Giants players make no secret of fact they want Harper
Public and players wondering about this year’s roster
SAN FRANCISCO >> Before taking off for spring workouts in Scottsdale, Arizona, the Giants opened their ballpark in San Francisco so the public could meet members of a roster that is traditionally complete by this time of year.
The franchise’s fans spent Saturday’s FanFest asking if the 2019 roster will include new names in the near future. So too did many of the Giants’ key players.
“With some opportunities out there to add a couple of more guys and seeing what’s going on within the division, I think it would be smart to pounce right now,” pitcher Jeff Samardzija said.
Pitchers and catchers report to the team’s Arizona complex Tuesday, but more than 80 free agents including star outfielder Bryce Harper remain available. New president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has expressed a desire to add talent in the outfield, but many Giants veterans hope they won’t have to wait much longer for their front office to settle on its plans.
“There are still some really big pieces out there,” third baseman Evan Longoria said. “I know that Farhan and (Bruce Bochy) and the front office is looking and hoping to add some more to our club. So there’s, I think, still some big moves to be made.”
Harper has attracted several different suitors this offseason, but the Giants are making a serious push to acquire the six-time AllStar. The club needs youth, athleticism and power, and at 26, Harper represents
the total package. Catcher Buster Posey asked “What team wouldn’t want Bryce Harper?” while center fielder Steven Duggar said, “It would be fun to play with him, that’s for sure.”
Even CEO Larry Baer spoke about Harper during a Q&A session at Saturday’s
FanFest, noting that a scheduled two-hour meeting with the outfielder and agent Scott Boras lasted four hours on Monday in Las Vegas.
“I don’t know where we are (with Harper), but we’re giving it a shot,” Baer said. “That’s all we can do.”
Though the Giants may
not be the front-runners to sign a free agent who could command north of $30 million annually, they’ve emerged as late contenders in the Harper sweepstakes. While some players aren’t sure what to make of the team’s interest, most are eager to have a player of Harper’s
caliber on board.
“Obviously you want to improve your team and you’ll always take a Bryce Harper on your team,” Samardzija said. “Always, 100 percent.”
The fact that Harper, 26-year-old shortstop Manny Machado and several other high-profile free agents such as starter Dallas Keuchel and closer Craig Kimbrel remain unsigned is alarming, and not just for the Giants. Though San Francisco has a recent track record of annually posting one of baseball’s biggest payrolls, Longoria and Posey are concerned that other franchises aren’t focused on contending.
“As an organization here, we’re really lucky,” Longoria said. “This organization spends money. We’re never going to have to worry about trying to put the best product on the field. But as players, the fear is that there’s other organizations that don’t care about that. That are potentially tanking.”
Many members of the team’s core are optimistic the club will rebound from back-to-back losing seasons if players stay healthy and maintain consistent production levels. But even Bochy acknowledged that an offense that has finished second-to-last in runs scored in each of the past two years is incomplete.
“There’s still some moves that will be made before the season starts,” Bochy promised.
Upon his hiring in November, Zaidi was given the freedom to overhaul the Giants’ roster as he sees fit. The former Dodgers general manager promised a methodical approach, but as the season draws near, Giants fans and players are growing restless.
Should the franchise come up short in its pursuit of Harper, Zaidi may need to execute backup plans rather quickly. Fielding an incomplete roster will impact the number of tickets the Giants sell, but it could also impact perception of the organizational mission in the clubhouse.
And for a Giants core that’s tired of losing, every move matters.