Adding Yankees Slugger Would Give San Francisco Giants New Face of the Franchise

Would Juan Soto move the needle for the San Francisco Giants?

Sep 26, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) singles during the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants have had a disappointing 2024 season, and this offseason they will be looking to improve the roster to compete in a challenging National League West next season.

While it wasn’t a great year once again for the Giants, this offseason will once again provide them with some opportunities to get better. This is the third year in a row now that San Francisco has missed the playoffs, and some things might change soon for the franchise.

Since the Giants have been hovering around .500 for three years, they need to make some changes, and that perhaps has started this season. San Francisco decided to sign third baseman Matt Chapman to a big contract extension, as after a successful first season, the team elected to make him a cornerstone piece for years to come.

While keeping Chapman is a good first step, the Giants are going to need to do more to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and San Diego Padres.  Recently, Erik Beaston of Bleacher Report spoke about some potential landing spots for New York Yankees slugger Juan Soto in free agency.

He spoke about San Francisco being a good landing spot for Soto, as he instantly would become the face of their franchise.

“The San Francisco Giants have been mired in mediocrity since their last World Series victory in 2014 and adding Soto would not only convince the fans that the team is all-in on winning but also give that squad the face of the franchise it needs and the star it can build around.”

Soto is going to be the top prize in free agency this offseason, and with Scott Boras as his agent, it might simply come down to the top bidder. The Giants have been interested in big free agents like Aaron Judge in recent years, but obviously just came up short.

If San Francisco is going to make a big investment, Soto would certainly be the player to do it with. This campaign, Soto is batting .288 with 41 home runs and 108 RBIs. It has been arguably the best season of Soto’s career, as he has totaled a WAR of 7.9.

Adding Soto would be a massive deal for the Giants, as he is the type of player that can move the needle for the team for the next decade at his age. Considering the Dodgers have major stars like Shohei Ohtani, San Francisco signing the young slugger would help close that gap.