San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Giants Could Fill Second Base Vacancy With 2-Time All-Star
The 2024 winter will be the start of a new era for the San Francisco Giants.
Former star catcher Buster Posey has been hired as the team’s president of baseball operations, taking over for the fired Farhan Zaidi. A new general manager will be hired as well, as the entire front office is being changed.
Whoever is hired by Posey to oversee operations with him will have a few needs to address in free agency. Right now, there are only a handful of players who are locks for the lineup in 2025.
Tyler Fitzgerald has emerged as a versatile building block, logging a majority of his innings at shortstop. Joining him on the dirt at the hot corner will be Matt Chapman, who signed a six-year, $151 million extension in early September.
Heliot Ramos was named an All-Star and will be playing in the outfield. The franchise hopes Jung Hoo Lee can bounce back after a tough first season in the MLB that ended with a shoulder injury.
Patrick Bailey will likely be back as the starting catcher, but one position that is in desperate need of an upgrade is second base.
Marco Luciano has yet to pan out at shortstop and could factor into the mix at the keystone. But, if the Giants look for help outside of the organization, one player to keep an eye on is Gleyber Torres.
A two-time All-Star earlier in his career with the New York Yankees, his time in the Bronx feels like it is coming to an end. Erik Beaston of Bleacher Report believes that San Francisco is a good match for him in free agency.
“The San Francisco Giants need a second baseman and could always use the spark of offense that Torres provides when he is “on.” Conversely, the seven-year man could use a change of scenery.
It is a mutually beneficial pairing, at least on paper, and one the Giants can likely make happen at a lower price than they would have had Torres hit the market a season or two ago,” the MLB expert wrote.
A lot went wrong for Torres in 2024. He was shaky in the field, leading second basemen with a career-high tying 18 errors. At the plate, his power numbers dropped and he struck out a ton.
But, he is still entering the prime of his career, turning 28 in December. A change of scenery could be exactly what he needs to get his career back on track.
The talent is certainly there. He was trending in the right direction down the stretch of 2024 and would be a sizable boost for the Giants’ lineup even if he doesn’t reach the All-Star level he did his first two seasons as a pro.