San Francisco Giants Linked to Sleeper First Base Free Agency Target

The San Francisco Giants have been urged to consider a sleeper first base target in free agency.

Sep 26, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins first base Carlos Santana (30) hits in the second inning against the Miami Marlins at Target Field. / Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

The MLB offseason is closing in quickly and the San Francisco Giants are looking to be big-time players as they try to get back to being serious National League contenders.

One area that they could look to improve is at first base.

Looking at the free agency market, there are quite a few intriguing pieces at first base. Pete Alonso is a possibility, but his price tag could be a bit higher than the Giants are looking to pay.

There is a chance that they could look more into picking up a sleeper free agent to upgrade.

Eric Treuden of Just Baseball has made an interesting suggestion for San Francisco. He thinks that Minnesota Twins impending free agent first baseman Carlos Santana could be a good fit.

"The 15-year veteran quietly led the Twins in home runs this year while sporting a .749 OPS and an OPS+ that suggested he was 9% above league-average at the plate. The switch-hitter may be closing in on 40-years old, but he’s proven year after year that he’s still got some juice left in the tank."

Santana, who is now 38 years old and will turn 39 before next, would be the definition of a sleeper target. However, he did put together a strong season with the Twins last year.

He ended up playing in 150 games for Minnesota in 2024, hitting 23 home runs to go along with 71 RBI. Santana slashed .238/.328/.420 on the season.

Those numbers would be a solid upgrade for the Giants. He would also come at a much cheaper price tag than many of the other first base free agents who will be available.

Of course, there is a chance that San Francisco would prefer to make a blockbuster move at first base. They could pursue Alonso or even Christian Walker. Perhaps they could try to pull off a trade for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., although he appears unlikely to be traded during the offseason.

Making the move to sign Santana would not turn many heads, but he could be a good piece to help the Giants compete. On a cheap one-year deal, he would be well worth signing.

Expect to hear a ton of rumors surrounding San Francisco as the offseason gets underway. They have some money to spend and they're looking to compete in 2025. That is a recipe for quite a bit of movement for the Giants.