Following the lockout, the stove is piping hot as teams scramble to get prepared for Opening Day in three weeks.
The Giants have already made a few moves, including one of the offseason’s first splashes in the signing of All-Star starting pitcher Carlos Rodon.
More moves are possibly on the horizon according to VP of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, who told Tolbert & Copes on Tuesday that the team is looking at bringing in another second baseman as Tommy La Stella works his way back from Achilles surgery.
“I think the versatility of our current roster gives us more flexibility to fit a player in at different spots,” Zaidi said on KNBR. “It’s possible we bring somebody in who I guess could primarily play second base. And Tommy La Stella has the ability to move around and DH some. That’s a spot where we could look to add a bat, although we’re looking to get at-bats for Thairo Estrada and Mauricio Dubon. That’s something we kind of have to weigh against bringing in a veteran player.”
At second base the Giants might look at a player like Brock Holt.
Holt is a super utility player. For a team that may not re-sign Donovan Solano, second base depth helps. So does third base depth. And, really, any depth when you think about how the Giants value versatility.
The bat hasn’t been there for Holt since 2019, but perhaps the Giants see something in his swing they can tweak. And the veteran’s been a fantastic clubhouse presence his entire career.
Zaidi also mentioned the outfield, a position that may become even more of a target in the wake of Wednesday’s news that Alex Dickerson has signed with the Atlanta Braves.
“Then the outfield is kind of the same thing, obviously we’ve got LaMonte Wade and [Mike Yastrzemski] out there, Darin Ruf is probably going to play a good amount in the outfield. I thought he did a really nice job defensively in addition to the great offense he provided. Wilmer Flores is a guy who can play the infield who is probably going to DH a lot for us. That’s not even mentioning a guy like Steven Duggar who played great for us. We have the coverage right now in our position player group to have every position covered and have guys in roles that they’ve been in the past. I think in that sense we’re going to be a little bit opportunistic.
“Left-handed, right-handed … as much as anything we’re looking for a player who is going to be productive and be a good cultural fit for us and that gives us a few different options.”
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