After hitting a league-worst 128 home runs last season, the San Francisco Giants finally have a middle-of-the-order centerpiece to build their lineup around.
On Monday, general manager Bobby Evans traded reliever Kyle Crick and outfield prospect Bryan Reynolds to Pittsburgh in exchange for five-time All-Star Andrew McCutchen. Following a season in which first baseman Brandon Belt led the club with 18 home runs, the Giants added a power threat who’s hit 20 home runs in each of the last seven campaigns and a player who blasted 28 home runs last year.
With McCutchen, Buster Posey and Evan Longoria now on the roster, the Giants have three right-handed hitters who can do damage wherever manager Bruce Bochy decides to pencil them into San Francisco’s order. On Wednesday morning, Evans joined Gary & Larry on KNBR and discussed the composition of the Giants’ lineup, noting that while McCutchen has experience as a No. 3 and No. 4 hitter, he could wind up serving as the team’s leadoff man.
“I think so,” Evans said, when asked if there’s a possibility McCutchen could lead off. “He (McCutchen) could hit first, second, third, fourth, anywhere in our lineup up there. I think there’s a possibility (of leading off), it really depends on the makeup of the club at the end.”
Evans suggested the Giants would consider batting McCutchen first, Joe Panik second, Buster Posey third, Longoria fourth, Brandon Belt fifth, Hunter Pence sixth and Brandon Crawford seventh, while whomever the team selects as its center fielder would hit eighth.
The Giants may tab an internal option like prospect Steven Duggar or Gorkys Hernandez as their Opening Day center fielder, but Evans indicated the team is still pursuing alternatives on the free agent and trade markets. While high-profile center fielders like Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich are more difficult for the Giants to acquire, San Francisco might turn to a cheap free agent like Jarrod Dyson or Cameron Maybin.
If the team adds a proven veteran who can hit for average and play center field, McCutchen might slide back into the middle of the order, but Evans also said Bochy will likely tinker with the lineup for matchup purposes.
Replacing Crick
After a promising rookie season, Crick is off to Pittsburgh to join former Giants’ reliever George Kontos in the Pirates’ bullpen.
Crick didn’t figure to pitch in late-inning situations for San Francisco, but clearly worked his way into the Giants’ plans at the big league level for the 2018 season. With McCutchen now on board, the Giants have a hole to fill, and Evans presented a handful of pitchers who might be able to fill the void.
“Derek Law is still a guy that we look at as a constant for our bullpen,” Evans said. “Quite frankly, we still want to see more out of Josh Osich and Steven Okert from the left side. We do have some depth, we’ll also add some other non-roster invite guys and there’s still a plethora of guys on the free agent market we’re talking to.”
Outside of Law, who made his debut with the Giants in 2016, San Francisco might look at Reyes Moronta to replace Crick as a bridge to the late innings. Moronta appeared in seven games last season and has a hard fastball that he’s able to work to either side of the plate, but the Giants are concerned about Moronta’s conditioning.
During his interview with Gary & Larry, Evans also pointed out that Rule-5 draft choice Julian Fernandez will receive plenty of opportunities to impress the coaching staff this spring. If Fernandez doesn’t spend the entire season on the Giants’ Major League roster, the club will have to offer Fernandez back to the Colorado Rockies, so there’s incentive for the team to speed along the prospect’s development.
“We look at Julian Fernandez as a Rule-5 draft pick throwing 97-98 with a pretty good breaking ball as a guy that as a Rule 5 draft pick, we’ve got to give him every look,” Evans said. “Hopefully that means taking him into the season in April and giving him a chance in April and May.”
A pair of other potential long relievers, Ty Blach and Tyler Beede, will start Spring Training with a chance to compete for the fifth slot in the Giants’ starting rotation. Even though Beede has never pitched above AAA, the Giants believe he’s close to being Major League ready and it’s possible the player who loses out on a coveted starting job could wind up in the bullpen.
To listen to Evans’ full interview with Gary & Larry, click the podcast link below.