Five A’s free agents who fit San Francisco’s needs
The Oakland A’s are no stranger to turning over their personnel and starting fresh, but executives Billy Beane and David Forst face a huge challenge this offseason as 10 members of their playoff roster are hitting free agency.
The two headliners of the group, shortstop Marcus Semien and closer Liam Hendriks,
should command significant interest from teams across baseball, but the A’s will at least be motivated to keep close tabs on
Semien, an East Bay native who has clearly been one of the most important contributors to Oakland’s recent success.
Given their long list of offseason needs and a desire to add to their bullpen, the San Francisco Giants should also be checking in on many of the A’s players who will be available this winter. Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi recently spoke about the franchise’s desire to acquire another left-handed bat and a righthanded veteran reliever and the A’s have a number of players who fit these needs.
With both Bay Area teams now turning their attention to the offseason, here’s a look at five A’s free agents who could become Giants’ targets in the coming weeks.
LIAM HENDRIKS >> Zaidi and general manager Scott Harris appear reluctant to follow the
lead of Bobby Evans, who attempted to fix the Giants’ bullpen woes following a 2016 playoff disappointment by throwing a bunch of money at closer Mark Melancon. Melancon was one of the best arms on the market and the Giants felt a four-year, $64 million deal would solve one of their biggest problems, but the contract was a disaster from the beginning.
Melancon is now thriving in Atlanta with the Braves, but it seems unlikely the Giants would again pursue a coveted closer when the team needs to spend money to address its starting rotation. If Hendriks’ market doesn’t develop the way the Australia native hopes, however, the Giants would be fortunate to be in a position to swoop in and sign the best reliever available.
There are other more cost-effective ways the Giants can round out their bullpen, but don’t be surprised if the organization is checking in on Hendriks if he remains unsigned into late January or February. TOMMY LASTELLA >> Of all the A’s players set to become free agents, it’s possible no one is a better fit for the Giants than LaStella, who would bring his left-handed bat to San Francisco and immediately play an important role moving between second
and third base.
LaStella isn’t a top-notch defender, but he does everything Zaidi likes at the plate and plays two positions where the Giants want to bring a left-handed hitter into the mix. The former Cubs and Angels infielder has elite contact skills, boasts a high on-base percentage and has a career .766 OPS against righthanded pitchers, which would make him a solid option to spell Evan Longoria against righties and mix in at second base ahead of Wilmer Flores and Donovan Solano when the Giants are seeking a platoon advantage.
Cardinals infielder Brad Miller might be a cheaper option and better fit for a part-time role, but LaStella checks every box.
MIKE MINOR >> The small
sample size of the 2020 season will hurt Minor’s free agent market, but Zaidi loves having left-handed options in his rotation and he’s also drafted and signed several Vanderbilt alums during his career as an executive.
The Giants could do a lot worse than Minor, who posted a 5.56 ERA during the regular season before pitching effectively out of the bullpen during the ALDS against the Astros. The 32-year- old is only a year removed from an AllStar season in which he posted the highest WAR of any American League pitcher.
YUSMEIRO PETIT >> It wouldn’t be a Giants offseason if there wasn’t talks about a potential reunion in the works.
Petit struggled mightily
against the Astros in the ALDS, but the former Giants swingman was one of the most valuable high-leverage relievers in baseball during the regular season and would almost certainly be willing to come back to San Francisco.
Petit will turn 36 this offseason and has one of the lowest average fastball velocities in the league, but he recently told this news organization he wants to pitch for three more years and his showing during a three-year tenure in Oakland suggests it’s possible. If the Giants are serious about finding a veteran right-handed option for the bullpen, Petit’s track record makes him an ideal candidate to return to the organization and mentor some of the promising young arms the club will rely on in 2021.
ROBBIE GROSSMAN >> It would be fairly difficult for the Giants to sign Semien and plug him into an everyday role at shortstop because Brandon Crawford is under contract through 2021, but it might be just as hard to find playing time for the switch-hitting Grossman as he would join a crowded outfield mix.
With that caveat, it’s important to point out that active rosters will drop from 28 to 26 players next season so having switch-hitters who can face both righties and lefties will be helpful for teams that can’t carry two players at a given position.