The San Francisco Giants have a lot of work to do this winter on multiple fronts. However, with an expected budget that won’t rival the top spenders in Major League Baseball, the Giants might have a tough time signing any of the top players available.

Nearly every big-name free agent is expected to land a multi-year contract with a high AAV.

And then there’s Roki Sasaki.

Sasaki will be posted in the new year and can’t sign a big deal due to international rules. Japanese players have been attracted to the West Coast in recent offseasons, making this a potential pairing.

That doesn’t mean Sasaki will be like the rest and sign with a California team, but it’s been a selling point for teams on the West Coast.

There’s reason to believe he could want to play in San Francisco, too. The Giants are one of the most prominent brands in Major League Baseball, they seem to want to improve after the front-office moves they made, and Oracle Park is heaven for a pitcher.

Andrew Tredinnick of NorthJersey.com believes it’s a real possibility he ends up in San Francisco. He predicted the right-hander would sign with them over the Los Angeles Dodgers, who some have considered the favorites in the Sasaki sweepstakes.

“The Dodgers already made a splash to bring in Blake Snell, so Sasaki goes to the pitcher’s park to the north in California,” he wrote.

The Giants will have some work to do to persuade him. This free agency isn’t as easy as handing him a $300 million deal and walking away. Sasaki will have every other factor, aside from money, to help him decide.

There’s optimism when it comes to Oracle Park and it’s something San Francisco needs to sell. If he wants to eventually be paid like one of the top pitchers in Major League Baseball, having elite numbers at Oracle would help him with that.

Sasaki is good enough to come in and dominate, no matter where he plays, but his numbers could be drastically different depending on the park.

As of now, it remains uncertain where he’ll go. Grant Brisbee of The Athletic believes the Giants have a chance, although he added that others could have a better chance.

“A better chance than some. A much worse chance than some of the other teams who will pursue him, though. It’s easy to look at this as a Dodgers-Padres battle, but there are plenty of teams that might appeal to him,” he wrote.

Given San Francisco’s budget, he’s the top target this winter. Landing him as an international free agent would require a quality sales job by new president of baseball operations Buster Posey. But it would also be a coup for his new regime in his first offseason running the front office.

This is a list of the Bay Area’s most notable restaurant and bar openings, with new updates published once a week. Did we miss something great? Please, drop us a line.

December 3

NOPA — Geoffrey Lee, the chef behind Handroll Project and Michelin Guide-listed Ju-ni, debuts his next restaurant Hamburger Project on Wednesday, December 4, the San Francisco Standard reports. Located at 808 Divisadero, expect three styles of smash burger, a classic version with American cheese and housemade HP sauce, an Oklahoma-style onion burger with Peppadew peppers, and a Wisconsin butter burger. There are fries, of course, but the menu also gets punched up with the addition of yuzu-Tabasco sauce and a Tsar Nicoulai caviar upgrade.

OAKLAND — After a couple of months serving “Pakistani party food,” Oakland’s Gold Palm will debut the second part of the restaurant — “secret bar” Moonglow — on Wednesday, December 4. Owners Shirin Raza and Daniel Gahr also own nearby hi-fi listening bar, Bar Shiru, so expect a worthy sound system pumping music through the space alongside solid cocktails such as a 50/50 gin martini. Head to Gold Palm and find the door with a golden doorbell for entry; be warned, however, guests are prohibited from taking photos and videos inside.

OAKLAND — New “mezcal and espresso bar” Mixé is now embedded in the former Calavera space in Oakland and opens on Friday, December 6, East Bay Nosh reports. Pronounced “mee-hay,” the name references a group of indigenous people of Oaxaca. Nosh reports that during the restaurant’s first week, they’ll be open for dinner only before expanding to lunch service as of Friday, December 13.

OAKLAND — Bird-themed bar Little Bird opened in November at 435 13th Street, previously the home of Radio Bar, the Mercury News reports. Expect bold colors for the bar redesign and, surprisingly, a strong pickle selection thanks to Golden State Pickle Works. The new bar comes from Jennifer Seidman, who also owns Acme Bar & Company in Berkeley.

EMERYVILLE — Ramen Hiroshi opened its latest location at the Emeryville Public Market as of Friday, November 15, the E’ville Eye reports. It’s the restaurant’s fifth location in the Bay Area, serving Hakata-style ramen and other items.

SAN FRANCISCO – A passenger on the Ruby Princess is believed to have gone overboard ahead of the cruise ship’s arrival Monday in San Francisco, according to officials.

In a statement, Princess Cruises said the 72-year-old man was not found following an extensive review of closed-circuit television footage and several searches of the vessel.

“Having ruled out other possibilities, this is being treated as a man overboard,” the statement read. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the guest who was traveling alone.”

Princess Cruises did not immediately return a message seeking additional details about the incident, including where the passenger was believed to have gone overboard.

Around 3 p.m. Monday, the U.S. Coast Guard air station in Sacramento dispatched a C-27 aircrew to help scour the waters roughly 45 miles off of Monterey. The air station in San Francisco joined the search effort about an hour later.

The Ruby Princess arrived in San Francisco around 6:50 a.m. Monday following a five-day trip to Ensenada. It was set to depart at 5 p.m. for a 16-day voyage to the Hawaiian Islands.

Check back for updates.