Stop if you've heard this one before: the San Francisco Giants missed out on a highly sought-after free agent in the MLB offseason. This time, it was Shohei Ohtani, and although missing out on the two-way superstar wasn't ideal, it also wasn't all that surprising given that the Dodgers were the long-rumored favorite to land the former Los Angeles Angel.
The Giants continue to miss on valuable free agents
Over the last several years, the Giants have swung and missed on notable free agents who entered the market. Those free agents are some of the biggest stars of the game today, including Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge, and now Ohtani. And who could forget last year's fiasco with Carlos Correa, who, after it was reported that he and the Giants agreed upon a 13-year, $350 million contract, the deal quickly fell through after the shortstop failed a physical.
This has left the Giants having to rely on either aging players or on their farm system, with those highly-priced, highly-talented free agents finding destinations elsewhere. However, even with Ohtani signing with the Giants' biggest rival, that doesn't mean that San Francisco has to leave the winter empty-handed. There's still Cody Bellinger, who has yet to sign with any team as of yet.
Cody Bellinger should be the next free agent target Giants list
Bellinger completely revived his career last season with the Chicago Cubs, making everyone forget the last three. But it sure wasn't easy making everyone forget his .204 combined average over those three years. Mind you, those three seasons came after Bellinger's NL MVP season where he hit .305, blasted 47 homers, and knocked in 115 runs.
The 2021 season was particularly terrible for Bellinger, having career-low numbers in nearly every offensive category. He struck out 150 times, hit 12 home runs, 30 RBIs, and slashed .165/.240/.302. That was the year the former Dodger was plagued continually with nagging injuries that carried over from 2020, resulting in him playing in only 95 games.
His turnaround in 2023 that saw him slash .307/.356/.525 while hitting 26 homers and batting in 97 allowed him to hit the free-agent market this winter instead of resigning with the Cubs. But do the Giants have a legitimate shot at landing Bellinger?
Is the city of San Francisco the problem?
For a franchise that has won three World Series titles in the last 13 years and apparently has deep pockets to go after almost any big fish that the market offers, why can they never get pen to paper? Former Giants' catcher Buster Posey has an idea that it relates to the decline in the city itself.
“Something I think is noteworthy, something that unfortunately keeps popping up from players and even the players' wives is there's a bit of uneasiness with the city itself, as far as the state of the city, with crime, with drugs,” Posey said in an interview with The Athletic.
“Whether that's all completely fair or not, perception is reality,” Posey continued. “It's a frustrating cycle, I think, and not just with baseball. Baseball is secondary to life and the important things in life. But as far as a free-agent pursuit goes, I have seen that it does affect things.”
Posey never insinuated that was Ohtani's belief, but that it has definitely played a factor in others, although never naming names. The Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi — who said he was willing to match nearly every demand, including the deferred deal that Ohtani took from the Dodgers — better hope that's not the case with someone like Bellinger.
Adding Bellinger to the Giants' roster would make a lot of sense, according to CBS Sports. The 28-year-old is an excellent defensive center fielder, boding well in a spacious Oracle Park, where his speed would be welcomed. Bellinger could also use that space in the outfield on the offensive side as well, with his ability to spray the ball, being a much-needed middle-of-the-order power hitter.
As good as the Giants have been historically, winning those three World Series in five years, San Francisco has made only two playoff appearances since then, back in 2016 and 2021 when they surprised everyone by winning 107 games, taking the NL West from the Dodgers. The division isn't getting any easier, either. The Arizona Diamondbacks, the winners of the NL pennant, look to only get better next season. Can the Giants, by adding Bellinger, continue to be competitive or will they be left behind?
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