick on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the San Francisco Giants and talking with fans.

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenKaspick

#SFGiants #FirstListen

Built Bar

Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.

BetOnline

BetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!

SimpliSafe

With Fast Protect™️ Technology, exclusively from SimpliSafe, 24/7 monitoring agents capture evidence to accurately verify a threat for faster police response. There’s No Safe Like SimpliSafe. Visit SimpliSafe.com/LockedOnMLB to learn more.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The San Francisco Giants are meeting with Aaron Judge TODAY. Aaron Judge was captured on camera last night arriving at a hotel in San Francisco. Shortly afterwards, multiple reporters indicated that the SF Giants are meeting with Judge on Tuesday. Judge indicated in the video clip that he was there to visit friends and family, but it was obvious that the Giants are also in his plans. While the notion of Judge meeting with the Giants is exciting, it should be noted that it's not particularly surprising. The Giants' interest in Judge is well established at this point, and it's common for major free agents to sit down with interested teams. The SF Giants are a real threat to steal Judge from New York, but smart money still has him returning to the Yankees.

Is there another free agent who, objectively speaking, might make even more sense than Judge? Carlos Correa is nearly three years younger, he can hit, he can defend, he's athletic, he's a leader, and the Dodgers hate him. Checks pretty much all of the boxes. Yes, he was central to the Astros' sign stealing that tainted their success in the late 2010s, but Correa is several years removed from those revelations and has continued to be an impact player. He has indicated that he's willing to sign somewhere if the money is right, and the Giants should have the motivation and means to make him an offer he can't refuse. It's not impossible to envision the Giants coming away with both Judge and one of the star free-agent shortstops.

But the Giants will also need their farm system to start producing major league talent in 2023, and they might be well on their way with the likes of Casey Schmitt reaching the upper minors. Schmitt, along with catcher Patrick Bailey, won Minor League Gold Glove awards on Tuesday. Schmitt is an elite defensive third baseman, who's also spent some time at short. He has a chance to make a real impact on the MLB team in 2023. Bailey was the Giants' first-round pick in 2020, and has mostly been a disappointment thus far. But it's not hard to find good qualities to his game, as evidenced by his Gold Glove Award, 15% walk rate, and near .200 isolated power in High-A this season.

Find and follow Locked On Giants on your favorite podcast platforms:

🎧 Apple Podcasts http://apple.co/3ycRK3U

🎧 Spotify http://spoti.fi/3Bak0pN

🎧 Google Play https://bit.ly/3D356mr

🎧 Overcast https://bit.ly/3wqZsbg

🎧 Megaphone https://bit.ly/3wGGcXD

The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

Follow Ben Kaspick on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the San Francisco Giants and talking with fans.

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenKaspick

#SFGiants #FirstListen

Built Bar

Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.

BetOnline

BetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!

SimpliSafe

With Fast Protect™️ Technology, exclusively from SimpliSafe, 24/7 monitoring agents capture evidence to accurately verify a threat for faster police response. There’s No Safe Like SimpliSafe. Visit SimpliSafe.com/LockedOnMLB to learn more.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The San Francisco Giants are reportedly interested in free agents Mitch Haniger and Kenley Jansen. Haniger is a good hitter who's from the area, but has dealt with injuries (sometimes fluky ones, like when he ruptured a testicle on a foul ball) and has been an inconsistent defender. It's hard to envision a scenario in which the Giants want to add both Aaron Judge and Haniger, because they're both corner outfielders. Judge can play center, but it's beleived that the SF Giants want truly elite defense up the middle, so players like Kevin Kiermaier, Cody Bellinger, and even Brandon Nimmo might make the most sense in that regard.

Kenley Jansen is one of the best relievers in baseball history. He's now 35 years old, but he had another really good season for the 101-win Braves in 2022, notching 41 saves with a 3.38 ERA. It's unclear whether Jansen would take the closer's role from the young flamethrower Camilo Doval, or if he would accept a role as a non-closer. Regardless, it's not hard to see why the Giants would be interested in a major bullpen upgrade, especially one who could likely be signed to a one- or two-year deal. The Giants' clear preference in free agency is to sign their impact talent on short-term deals, and Jansen would certainly fit the mold (although they haven't really spent big on relievers, so in some ways it would deviate from the SF Giants' tendencies).

Cody Bellinger was non-tendered by the Dodgers on Friday, making him a free agent. It has been reported that the San Francisco Giants make a lot of sense for Bellinger. But in reality, Bellinger might make a lot of sense for the Giants, but not necessarily the other way around. Bellinger's agent, Scott Boras, recently told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal that they likely prefer a one-year deal for Bellinger. And why would Bellinger want to come to Oracle Park, of all places, in hopes of rebuilding offensive value?

Find and follow Locked On Giants on your favorite podcast platforms:

🎧 Apple Podcasts http://apple.co/3ycRK3U

🎧 Spotify http://spoti.fi/3Bak0pN

🎧 Google Play https://bit.ly/3D356mr

🎧 Overcast https://bit.ly/3wqZsbg

🎧 Megaphone https://bit.ly/3wGGcXD

The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

Follow Ben Kaspick on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the San Francisco Giants and talking with fans.

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenKaspick

#SFGiants #FirstListen

Built Bar

Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.

BetOnline

BetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!

SimpliSafe

With Fast Protect™️ Technology, exclusively from SimpliSafe, 24/7 monitoring agents capture evidence to accurately verify a threat for faster police response. There’s No Safe Like SimpliSafe. Visit SimpliSafe.com/LockedOnMLB to learn more.

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Aaron Judge spoke last night, and we all listened. Very carefully. Judge won the AL MVP Award last night, and his free agency is the top story in baseball. The San Francisco Giants are believed to be in serious pursuit. Judge had some interesting comments about his free agency, noting that, "For me, if we're going to build a winning team, if I can get myself out of the way so they can move on or add some more pieces, I think that's an advantage." The SF Giants sound like exactly the kind of team he could be talking about, but there's no way of knowing. In a perfect world, Judge would sign with the Giants early and give them a chance to add around him. Or if he's going to sign elsewhere or return to the Yankees, his signing early would allow the Giants to pivot to other options. Judge's comments were interesting to say the least.

Switching gears, today is the MLB tender (or non-tender) deadline. Teams must decide whether to tender contracts to their arbitration- and pre-arbitration-eligible players. That list includes six players for the SF Giants, including Logan Webb, Mike Yastrzemski, and Thairo Estrada. Pretty much all nine are locks to be tendered contracts, but their salaries for 2023 won't necessarily be determined for a few months. However, it's probable that the Giants will reach agreements to avoid arbitration with several arb-eligible players today. Scott Alexander was already inked to a deal yesterday. Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports that the Giants are trying to extend Logan Webb, which would be a huge deal if they can cross the finish line, although today is not some kind of deadline to do so.

Last but not least, should the Giants be interested in trading for Cody Bellinger, or signing him if he's non-tendered? Bellinger's case is one of the most fascinating in the sport, and it's possible he's dealt or non-tendered by 5 PM this evening. Or the Dodgers could elect to hold onto him, but they'd end up owing him close to $18 million potentially. Bellinger was so good early in his career, but has been awful after a shoulder injury he sustained while celebrating a home run in the 2020 postseason.

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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

Follow Ben Kaspick on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the San Francisco Giants and talking with fans.

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenKaspick

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