The Giants are only 2-7 in their last nine games, but the club remains a factor in the playoff race. With a 47-41 record for the season, San Francisco is 3.5 games behind the Diamondbacks for first place in the NL West, and 1.5 games out of a NL wild card position. While obviously a lot could still happen between now and the August 1 trade deadline, the Giants are preparing at this point to be buyers, and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi highlighted one particular target area.
“We’ve got to at least evaluate what we have in the middle infield,” Zaidi told reporters, including Evan Webeck of the Bay Area News Group and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. “Kind of just keep an eye on the market and see if there’s someone that can be impactful there and weigh that against continuing to give opportunities to Casey [Schmitt] and Brett [Wisely].”
Both second base and shortstop seemed pretty reasonably well covered less than a week ago, yet the loss of Thairo Estrada to a fractured hand delivered a major blow to both the middle infield picture and to San Francisco’s lineup as a whole. Estrada was playing the majority of games at second base while also chipping in at shortstop, so his absence weakens the Giants at both positions. Brandon Crawford remains the starting shortstop, while the rookie duo of Schmitt and Wisely figure to be the top options at second base, with veteran Wilmer Flores likely to get some work at the keystone as well.
Estrada’s recovery timeline is a little fluid, but he is expected to be out for 4-6 weeks, so it is quite possible he might not be back prior to the trade deadline. Even if Estrada is able to return on the lower end of that timeline, that leaves the Giants shorthanded in the middle infield for a lot of crucial games in July. Zaidi could try to swing a trade sooner rather than later, but since there’s still a lot of time until August 1, teams are likely to still have pretty high asking prices on any notable middle infielders who might be available.
Beyond the middle infield, there’s a bit more of a wait-and-see perspective about other possible needs heading int othe deadline. “We’ll have to see how it goes with the outfield the next couple of weeks, but we like the options that we have there,” Zaidi said, and the PBO also noted that the Giants expect some outfielders back from the injured list in the second half. Heliot Ramos is already on a Triple-A rehab assignment and looks to be nearing a return from his oblique strain, while the Giants continue to aim for early September as Mitch Haniger’s return date from forearm surgery.
Zaidi also provided an update on Luis Gonzalez, who hasn’t played this season after undergoing back surgery in mid-March. Gonzalez has been working out at the team’s Spring Training facilities and could soon start playing in Complex League games. His initial recovery timeline ruled him out until at least last June, so while he is a little behind schedule, Zaidi said the outfielder “could be a factor for us in August.”
Since all teams are forever on the lookout for starting pitching, Zaidi acknowledged that the Giants would check in on “a front-of-the-rotation arm that becomes available….You can always fit that.” However, in terms of overall pitching needs, Zaidi said “I don’t really see us adding starting rotation depth because we like the guys that we have in that category.”
Alex Cobb, Alex Wood, Ross Stripling, Anthony DeSclafani, and John Brebbia have all spent time on the IL this season, with DeSclafani (shoulder fatigue) and Brebbia (lat strain) currently sidelined. The latter two hurlers could both be back in the window between the All-Star break and the trade deadline, so the Giants might finally have a chance to see what their rotation looks like when fully healthy.
“What we’re hoping to see in the next two or three weeks leading up the deadline is a little bit more definition and clarity on the pitching staff,” Zaidi said. “We would love to have a group of five guys that just get the ball every fifth day. Even though we’ve had success in the bullpen games and we’ve got guys that are willing to buy in, I think it’s just the most comfortable thing for everybody. Just have a five-man rotation and be giving five guys the ball every fifth day and try to get deep into games. Hopefully we start seeing a little bit more of that over the next two or three weeks.”
The other x-factor surrounding the pitching staff is top prospect Kyle Harrison, and Zaidi said that the team had initially considered calling Harrison up for his MLB debut prior to the All-Star break in order to include him in the Giants’ broader evaluations of their rotation plans. However, Harrison suffered a right hamstring strain earlier this week, and Slusser estimates that he could miss roughly 3-6 weeks.
One of the more highly-regarded pitching prospects in baseball, Harrison’s first season at Triple-A has been inconsistent, as he has a 4.79 ERA over 56 1/3 innings and 17 starts. While the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League is a challenge for any young hurler, Harrison’s 17.3% walk rate is a sizeable red flag, yet the Giants might feel that pitching in the majors (and getting direct help from the big league coaching staff) might be a better adjustment phase for Harrison than continuing in the PCL.
This injury might also erase whatever small chance there might have been of a Harrison trade prior to the deadline, though there was no indication that San Francisco was looking to move a pitcher who projects to be a big part of the future. Logan Webb is the only Giants starter under contract beyond the 2024 season, as the bulk of the rotation is comprised of veteran starters on shorter-term contracts.
Erod and Ibanez for Schmitt and Bart as a base for a deal?
Bart has no value to Detroit. Maybe if he was an offensive catcher, but he’s not. Dingler or even Knapp, from Toledo are better options.
I like the looks of Schmitt at 3B. He could be a useful long term piece there and Harris k ows him from SF Bart can be depth at Toledo, until/if he shows something. Catchers take longer to develop, so I think the jury is still out on him. Look at Rogers as an example…he has been good this year. I don’t know how much longer Haase will survive. I like him but he is not playing well unfortunately. If they end up cutting Haase bring Dingler up and let him show what he has.
“What we’re hoping to see in the next two or three weeks leading up the deadline is a little bit more definition and clarity on the pitching staff,” Zaidi said.
I think we’ve already seen enough. The Giants are carrying 4 pitchers who simply aren’t good enough to go beyond 3-4 innings (Wood, Stripling, Manaea and DeScalfani). More than another infielder (Schmitt is the long term answer at SS) the Giants need to go out and get a Shane Bieber or Jordan Montgomery because after Webb and Cobb and Winn there are only Openers. Openers will kill the already over taxed bullpen.
It will mean giving up a Major League outfielder and two prospects (Bart & Ramos?), but it has to get done. And no rentals!
Bart and Ramos make up the poor man’s mario mendoza line hitters – what exactly are you expecting in return them?!
I think Bart, in particular, is still an interesting project for many teams, the potential upside being worth a look—especially as he’s a good defensive catcher now and catchers are the hardest to find.
Ramos, on the other hand, is a throw-in I think at this stage, although not without some upside potential too. I think it’s going to take a Major League bat and some lower level (but high potential) prospects to land the kind of starting pitcher the Giants need. Because without one this year (and maybe next) the Giants are middle of the pack—better than last year but aways from real contention.
If a team is 6 games over .500 and 1.5 games out of the wild card, you shouldn’t even have to ask if they are going to be buyers or sellers. It is a ridiculous notion that any team that close to the playoffs would sell, even though it has happened in the past.
The notion that all of these rule changes have hurt the game is not really accurate in my opinion. The worst thing that ever happened to baseball was free agency. Now instead of trading from surplus areas to enhance weak areas teams are forced to “get something” for their players that are going to leave after the season ends. I understand selling off if you are hopelessly out of it, like Oakland, KC, or my Rockies. But any team over .500 should not be sellers at all. Even if it means losing out on a prospect that may or may not make it in 3 years.
Genuinely curious, how would you fix free agency? Salary cap or max contracts maybe?
The way I would fix it would be to eliminate it altogether. That way teams would be more accountable to their ability to draft projectable talent than just who can afford to buy the best players this offseason. But I know that would never work.
And please don’t get started on players having freedom. These guys are compensated more than fairly to play wherever they are told. If my boss ordered me to work in Alaska or Death Valley, I would do it for the millions these guys make knowing I could retire comfortably in my 30s. But again, I know it would never work.
I guess I am just in a pipe dreaming mood this morning.
Realistic answer would be a salary cap and a salary floor similar to the NFL where teams can only spend within a range and everyone is on relatively equal footing. I would also implement a midpoint in the range. If a team is below that midpoint for three consecutive years, they would forfeit their first round draft pick.
I would also like to see something like the NBA where a player has financial incentive to re-sign with his original team. I don’t want to see anything like max salaries because the NBA has too many lesser guys getting max salaries. I would like to see a max YEARS. Perhaps a player could re-sign with his current team for 8years while other clubs could only sign for 6 years. Or something like that. The bad free agent destinations need some type of incentive for players to go there. Not many would really want to play in Colorado or Pittsburgh or Cincinnati when you could play in much better weather cities or much bigger endorsement possibilities like Boston, LA, or NY..
I would also invert the draft positions so that the best team that does not make the playoffs gets the #1 pick instead of the worst. It would be best record excluding playoff teams until you get to the worst record, then the playoff teams could be added worst to best. I t is time we stop rewarding losing in pro sports. If you want to get better, then draft better. Or spend on free agents. Or make better trades. That would stop a lot of the fire sales because then every game would matter to every team in August and September. It would help the integrity of the game.
honestly, that is a great idea
Unless there is something in your plan to equal out the market sizes (impossible), the large market teams will always have the advantage. If you cap the salary, they make more profit. If you put on a salary floor, it limits the profits of the small markets. If last place teams don’t get better picks, they will remain in last and competitive balance will be gone (the beatings will continue until morale improves). Just acknowledge that because of NYY having a Market 9X the size of KC, it can’t be a level playing field, and the current system is actually allowing a fair amount of balance.
Styme, with the exception of publicly owned teams like the braves, most owners not named fisher, are not in it for profit. Don’t get me wrong they are not looking to lose money but most of them make enough from other business interests that owning a team is more a status symbol like owning a large yacht or a race horse than a profit motivation. So as long as all teams can be profitable and there is no real reason they can not with monopolized markets in all cases outside of NY Chi LA and currently the Bay Area, I don’t know that a system that makes large markets more profitable than small markets due to a salary cap is a bad move. Yes LA and Chicago would make more than Miami and Tampa, but if both those teams are profitable maxing out the cap I think this would encourage them to spend on par with the bigger markets and ensure parity in the league. Truth is currently there is quite a bit of parity on the league already even with owners like fisher. NY has won one WS in the last 14 seasons and LA one with an asterisk. KC and STL the same in that time. Except for a couple of trash can beaters and one hall of fame catcher in SF Boston a city of less than a million people has had the greatest success in the last decade and a half, and if you go back to the start of the century the greatest success of all MLB. NY, LA, Chicago Houston and SF all bigger markets than Boston have struggled to keep up. And I say that as some one who can’t stand massholes. So perhaps we shouldn’t worry so much about parity before markets.
@hammarin hank. What about eliminating contract all together. Players would be free to leave at the end of every season once they get past arbitration the same way as a private sector employee can change jobs at will. I would say at any time but then you would have players leaving to play for contenders on September. Not advocating for that, just throwing it out there to provoke thought about how something like that might work, maybe a realistic cap like 180 million or so, and players have to join a team by Jan 15 each year. Or maybe 225 but expand mlb rosters to 30 players to reduce the impact of injury on a team, by allowing them to sign major league depth pieces. Just a hypothetical I thought might be interesting.
They get high picks now and aren’t competitive. There have been MANY superstars drafted in the teens and 20s in the draft. Mike Trout was #25. Besides, with a salary floor, these last place teams won’t be able to trade off everyone with a salary just to profit and will win more games. Or at least be competitive.
And those small markets don’t even pick the best guys a lot of the time. They pick signable guys under slot so they can pick up overslot guys later.
New York is just as much bigger than KC in the NFL and it seems to be fairly level. New York is just as much bigger in the NBA and are not better. New York is just as big in the NHL and balance is there. Why can’t it work in MLB if these ideas are attempted?
I don’t like the idea simply because there would be no real way to root for a team over the long haul. I am a Rockies fan. I know there are better options out there than Charlie Blackmon in 2023, but I still want to see Chuck batting as long as he wants to be in Denver. He is a Rockies icon. I want to see young guys grow with the team and learn as they progress through their career.
I don’t want to see an entirely new team every year. That would get boring very quickly. By the time you started to learn the tendencies of players, the season would be over. It’s also a big reason why I don’t follow college hoops much anymore.
World Series titles comes down to luck and who gets hot in October. Any team can beat any other team in a series. The A’s have won a series or two this year. The playoffs are all luck, so you can’t judge parity based on just winning a championship.
You can look at payroll numbers versus playoff appearances. I am going off memory here so bear with me if I am not 100% accurate. But it is close I know. In 2022, 10 of the top 12 payrolls made the playoffs including all of the top 6. There were only two of the 18 lower payrolls to make it, Cleveland and Tampa, so it can be done. But the parity problem is that those big payroll clubs almost always have a chance at the title. Small market teams MIGHT get a chance once every 5-7 years or so. To me, that is a significant problem for a league.
I think there should be rewards for playoff appearances or better yet penalties for multiple non playoff appearances. I’m talking about financial rewards and penalties for owners. Sort of like a non-competitive tax. This would encourage less teams to sell at the deadline. I know teams go through rebuilds. So there would have to be wiggle room, but there should be some kind of incentive for smaller markets to try and get that Wild Card if they’re close. It’s a wild idea, and not particularly well fleshed out right now. Just the seed of an idea really.
Eliminate free agency altogether? Now there’s a pipe dream for people who are jealous of the players and of how much money they make.
There is already a financial penalty for missing the playoffs. It’s missing out on stadium sellouts during the postseason. 30,000 tickets is not exactly chump change in addition to concession sales and the like.
I thought front offices weren’t supposed to offer any ideas as to what their deadline plans were? smh
Why shaking your head? No “cats” were let out of “the bag”. Just very general, no surprise, comments with a little posturing to other GMs. And no opposing players were mentioned. When Webecj/Slusser ask about a specific player, like Harrison, should FZ answer “no comment”. That would create more questions from them. What should FZ have talked about Yeti or should he just not agree to the interview and therefore create more mystery and some resulting sportswriter innuendo.
Sometimes it’s in your interest to let your partners know what your plans are, Sometimes it’s not. That’s why you often hear GMs(Cashman all the time)state their actual intentions before the trading deadline.
Send Bart to ChiSox. Maybe Giants would be interested in Tim Anderson or one of the pitchers (Giolito, Lynn, or relievers)
Give ’em a Lynn/Anderson package and promise them a rose garden.
Very well done sir. I doubt a lot of people will get it, but I got it.
The ones who don’t get it are saying “I beg your pardon?”
never DCartrow
This is the worst situation the Giants could be in. The last thing you want to do is ship off prospects, especially good ones, for rental players that still may not be enough help (see Bryan Reynolds, Zach Wheeler). On the other hand, you don’t want them giving up little in the way of prospects but taking on big contracts that will hamper their free agent spending. Chances are, those big contracts aren’t living up to expectations anyway. Lastly, they way the Giants do things anyway, they won’t make a big splash, they will overpay for guys that are mediocre and won’t really be enough to take out the teams ahead of them or get past the wild card round. I say all this as a Giants fan.
Work out a trade with Detroit, and pick up Schoop for a fraction of hos contract. Good glove and never got the opportunity to work out of his funk as a sometimes, right handed half of a platoon.
Bart is definitely a trade chip. I like how we have acquired a lot of middling talent. Where we were the last few years has been about there. And we’ve had success doing so. Diamonds in the rough so to speak. And if you look at the Mets and Pads, you can’t buy wins. Sometimes the chemistry gets all messed up.
I think the Giants are still needing some time for Harrison and Matos to make an impact. Guys like that. Maybe next season to really see what they’re made of. Those are the guys that you build around.
With the recent surge id say Farhan is safe with his job. As is Kapler and his staff. They have really done an excellent job getting wins with what they have. So much depth. Again no world beaters, but the old adage from the previous regime, keep the line moving is alive and well. I enjoy it. Strikeouts are killer. They have ebbed and flowed up and down. Probably have been better of late. Walks are excellent. Power is hot and cold, as that can happen. Defense is better. Although Craw is definitely past his prime.
Second base trade is probably going to happen. I don’t think they get a huge name. As they like Estrada. I’d like to see them take a flyer on a Lance Lynn type. Huge Guy. Heavy Strikeouts. Maybe take a flyer for the second half stretch and if he doesn’t fit, let him walk. Farhan doesn’t like to deal His Guys. But again, His Guys are minor leaguers we need as of now. Sans Bart.
It’s really going to come down to Health. And the guys we have. Maybe some additions. A cheap pitcher. An infielder. Maybe a bullpen guy if we can swing it. But we have the team, for this stretch run. Let’s see if they can climb back, slumps happen. Better to happen now, than later.
Jonathon Schoop is now available. Rather not have him but it sounds like a Farhan move waiting to happen.
More than anything, the Giants need a solid #2 or #3 starting pitcher who is NOT a rental. Because next year’s rotation (with or without Harrison) looks grim.
They will resign Cobb other than that its a plus to let Manea, and disco walk
Yes but unfortunately they can’t let Manaea walk. He’s signed through 2024, and I’m not sure he’s worth the remaining $12.5M on his contract. Maybe if the Giants pitch in some cash.
And SF has Stripling on the same contract as Manaea, through 2024. There’s a lot of weeding to get done.
They need to find a 2B quickly to sub for Thairo and sent Schmitt back down. He’s one for July and needs to go back to AAA and learn more. His bat’s not fully ready. Matos needs to go back for the same reasons.
Harold Castro or Alan Trejo of the Rockies would be good stopgaps at second base. They are not stars, but are good enough to cover a position adequately for a time. The Rox have Rodgers coming back soon and will probably squeeze playing time from both of them. Personally, I would rather trade Trejo since he is a likely non-tender after the year and Castro is more suited to a versatile utility role.
I’m thinking Mauricio Dubon would look really good on the Giants about now.
No thanks. Yeah, he’s having a career year, but is that sustainable? His bWAR this season is less than half his career total, 2.2 for ’23 and 4.1. for his career. And BB Ref is much more bullish on him than FanGraphs. His fWAR for ’23 is 1.3, and 2.7 for his career. He has a sub-.300 OBP for his career. He doesn’t strike out, but he also doesn’t walk much, and has little power.
If he were available for little to nothing fine, but not worth giving up anything. And if your point was they shouldn’t have traded him in the first place, it wasn’t about who they got in trade but freeing up a 40-man roster spot.
You’re a complete and total Bafoon.
Each and everyone of your responses has overtones of arrogance ;it’s almost as if you have standing within the Organization.
It’s funny because you actually buy into your own baloney.
Misspelling words like buffoon, when spell check exists, indicates someone’s not all that sharp.
He’s never looked good in a Giants uniform.
The Bigger question is what prospects and or vets would they consider moving to land “an impactful middle infielder or a “Frontline Starting Pitcher”?
Luciano and the Aforementioned Harrison are the only Two Players in the Farm System that would entice Sellers, unless they want to gut the entire AA roster; Young Arms and All.
Most of the guys being moved by sellers are going to be rentals. And if they’re rentals, sellers can’t expect to get anything close to someone like Luciano or Harrison in return.
There’s plenty in the system to entice a seller. The Giants have 5 prospects with a 45 FV, and another 8 with a 40+ FV. The Giants were able to acquire Kris Bryant for a guy with a 45 FV, along with another guy that wasn’t even in their top 40 prospects.
Rentals just don’t bring back much. What most hope for is finding a guy who’ll develop. BTW Camilo Doval had only a 40 FV in 2021, and they have 14 guys with a 40 FV in their system now.
Don’t kid yourself Bud ,Teams aren’t interested in the likes of Wade Meckler or Vaun Brown.
The vast majority of Giants prospects have very limited upside.
No need to be condescending… Bud.
I offered a real world example of the true trade value of rentals, and all I get from you is a generalization of what you think without factual support. Useless.
Don’t delude yourself in your own self-determined analysis of Giants prospects. My take, purely opinion I admit, is you’re clueless to prospect vale in any organization.
You’re obviously projecting and what I’ve gleaned from your absent minded responses is that you Suffer from Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
What’s funny is that you feel Special for siting readily available analytics “Self Determined Analysis”? I apologize my initial Diagnosis was incorrect you’re obviously Special Needs- Adios Boboso.
So when someone calls you out for simply being wrong, first you feel the need first to condescend, then double down with insults. Compensating much?
You’re trying very hard to show you’re smarter than me, but that failed mightily when you wrote ‘siting’ instead of ‘citing.
I’d say nice try, sparky, except it wasn’t.
Just another Dullard who gets a Dopamine Boost from listening to his own futile arguments; that are completely devoid of critical thought.
You’re knowledge of the Game of Baseball and the Giants in particular is rudimentary at best.
You haven’t called me out on Jack Squat and you haven’t provided any real world examples of anything;the Kris Bryant Trade Two Years ago are u frickin Kidding me?
You didn’t even know who Camilo Doval was prior to 2019.
You’re a Self Proclaimed expert who recycles readily available information provided bye stooges who have never held any position within a Major League Organization and this Speaks to your Intellectual Superiority?
You have to be one of thee Densest ppl I’ve ever had the misfortune of having a verbal spat with.
And you’re a real charming guy. You must be fun to hang with.
A two year-old trade is still relevant as a real world example. Your rejection of the validity is just clutching at straws.
I never claimed to know much about Doval in 2019. So what? I never claimed to be expert on anything. I’ve been wrong before, and undoubtedly will again, but apparently, unlike you, I can admit when I’m am.
Your posts are simply about personal attack and therefore lack substance of any kind; easily dismissed.
I find it funny that Luis Gonzalez has played so little, but has been used as a mop-up pitcher so many times that Baseball Reference lists him as an outfielder and pitcher.
Well he keeps the ball in play – he may not K but only has given one walk
All that is true except this is his first extended playing time and all his peripherals look to be sustainable.He is already at career high in PA before the ASB.
He certainly isn’t perfect. He will never walk or hit for power, but is a great defender at 4+ positions who hits and runs enough to not hurt in other areas.
Obviously they traded him just to avoid DFAing him since they DFA’d the guy they received just a week or so later. Sometimes the 40 man sucks.
He has been an absolute savior for Houston this year eith Altuve missing over 1/2 the games with multiple injuries.
How many mental lapses on the bases and forgetting how many outs there are. If it’s less than 10 times this season he’s improving.
Hey, don’t get me wrong, He’s been good for the Astros, They have a role for him and it’s working. He didn’t really fit with the Giants, and I’m happy he’s found some success.
I just believe that losing Dubon was not regrettable for the Giants. Maybe in this current, odd, short-term, multiple injury situation, his services could have helped. But to try and keep him last season, and this one, just for this spate of injuries doesn’t make sense to me. I think it’s better that he’s in Houston.
I get that.
He’s best as the 12th or 13th position player on the bench. But if a team can put him there they should be very good.
And like on the current Astros and Giants he is hugely valuable if a starting middle infielder goes down and there is need
And to be honest I do not recall a single mental lapse on the bases or field. Unlike Altuve who runs himself into an out every 5th game or so
I respectfully disagree. He was horrible on the bases and in the field. His lack of baseball smarts was put up with for awhile because he did hit when he was playing. He just didn’t know where to run once he hit the ball. He cost the Giants numerous rallies. Kapler and his teammates were very frustrated (pissed)with his aloofness. And then he would smile about his f—ups. He is a little older now and maybe he’s matured some and learned some things because the talent is there and Dusty wouldn’t put up with it as long as Kapler did. His problems with the Giants were self inflicted and then he trashes the Giants after he left. Giants players and management took the high road. Glad he’s gone and happy Dusty is getting the most out of him for now.
I have no idea how he was in SF.
He was god-awful in Houston last year but has saved the Astros season so far in 2023.
Schmidt is Minor league material. He has 1 hr since high A with ops
700. Lol
You are too short sighted. Schmitt will be an everyday player in the Majors and with the Giants.
Think the Giants are going to pursue Ohtani this offseason? Hopefully not to only be used by his agent to drive up the astronomical contract he is going to get, similar to Judge and Harper?
The Giants definitely have the money and financial flexibility to go after Ohtani, and what a get he would be for them and the Bay Area as a whole. I don’t think Giants fans can take another heartbreak.
Also, do think the Padres would consider trading Soto?
I think any team that has the resources, and a halfway decent shot, should absolutely go after Ohtani. The Giants fit that description, so I think they should. You’re right, the deal will be astronomical, and I think it will exceed the Judge and Harper deals significantly. Probably the first $500M+ contract.
I think what Preller does in SD is difficult to predict. It’s hard to imagine them re-signing him once he becomes a FA, since I don’t think they can extend him. But with the big contracts to Tatis, Machado, and Bogaerts, can they add another? At some point it has to become unsustainable. But your guess is as good as mine.
Prediction: The Giants will finish second in sweepstakes for Ohtani. Went out on a big limb there didn’t I? Lol. And Casey Schmitt will probably be the Giants starting shortstop next year. He needs to make adjustments with the bat, but he can be a gold glover at some point and I think he will be a solid hitter once he makes the normal rookie adjustments. He kind of got thrown into the fire this year with all the injuries.
Unfortunately I have to agree. Early word is there’s mutual interest between Ohtani and the Dodgers.
There’s no doubt that his glove plays, but I’m still not sure Schmitt will hit enough for a starting role. Maybe they can get him to take more of the approach that Matos has, but sometimes free-swingers will always be that. Not sure that he has the bat to ball skills needed to succeed as a free-swinger. Some guys can still drive balls out of the strike zone, but more guys with that approach fail than succeed. Not writing him off, but, as you say he needs to make adjustments.
I agree that Matos sees a lot of pitches in most of his at bats. And that was a surprise because he was completely the opposite in the minors. I really think he’s going to be an important piece for this year yet and I think he’ll also be on the Giant Opening Day roster next year depending on what free agents they may or may not sign. I also think he’s going to be a decent home run hitter in time
Step 1) Overpay Angels to rent Ohtani for the rest of the season.
Step 2) Spend the rest of the season convincing Ohtani that SF is where he really wants to be….instead of the Dodgers or Yanks.