The Giants will leave no stone unturned this offseason in search of major roster upgrades, and will likely go all-in on nearly every top free agent on the market.
Outside of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, San Francisco’s two biggest needs are starting pitching at the top of the rotation and an upgrade in center field. The Giants will likely acquire free agents like Blake Snell, Sonny Gray, and Cody Bellinger, but their best bet is probably to address those needs through the international free agent market.
Here’s how the top three overseas free agents fit with the Giants.
RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Other than Ohtani, Yamamoto is the main player this offseason. The 25-year-old ace has won the Pacific League MVP twice, the Eiji Sawamura Award (Japan’s Cy Young Award) three times, and won the Triple Crown three times with the Orix Buffaloes in the Japan Baseball League (NPB). did.
In seven seasons with NPB, Yamamoto has a career record of 70 wins, 29 losses, and a 1.82 ERA in 897 innings pitched, with 922 strikeouts and 206 walks. Yamamoto, who just finished the 2023 season in which he pitched 164 innings with a modest record of 16 wins, 6 losses, and an ERA of 1.21, is one of the best free agent pitchers in the league, including current Snell and National League Cy Young Award winner. standing on top.
The 5-foot-10 right-hander has a 95-99 mph fastball, as well as a splitter, curveball and cutter. It’s also worth noting that the level of play in NPB is often compared to that of Triple-A for MiLB players. Simply put, he earned his promotion to the big leagues.
Giants Director of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi and General Manager Pete Putilla came to Japan earlier this offseason to scout Yamamoto, and Zaidi said in an interview with NBC Sports Bay that Japan’s ace is a “worldwide player.” He went so far as to say that he is one of the top starting pitchers. area.
situation: Posted (45-day period ends January 4th)
Contract predictions based on MLB trade rumors: 9 years, $225 million
CF Lee Jung Hoo
Bellinger is the top free agent center fielder this offseason, but Lee may be the Giants’ best overall fit. San Francisco is obsessed with Lee and has scouted him three times.
The 25-year-old is a former shortstop who switched to center field in 2017 at the age of 18 after signing with the Nexen Heroes, a minor league affiliate of the Korea Baseball Organization’s (KBO) Kiwoom Heroes.
Lee is the son of legendary shortstop Jong Beom Lee, who played a combined 20 seasons in Japan’s KBO and NPB.
Young Lee has built quite the career for himself, hitting .349/.421/.575 with 32 (!!) strikeouts in 553 at-bats, 23 home runs, 113 RBIs, and a .996 OPS, earning him the KBO MVP award in 2022. was awarded. Turn at bat. Lee’s 2023 season was cut short due to his ankle injury, but he hit .318/.406/.455 with six home runs and 45 RBIs in 86 games.
At 6-foot-1, Lee has excellent bat-to-ball skills and his strikeout numbers speak for themselves. In addition to his hitting talent, Lee is also a solid defender as a center fielder. The only quibble, or hesitation per se, with Lee is that he comes from a league where the average velocity of his fastball is about 88 mph in the KBO compared to 93 mph in MLB. As such, his strikeouts may increase as he adjusts early.
The level of play in the KBO is considered to be somewhere between MLB’s Double-A and Triple-A.
situation: May be posted in early December (30 day period)
Contract predictions based on MLB trade rumors: $50 million in 5 years
LHP Shota Imanaga
Imanaga has been a bit under the radar this offseason with Yamamoto being the main international focus, but he is looking to pursue an MLB career in 2024 and will be the starting pitcher in free agency for his fellow countryman. They are considered to be on a lower level than the players.
Imanaga is a 30-year-old left-handed pitcher who plays for NPB’s Yokohama BayStars, and has had solid results over eight seasons in the league. Imanaga finished the 2023 season with a record of 7 wins, 4 losses, an ERA of 2.80, 174 strikeouts, and 24 walks in 148 innings pitched.
The 5-foot-10 left-hander has a four-seam fastball in the low to mid-90s, a curveball, a changeup, and a slider, and he has solid control over all of his pitches.
It remains to be seen if the Giants have scouted Imanaga, and while he doesn’t fit into the top of the rotation that Zaidi said the Giants are targeting this offseason, he would certainly be interesting if San Francisco drafted him. May be an option. A wider net.
Imanaga, along with Otani and Yamamoto, contributed to the Japanese team’s victory in the World Baseball Classic last spring, and also started in the championship game against the American team, pitching two innings, giving up one run and striking out two. Ta.
situation: May be posted this week (45 day period)
Contract predictions based on MLB trade rumors: $85 million in 5 years
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