San Francisco Giants Are ‘Motivated To Be a Factor’ for New York Yankees Juan Soto

The San Francisco Giants will have some hurdles, but Juan Soto would be the perfect addition.

Sep 2, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) comes off the field after he scores against the Texas Rangers during the sixth inning at Globe Life Field. / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

As the San Francisco Giants get prepared for the offseason, there will be multiple ways for them to improve. There are a few big-name free agents on the market, including New York Yankees slugger Juan Soto.

Soto is a dream target for every team in Major League Baseball. While he's better suited for a contending team due to his talent, there isn't a team in the league that wouldn't add him if they could for the right price.

The Giants, however, have as big of a need for his services than most teams around the league. Lacking star power and searching for it over the past few offseasons, San Francisco eventually needs to land a star.

Why not flip the script and land the left-handed hitter?

MLB.com polled multiple writers, asking who the "front-runners" are for Soto. Every analyst listed the Giants.

Anthony DiComo's answer was the most interesting. He wrote that San Francisco is "motivated to be a factor" but noted why it might not happen.

"For me, the Giants are a factor because they're motivated to be a factor. They have tried for years to lure an impact bat to San Francisco, and it just hasn't worked out for them. They clearly are willing to spend money to make it happen. But yeah, it's probably going to require them to outbid the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Nationals, Phillies and whoever else, which is no small task. Top-tier sluggers don't like the idea of playing in that ballpark. Just this past offseason, J.D. Martinez said he turned down more money from the Giants because he feared a big ballpark like that effectively ending his career."

The ballpark problem is real. Players like Barry Bonds don't just grow on trees. What's even more impressive about what the all-time home run leader did was that he played at Oracle Park.

If Bonds played at a different field, he'd likely have many more home runs.

While Soto is arguably the best pure hitter in the world, he's much different than Bonds. He has big-time power, but he'd likely have completely different numbers regarding home runs if he played at Oracle.

It's a tough sell, and rightfully so. Superstars want their numbers to be as good as possible, even after they sign a massive contract.

For Soto, there's a lot to like about the city and organization. However, if he wants the counting stats to line up with some of the best in baseball history, Oracle might turn him off.