San Francisco Giants Deadline Acquisition an 'Honorable Mention' in Power Rankings

The San Francisco Giants made a trade at the deadline to upgrade at first base, but their acquisition failed to make the top 25 in the first baseman power rankings.

Sep 20, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Mark Canha (16) bats during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants saw an area in need of improvement as they approached the 2024 MLB trade deadline, and went out in search of a deal to bring in reinforcements.

They found that deal with the Detroit Tigers, who were below .500 at the time and beginning a sell-off to re-tool for the future, and acquired veteran Mark Canha for minor leaguer Eric Silva.

While the trade was not a complete bust for the Giants, as Canha did improve upon the abysmal offensive production at first base, it still was not enough to propel the team to the postseason, and they finished the year with an 80-82 record and in fourth place in the National League West.

Now that the season is over and the offseason is underway, Canha is a free agent, but people have not forgotten his short time with San Francisco.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report released his final first base power rankings of 2024, and Canha failed to reach the top 25, but did earn an "honorable mention."

Throughout his career, Canha has served as a corner infielder and an outfielder, with most of his time on defense being spent in left field.

He has failed to be a productive fielder at any position, totaling a career Outs Above Average mark of -8 across his career per Baseball Savant, though he did accrue two Outs Above Average at first base this year, but that came before the trade.

While he was a slight improvement over the incumbents at first for the Giants, he has been an inconsistent hitter throughout his career.

Canha enters free agency with a .249/.349/.414 batting line with 120 home runs, 459 RBI, and a 113 OPS+ across 4,003 plate appearances in 1,049 games.

This year, Canha batted .242/.344/.346 with seven home runs, 42 RBI, and a 99 OPS+ total across 462 plate appearances in 125 games, and .288/.376/.329 with no home runs, four RBI, and a 107 OPS+ for San Francisco across 85 plate appearances in 32 games.

Canha will be 36 in February, and most of the hype surrounding the player came from the 2019 campaign where the juiced ball was in play, leading to the veteran hitting 29 home runs, a career-high, and the only time that he has ever hit 20 or more home runs in a single season.

Mark Canha had a good run as a Major League player, but now that he is a free agent, his best opportunity at landing a role with a team is through a minor league deal.