Evan Longoria, Andrew McCutchen and Austin Jackson.
It’s not the haul anyone expected from Giants’ general manager Bobby Evans at the start of the offseason, but it’s a haul Evans took great care in orchestrating and an offseason the franchise is surely delighted about.
On Monday evening, the Giants reportedly inked Jackson to a two-year deal worth $6 million, signing a 30-year-old outfielder with eight years of Major League service time to upgrade a defensive unit that forced pitchers to hold their breath anytime a ball was hit in the air last year. While Jackson isn’t a Gold Glove-caliber player, he’s a clear upgrade over Denard Span, which allows San Francisco to check off a box that needed ink bleeding through it.
In December, Evans executed his first franchise-altering deal of the offseason, unloading Span and top prospect Christian Arroyo in exchange for Longoria, who’s slated to become the third baseman of the future in San Francisco, even though he’s already 32 years old.
In mid-January, Evans completed another blockbuster swap, sending reliever Kyle Crick and outfield prospect Bryan Reynolds to the Pittsburgh Pirates to acquire McCutchen, a career center fielder who will move to right field and cover a vast territory at AT&T Park.
The two trades followed a salary dump of Matt Moore to the Texas Rangers, which freed up the Giants to add a pair of franchise cornerstones and now Jackson, all while staying under the $197 million luxury tax threshold. The trades for Longoria and McCutchen were moves Evans needed to make if he wanted San Francisco to have a serious shot at contending in 2018, but the signing of Jackson is multi-layered. By adding an outfielder on a cheap two-year contract and keeping the team’s payroll under the luxury tax ceiling, Evans has created maximum flexibility for the future, which should allow San Francisco to contend beyond just 2018 if the franchise plays its cards right.
In the short-term, the Giants have three new right-handed hitters, two of which have hit at least 20 home runs in each of the past five seasons and another who can hit in the leadoff spot or the eight-hole and mash against left-handed pitching. Last season, Jackson hit .318 for the Cleveland Indians in 85 games, but batted .352 against southpaws, a key stat for a team that faced immense struggles in a division loaded with quality left-handed pitchers.
Over the long haul, the Giants have the freedom to upgrade their outfield through trades of free agency, because at the end of the 2018 season, McCutchen’s contract and Hunter Pence’s contract are coming off the books while the financial commitment to Jackson is so small that San Francisco can essentially start over in center field if he doesn’t pan out.
The flexibility San Francisco has with its outfield moving forward is perhaps the most important aspect of the Jackson signing, because the Giants are eager to field a younger and more athletic club, even if this offseason’s moves don’t convey that goal. By adding Longoria, McCutchen and Jackson in a span of a month, the Giants essentially skewed their roster older to promote a go-for-it mentality in 2018, while allowing the team the liberty of pushing younger as soon as next year if this year’s aggressive approach doesn’t result in a playoff berth.
In lieu of Jackson, Evans had the choice to pursue a free agent like Lorenzo Cain. Doing so would have made the Giants a much more formidable club, but would have tied them to a 32-year-old whose game is based on speed for at least three and likely four more seasons.
In lieu of Jackson, Evans also could have pushed the Miami Marlins to make a deal for Christian Yelich. Doing so would have offered San Francisco a young, exciting talent to build around in the outfield for years to come, but it would have cost the franchise a massive amount of capital in terms of prospects that an already-thin Giants’ farm system couldn’t afford to lose.
In lieu of Jackson, Evans might have opted to wait out the markets for Jarrod Dyson, Jon Jay, or even Cameron Maybin, but each player carries specific flaws that don’t fit with the Giants’ immediate vision for the franchise. Dyson hits left-handed and might have needed a greater commitment in terms of salary. Jay hits left-handed, and is at best an equivalent defender in center field. While Maybin hits right-handed, his impact wasn’t nearly as substantial with the Astros last year as Jackson’s was with the Indians.
Utlimately, the Giants found a reasonable free agent option who plays an average center field and complements the existing prospect the franchise is grooming as its center fielder of the future. With Steven Duggar rising through the Minor Leagues, San Francisco has a left-handed player who can cover a massive amount of ground and eventually provide a presence at the top of the order. While Evans has talked openly about the possibility of Duggar playing center field on Opening Day, Jackson’s presence allows Duggar to gain more seasoning at the Minor League level. If Jackson struggles, that .352 average against left-handers will be key, because the Giants can promote Duggar to platoon with Jackson once he’s ready.
Because Jackson is owed just $3 million next season, San Francisco can easily cut ties with him if it doesn’t work out, or trade him next offseason to clear room for Duggar and add another prospect to a franchise in need. With Pence, Jackson and McCutchen (from left-to-right) now slated to start on Opening Day, the Giants are geared up to contend for a Wild Card berth in 2018, while still prepared to embrace a younger, more athletic future through free agency next offseason.
Jackson might not be the center fielder the Giants opened the offseason with their hearts set on, but after adding Longoria and McCutchen to the roster over the last month, San Francisco now believes Jackson can assist the team in the present, while opening up avenues for the franchise to compete in the future.