San Francisco Giants Free Agent Predicted To Land With NL West Rival

A San Francisco Giants veteran free agent has been projected to land with an NL West rival this offseason.

Sep 28, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants infielder Mark Canha (16) runs toward home plate to score a run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Oracle Park. / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants made several moves ahead of the MLB trade deadline this past summer, most of which could be viewed as salary dumps.

Jorge Soler and relief pitcher Luke Jackson were traded to the Atlanta Braves. Starting pitcher Alex Cobb, who hadn’t pitched yet during the season, was traded to the Cleveland Guardians.

In a somewhat surprising move, the front office wasted no time repurposing some of the money they just moved. The Giants acquired veteran outfielder/first baseman Mark Canha from the Detroit Tigers at the deadline buzzer.

He produced a solid .288 batting average and .376 on-base percentage in a part-time role with San Francisco down the stretch. But he offered zero power, producing a .329 slugging percentage, as he didn’t hit a single home run in 85 plate appearances and only three doubles.

While never a big power hitter throughout his career, Canha’s production at the plate resulted in him not having a positive impact on his team winning. For the first time since 2017, his wins above average for positional players stat was negative.

He hit groundballs at the highest rate of his career in 2024 at 49.3 percent; with the Giants, that number jumped to an even higher 54.4 percent.

Certainly, that is less than ideal, but a drop in production at 35 years old isn’t too surprising. He will be 36 when the 2025 campaign gets underway, but there are still some positives that he can bring to the clubhouse.

His veteran leadership and experience would certainly help. A versatile defender, he can chip in across any outfield spot and at first base as well.

That is why Andy McCullough of The Athletic has predicted the Colorado Rockies as the team that will land Canha in free agency this winter.

“The team is not expected to be aggressive about improving a roster that has finished in last place in three consecutive seasons. Canha can handle a variety of different positions while adding a veteran presence to the youthful clubhouse.”

Playing half of your games at Coors Field will certainly help any player get back on track offensively. Looking to be far from contention, adding a veteran of Canha’s caliber makes a lot of sense for the Rockies. He'll be a veteran addition that likely won't come with a significant cost and at his age, a one-year contract woud be sufficient.

The team needs some veterans to help show the young guys the ropes of how to be a Major Leaguer. Also, if he produces enough, they can flip him for another asset ahead of the deadline as he won’t be in their long-term plans.