The San Francisco Giants struck out in their big swings to land Shohei Ohtani and other marquee names during the main wave of free agency, but remain in play for the quartet of big names who remain unsigned.
Left-handed pitchers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, outfielder Cody Bellinger and third baseman Matt Chapman still are without homes. It’s no coincidence that they are all represented by agent Scott Boras, who has a storied history of holding out for bigger deals when teams feel the pressure of spring training upon them.
In their attempt to remain relevant in the National League West against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, the Giants would be a logical destination for one or more. That’s even after agreeing to a deal with former Miami Marlins slugger Jorge Soler.
The Giants are the favorites at SportsBetting.ag to sign Bellinger and Chapman, and are among the top three favorites for each of the southpaw pitchers.
CODY BELLINGER NEXT TEAM*
San Francisco Giants (2/1)
Los Angeles Angels (3/1)
Toronto Blue Jays (4/1)
Seattle Mariners (6/1)
New York Yankees (7/1)
Baltimore Orioles (12/1)
New York Mets (16/1)
Philadelphia Phillies (16/1)
Los Angeles Dodgers (20/1)
San Diego Padres (20/1)
Boston Red Sox (25/1)
Houston Astros (25/1)
Miami Marlins (25/1)
*If not re-signed by the Chicago Cubs
MATT CHAPMAN NEXT TEAM
San Francisco Giants (1/1)
Chicago Cubs (2/1)
Toronto Blue Jays (4/1)
New York Yankees (5/1)
Los Angeles Dodgers (12/1)
New York Mets (12/1)
Detroit Tigers (20/1)
Arizona Diamondbacks (22/1)
Miami Marlins (25/1)
Pittsburgh Pirates (25/1)
Seattle Mariners (25/1)
BLAKE SNELL NEXT TEAM
New York Yankees (2/1)
San Francisco Giants (4/1)
Seattle Mariners (4/1)
Los Angeles Angels (7/1)
Boston Red Sox (9/1)
Chicago Cubs (12/1)
Los Angeles Dodgers (20/1)
New York Mets (20/1)
Texas Rangers (22/1)
Houston Astros (25/1)
Philadelphia Phillies (25/1)
St. Louis Cardinals (25/1)
Toronto Blue Jays (25/1)
Cleveland Guardians (35/1)
Minnesota Twins (40/1)
JORDAN MONTGOMERY NEXT TEAM
Boston Red Sox (1/1)
Los Angeles Angels (4/1)
San Francisco Giants (5/1)
New York Yankees (6/1)
New York Mets (7/1)
Philadelphia Phillies (9/1)
Baltimore Orioles (14/1)
Chicago Cubs (14/1)
Seattle Mariners (18/1)
St. Louis Cardinals (20/1)
Cleveland Guardians (25/1)
Los Angeles Dodgers (25/1)
Miami Marlins (25/1)
Milwaukee Brewers (25/1)
Toronto Blue Jays (25/1)
Bellinger earned NL Comeback Player of the Year honors after batting .307 with 26 home runs and 20 steals for the Cubs last season. Still only 28, Bellinger is the most intriguing bat left on the market. He has long been considered likely to re-sign with the Cubs, but negotiations with Boras have continued to linger into the start of spring training.
The Giants did sign Korean star outfielder Jung Hoo Lee, who is slated to open spring training center field, with Mike Yastrzemski penciled in left and Michael Conforto in right.
Chapman is coming off earning his fourth Gold Glove in the past four seasons. However, his bat cooled off following a hot start, finishing last season with 17 homers and 54 RBIs for Toronto. The Giants currently have 30-year-old J.D. Davis, who belted 17 homers with 69 RBIs last season, at the hot corner.
The rotation is led by Logan Webb, with Alex Cobb hoping to be cleared to throw off a mound soon as he returns from a hip injury. The Giants also traded for former Cy Young winner Robbie Ray, who is expected to return some time after the All-Star Break.
Snell or Montgomery could certainly help bolster the rotation, especially considering the injury situations.
Snell, 31, led the majors in walks for San Diego last season but also led the league with a 2.25 ERA while striking out 234 batters in 180 innings to earn his second Cy Young award. However, that’s only the second time he has reached 130 innings in a season.
Montgomery, 31, helped the Texas Rangers to the World Series title after being acquired from St. Louis at the trade deadline. He finished the season 10-11 with a 3.20 ERA, but recorded a 2.83 ERA in 98 2/3 innings for the Rangers, including the postseason.
–Field Level Media