Beat writer says SF Giants are "not expected" to re-sign 1B Brandon Belt

The SF Giants are unlikely to re-sign first baseman Brandon Belt this offseason, per a recent article by NBC Sports Bay Area beat writer Alex Pavlovic.

Marc Delucchi | Oct 4, 2022

Beat writer says SF Giants are "not expected" to re-sign 1B Brandon Belt /

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San Francisco Giants

Brandon Belt has been an integral part of the SF Giants lineup since he made his MLB debut with the team back in 2011. However, set to be a free agent this winter, "the Giants are not expected to push for a reunion" with Belt, according to a recent report by NBC Sports Bay Area Giants beat writer Alex Pavlovic.

SF Giants first baseman Brandon Belt — Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Belt underwent season-ending knee surgery earlier this month, prompting a premature end to his 2022 campaign. He never seemed to find a rhythm offensively this season, likely dealing with the early effects of his injury. In the end, he hit just .213/.326/.350 in 78 games with eight home runs. His offensive struggles were one of the main reasons the Giants missed the playoffs this season.

It does seem like somewhat of a surprise to hear the Giants have little interest in keeping Belt with the team beyond this season. After all, Belt was one of the best hitters in MLB as recently as last season, blasting a career-high 29 homers alongside an excellent .274/.378/.597 line. In fact, Belt hit .285/.393/.595 with 38 home runs and 78 walks in 148 games from 2020-2021.

Coming off his excellent 2021 campaign, Belt accepted a one-year, $18.4 million qualifying offer from the Giants to stay in San Francisco. Heading into this offseason, though, Belt will be one of the most proven first basemen available on the free-agent market.

At the time of Belt's surgery, it was unclear if he would be able to return to MLB. During a segment on the team's broadcast, he gave a heartfelt thank you to Giants announcers Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper, which suggested he knew his career could be coming to an end. However, Belt told Pavlovic that the early returns from his rehab process following the operation have been great.

“If I don’t it’s not going to be because of my knee,” Belt told Pavlovic about whether he will play in the big leagues again. “You never predict the future, but I think physically, I’ll be ready to play next year.”

Even if the Giants are not interested in Belt, one would expect several teams to pursue the veteran first baseman on a deal with significant incentives. Belt remains an excellent defensive first baseman and teams have more flexibility to get him into the lineup with the universal designated hitter. As much as he struggled at the plate in 2022, several teams should take a chance that Belt can approach his previous levels of production after recovering from surgery.

If this is it for Brandon Belt's career with the SF Giants, it marks the end of an era. Belt has been a mainstay in the Giants lineup for more than a decade and has amassed 175 home runs in 1,310 games with a .261/.356/.458 triple-slash. He was a part of two World Series championship teams and also earned a selection to the 2016 All-Star Game.

Published Oct 4, 2022

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).