by
Greek Giant
As Surf Maui and I were watching the Nationals play the Red Sox in a Grapefruit League game on a perfect sunny afternoon in West Palm Beach, we kept going back to the same topic: Who is going to play outfield for the Giants? Will Zaidi and Bochy really use Spring Training as a form of dress rehearsal to evaluate candidates old and new like Cameron Maybin, Steven Duggar, Mac Williamson and Chris Shaw?
It is hard to fathom that the Giants have so little established Major League caliber depth in their outfield. Duggar is far from a proven commodity though he is promising. With many intriguing options still unsigned on the free agent market (Adam Jones, Bryce Harper… Oh crap!, Carlos Gomez…Oh Wait!) one wonders why the Giants have not made some relatively safe free agent signings. Of course, there could be other machinations going on behind the scenes like potential trades where the Giants could leverage some of their bullpen depth for prospects or middlin’ outfield talent..
It seems to me inconceivable that the Giants 40-man roster as it is constructed today will be identical or near it, come opening day. What got my mind thinking about this question is this: How the Giants Farhan Zaidi play the outfield gambit will tell reveal much about how they feel about this 2019 season.
Who knows how seriously they actually pursued Bryce Harper. Let’s assume their offer of 10 years and $300 million was legit, if so, this means the Giants actually are trying to win now AND rebuild at the same time. It’s a bit of a juggling act but I see the logic in this very generalized approach.
Here is what I am hoping for: A Williamson or a Shaw or both turns out to be a bona fide Major League player helping develop and anchor the Giants outfield, along with Steven Duggar of course, for the future. The Giants complement this young talent with Adam Jones….
What about moving Brandon Belt to left field on a regular basis and platooning Buster and Aramis Ramirez at first?
Does anyone have Barry’s phone number? I hear he is in great shape…
Ok, I know I’m grasping at straws here…. Someone please help me out..