Giants add veteran righthander Wisler to bullpen
Under normal circumstances, the Omni Hotel in Dallas would have housed executives, scouts, agents and media members this week for the always entertaining yet often underwhelming winter meetings.
Canceling the meetings to avoid gathering in-person was a must amid the coronavirus pandemic, but MLB franchises including the San Francisco Giants are still using the week to seek ways to upgrade their clubs and better position themselves for a 2021 playoff run.
The Giants made one of the first transactions of the week Tuesday, reportedly agreeing to terms with right-handed reliever Matt Wisler on a one-year, $1.15 million deal. Wisler owns a career 4.95 ERA and has spent the majority of his career with the Braves, but he may have turned a corner in 2020 as he posted a 1.07 ERA in 25 1/3 innings with Minnesota.
The low-risk, potentially high-reward move was the type Giants fans have become accustomed to seeing under president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi. The Giants’ top baseball executive is wary of multiyear commitments and has been reluctant to spend huge sums of money in free agency, but he’s done an excellent job finding value and upgrading the team’s roster through bargain additions.
At some point, Giants fans will expect Zaidi to spend the type of money
former executives Brian Sabean and Bobby Evans did rather freely, but outside of a possible push for 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer, it seems unlikely the organization will seek out the highest-profile free agents available this offseason.
Since the end of a 29-31 2020 regular season that ended in disappointment, Zaidi and general manager Scott Harris have been open and honest about their list of offseason priorities. The
front office duo knows upgrading the starting rotation is the Giants’ top objective, so after signing Kevin Gausman to a oneyear, $18.9 million qualifying offer contract to return to San Francisco, Zaidi and Harris remain locked in on pursuing starters.
After the Giants non-tendered left-hander Tyler Anderson last week, finding a left-handed option for a rotation that features Gausman, Johnny Cueto and Logan Webb is near the top of the team’s agenda. It
wouldn’t come as a surprise to see the Giants sign twoto-three free agent starters to major league deals given the dearth of starting pitching at the top of their farm system, but it’s also possible the front office signs just one more starter and then brings in veterans on minor league contracts in an effort to create competition in spring training.
With the addition of Wisler, the Giants have now accomplished their goal of adding a veteran righthander to their bullpen,
but Zaidi didn’t rule out the possibility of acquiring an extra arm for a group that doesn’t expect to bring back free agent Tony Watson.
Watson was the leader of the Giants’ 2020 bullpen and while others including Wisler, Trevor Gott, Wandy Peralta and Jarlín García could all step up to fill that void, the organization may want someone with more major league service time.
After finishing with a top-10 offense in the majors last season, Zaidi and Harris believe that addressing the pitching staff is the quickest way to turning the Giants into a contender next year. Even with the strides the Giants made at the plate, there’s still a desire to add a left-handed hitter who can play multiple positions to the roster before spring training.
Recently non- tendered outfielder David Dahl, a former Colorado Rockies top prospect, could be an ideal fit because he can play all three outfield positions and brings speed to the mix, but Dahl is expected to have several suitors this winter and may be able to find a team willing to give him a full-time outfield spot.
One of the final pieces to the Giants’ offseason puzzle is adding catching depth, which likely won’t require the club to sign a player to a major league contract.
With Buster Posey expected to return from the restricted list and top prospect Joey Bart set to play a big role in 2021, the Giants have two quality options behind the plate.
Zaidi almost always wants to have a left-handed hitting option available, so finding a catcher willing to sign a minor league deal to provide much-needed depth should be on the agenda.
Signing Wisler marked a strong start to the week formerly known as the winter meetings for San Francisco, but there’s still plenty of ways the Giants can improve their roster this offseason. The team’s offseason checklist remains lengthy, but time isn’t exactly of the essence as no front offices have been overly aggressive so far.