The Giants Baseball Blog

Even though the Giants' heavy lifting of the offseason has been completed for the better part of a month, their 25-man roster is not concrete and there are still some spots where they could upgrade should they so choose. I've come across a group of names that would appear, at the least, suitable additions to this team, to provide some depth where they sorely lacked it last year. If these guys came on cheap, one-year deals like they're all expected to, I would love to see the Giants take a dice roll on one or two of them. Especially in the bullpen, where the Giants are set up well but could certainly upgrade. Plus, after witnessing what the Dodgers have done with their pen, Sabean may feel obligated to. RHP Francisco Rodriguez: We've talked K-Rod here a few times this winter, and he's still dangling out there in free agency waiting for the right fit. I think his fiery competitiveness would play well in the Giants' pen, and he'd give them a legit set-up ma...

The Giants have filled every major need they had coming into this offseason, and with over two months to go before pitchers and catchers start filing into Scottsdale, their 2014 roster is just about set. Their first priority was re-sign all of their own free agents who they wanted to retain, and they were able to get that out of the way early. They took care of the biggest piece in Hunter Pence before the season was up, which in turn helped them apply more focus on other areas when free agency began. This helped them get Tim Linecum done so soon and eventually Javier Lopez as well. Ryan Vogelsong was a wild card cause they wanted a potential upgrade there, but just couldn't find anything that excited them too much and now he's back on a reduced salary. Then they did something they haven't done in years, and that's add two free agents that will take on starting roles for them in 2014. Sabean has always tended to make his big acquisitions via trade, but without much amm...

Ever since Melky Cabrera's suspension in early August of 2012, the Giants have been void of an everyday left fielder. It didn't hurt them down the stretch that year, as Hunter Pence's arrival helped ease the loss, but it became a gaping hole in 2013 when they ranked last in the NL in offense from the left field position. They weren't going to make the same mistake twice. After identifying a short list of potential targets heading into this weeks Winter Meetings, they moved on the guy they felt was the best fit under the circumstances and someone manager Bruce Bochy expressed a strong interest in . It was never going to be a big-ticket, enticing free agent but the ideal plan all along was to find a right-handed bat with the ability to put balls in the left-field bleachers with regularity. So long as Michael Morse 's wrists stay healthy and he avoids the nagging injuries that weighed him down in 2013, he should be counted on to do just that. He's coming off a ...

We're on day three of what has been a pretty quiet Winter Meetings in Orlando thus far, and with things set to wrap up on Thursday, the Giants are still trying to find a find an alternative option in left field. We've heard various names mentioned in regards to the Giants over the last week, from potential trade targets like Brett Gardner and Norichika Aoki to potential free agent options like Michael Morse and Corey Hart. Aoki was dealt to Kansas City on Monday though while Corey Hart followed Robinson Cano to Seattle as outfield options keep falling off the market each day. Perhaps the most intriguing name linked to the Giants over the last couple of days though has been Chicago White Sox center fielder Alejandro De Aza, who's become expendable in Chicago with the addition of Adam Eaton. San Francisco has reportedly called the White Sox about the speedy outfielder numerous times over the last few days and apparently have considerable interest. It makes sense. I've ...

MLB's non-tender deadline passed Monday, and 43 new free-agents hit the market. Although most of them would be considered afterthoughts for a team with the Giants' aspirations, there are a couple of guys that caught my eye as possible upgrades to the roster. Besides the inconsistent starting pitching, the Giants downfall in 2013 could be attributed to lack of depth on the roster, and that's something they have a chance at improving. Of the non-tendered free agents, there are about four or five guys that would appear to strike Brian Sabean's interest, mostly relief pitching options, but also one intriguing corner outfield option. San Francisco has plenty of internal options to fill out their bullpen, but Brian Sabean said in a conference call Tuesday that the team does have financial room to add some help should they find the right piece(s). A few of the non-tendered arms they should take a look at are John Axford, Ronald Belasario and Mitchell Boggs. With closing gi...

With Ryan Vogelsong and the Giants agreeing on a one-year deal Friday, you can pretty much put a wrap on San Francisco's pursuit of pitching. They could still look to add a reliever, but their primary focus should now be on upgrading left field. First off, my thoughts on Vogelsong's return are pretty positive for the most part. I would have liked to see Josh Johnson or Dan Haren on short-term deals, but after those guys signed with San Diego and LA, I figured Vogey's return was inevitable. My guess is he will rebound from his injury-shortened 2013 season but I doubt he'll ever be the guy we saw in '11 and '12 again. After posting ERA's of 2.71 and 3.37 the previous two seasons, Vogelsong's ERA ballooned to 5.79 to go with a sub-par WHIP and K/9 inning rate. It would be easy to blame it on injury, but the truth is, he was actually a little better after returning from the broken finger than he was before it, so injury had nothing to do with his performa...