San Francisco Giants 'Long Shot' Suitor for Superstar Free-Agent Slugger

One MLB insider believes the San Francisco Giants could be a player for baseball's top free-agent price, but isn't sure how far they will get.

Jun 2, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) jogs to first base after hitting a home run against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

It is anyone’s guess what the San Francisco Giants are going to do this offseason as they are under new management.

After the 2024 season, they moved on from president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi. He was replaced by former star catcher Buster Posey, who has his work cut out for him to bring the franchise back to prominence.

It will be interesting to see how having a great player running the front office will impact the franchise. Will he be able to sell free agents on coming to the Giants, something that has been incredibly difficult to do, especially when courting hitters?

Cavernous Oracle Park isn’t a hitter-friendly park, so players do not want to play half of their games in a season there. It is a major hurdle that San Francisco has been unable to overcome lately when pursuing free agents.

It certainly isn’t from a lack of effort, as ownership and the front office have been willing to spend big. San Francisco just hasn't been able to get that superstar player to accept the deal.

Expect them to at least try their hand again this offseason with New York Yankees star outfielder Juan Soto hitting the open market. He has said that he will listen to all offers presented to him and that gives the Giants an opening.

How serious a contender are the Giants to land him? In the opinion of Jim Bowden of The Athletic, a former general manager who ranked all of his potential free agency suitors, they will be long shots.

Bowden pointed out that the Giants actually made the biggest financial offer to then-free agent slugger Aaron Judge, a California native who eventually opted to return to the Yankees after the Bronx Bombers matched the deal. San Francisco was also all-in on infielder Carlos Correa until his medicals became an issue.

Money isn't the problem. Bowden believes Posey "might" be able to make a difference, but isn't counting on it.

“Perhaps Buster Posey, their new president of baseball operations, might be able to convince Soto to sign with them — but this is a long shot, especially with a payroll reduction possibly on the horizon.”

If Posey has the kind of sway that he could convince a player of Soto’s caliber to come out west after so many failed attempts, it may not be long until San Francisco is a perennial contender again.

The former MLB executive had them in the No. 7 spot, ahead of the Washington Nationals, Houston Astros and San Diego Padres. That would certainly insinuate they aren’t legitimate contenders for his services.

Of course, things could change if ownership decides it wants to open the checkbook and spend some more money. Alas, with several holes to fill, the new regime may prefer adding several players to the mix instead of one on a massive contract.