The San Francisco Giants are reportedly going full force after Aaron Judge, but if they can’t acquire him, their next-best option may not work out as well.
The San Francisco Giants are looking for a lot of development through the offseason as they’ve faced a disappointing run since their World Series win in 2014. They’ve only made the playoffs twice between now and then, and they just weren’t able to compare to the Los Angeles Dodgers or the San Diego Padres this season.
They need to improve defensively and could use some offensive improvement as well, and they’re reportedly aiming to do so by going full-force for New York Yankees free agent Aaron Judge. They’ve made it very clear that they’re willing to spend for him, but that doesn’t guarantee they’ll end up with him.
If they don’t end up with Judge, their next-best free-agent option would be one of a few shortstops, particularly Carlos Correa. However, Correa may have to play out of position if signed. Over his eight-season career, he’s only played shortstop on the field, so that may not go over too well.
It just so happens that the best free agents in the league are mostly shortstops, and there’s, of course, not as big of a need for one on the Giants.
The Giants aren’t in dire need of another shortstop
Veteran Brandon Crawford has been reliable at shortstop for over a decade when he’s healthy.
Signing another shortstop would have it’s benefits, as it would allow Crawford to not have to start every game. However, in that case, it wouldn’t necessarily be worth it to keep him and pay another a massive amount of money to not be utilized to the fullest.
The Giants do need a good backup option, as proven this season, for when Crawford is injured. However, the big free agents are worth more than being backups. They could be used as designated hitter, but that would be a disservice to them as well.
The issues currently presented by the Giants wouldn’t be solved by one of the available free-agent shortstops.