© Jasen Vinlove | 2020 Sep 15
Another Farhan Zaidi offseason, another case of the stove being turned on but not quite heating up.
The Giants have done things. They filled out their rotation with free agent acquisitions Anthony DeSclafani and Alex Wood. They’ve taken fliers on position players Jay Jackson, Arismendy Alcantara, Matt Wisler and backup catcher Curt Caseli. Still the offseason, like the previous two before it, has been without the splashes that Giants fans became accustomed to during the Brian Sabean regime.
Those fans might have to wait another offseason for a true head-turner, but a few more notable signings may be on the horizon in the coming weeks. According to Susan Slussar of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Giants are currently targeting veterans Jackie Bradley Jr. and Eddie Rosario as options to fill out the outfield for 2021.
Both should come relatively cheap, and would provide another lefty bat that the Giants have been targeting. They’d also provide pop, though how much depends on what version of each player you’re getting. Bradley, 30, hit 26 home runs in Boston while making the All-Star team in 2016 and launched 21 in 2019, but sandwiched seasons of 13 and 17 in between. Rosario, 29, hit a career-high 32 with the Twins in 2019, and 13 in just 57 games last year.
Bradley’s primary appeal for the Giants is defense and versatility. He won a Gold Glove in 2018 as a centerfielder but can play all three outfield positions. His overall production at the plate could be described as solid, though he’s coming off a 2020 season that saw him post numbers (.283/.364/.450), that exceeded his career averages (.239/.321/.412). Rosario has more value at the plate (career slash line of .310/.478/.788), but is average defensively and more suited to a corner spot.
Though they have options, Mike Yastrzemski enters 2021 as the only sure thing in the outfield, with the injury prone Alex Dickerson and inconsistent Maurico Dubon the favorites to feature heavily, and Darin Ruf as a platoon option. It remains to be seen if Bradley Jr. or Rosario are the right additions for that group, but it would be a shock if somebody isn’t before spring training commences.