With the World Series concluding Wednesday night, four Giants officially became unrestricted free agents on Thursday according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Catcher Nick Hundley, third-baseman Jae-gyun Hwang, pitcher Matt Cain, and outfielder Michael Morse have all hit the open market, though Cain has already announced his retirement and Morse is likely to do the same.
Free agency now automatic day after Series. 149 players. Four #SFGIants: Cain, Hundley, Hwang, Morse.
— Henry Schulman (@hankschulman) November 2, 2017
The big question mark of the group is Hundley, who in addition to winning the Willie Mac Award also established himself as a reliable backup catcher. The market will likely dictate what the Giants decide to do with Hundley, as considering all the holes they have to fill, are unlikely to go far above market value.
Korean infielder Hwang, 29, is also a question mark to return, but showed serious flashed during his time in AAA Sacramento, finishing with a line of .285/.332/.453 in his first year of professional baseball in the United States. Hwang, who can play at both third and first base struggled in his 57 plate appearances with the big league club.
Morse, 35, was planning retirement last offseason before receiving a camp offer from Bobby Evans, and looked like he might make the opening day roster until a left hamstring injury forced him into extended Spring Training. Things took another sour turn once Morse got his call-up, sustaining a serious concussion in the Hunter Strickland-Bryce Harper brawl on May 30. Morse never returned to the Giants, and is likely to have played his last game in a Giants uniform.