The San Francisco Giants find themselves in a bit of a difficult spot.
They’ve committed a lot of money to their core of players, a core that hasn’t proven to be good enough.
But those financial commitments make trades tough, and so they’re likely forced to move forward with at least most of the group of Rafael Devers, Willy Adames and Matt Chapman.
With that in mind, then, what are the Giants supposed to do to get better? They don’t have a great farm system, so either through promotions or trades of younger players, their options are limited.
That brings us to free agency. It’s not a great crop of hitters available at all, and maybe the Giants’ money would be better spent on pitching.
But one of the top available hitters has been linked to the Giants: Brandon Lowe.
Brandon Lowe Free Agent Rumor to Giants
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden has listed the Giants as one of the three best fits for Lowe in free agency.
Bowden also lists a return to the Pittsburgh Pirates as well as signing elsewhere in the NL West Division with the San Diego Padres as Lowe’s best options.
“There is no doubt that when Lowe is healthy, he is one of the best power-hitting second basemen in the game,” Bowden writes. “This year, he was healthy and played in a career-high 150 games, belting 29 doubles and 35 homers with a 121 OPS+. Not only did he perform offensively, but he was among the best defensive second basemen, ranking in the 96th percentile in defensive run value. The Pirates would love him to return and he certainly enjoyed his time there, but it’s more likely he’ll sign elsewhere given the contracts he’ll likely be offered after the season he just completed.”
Lowe is so highly thought of that he’s been linked to the New York Yankees on a number of occasions as a potential Jazz Chisholm Jr. replacement, but evidently Bowden doesn’t see that as an outcome.
Instead, the Bay Area could be his new home.
Brandon Lowe Contract Projection
Lowe is projected by Bowden to get a three-year deal for $45 million.
Given the lack of high-end talent in this free agent hitting class, that seems like it’s almost the floor of what Lowe can get.
If he can get teams like the Giants and Padres into a bit of a bidding war, it feels like Lowe could end up closer to a $20 million per year player this offseason.
The lockout complicates things, so it’ll be fascinating to see where Lowe might end up when all the dust settles.
Giants Linked To Signing $45 Million Slugger