SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- After adding Joc Pederson on Thursday, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said he felt the position player group was pretty much set, although he would remain open-minded about additions. If Trevor Story proves to be as open-minded, there might still be a fit.
MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported Friday morning that Story, the longtime Colorado Rockies star, will soon choose from a group of four finalists, which includes the Giants. The key part there would be the willingness to change positions.
Story has been a shortstop for every big league game he has started in the field, and there was a thought throughout free agency that he would prefer to stay there. The Giants, obviously, have an All-Star shortstop, but they do have needs elsewhere on the dirt.
With Donovan Solano in Cincinnati and Tommy La Stella likely to miss the start of the season because of Achilles surgery rehab, the Giants have a hole at second base. The current plan is to lean heavily on veteran Wilmer Flores and intriguing young talent Thairo Estrada, with Mauricio Dubon and potentially non-roster invitee Jason Krizan also in the mix.
Story could immediately become the starter at second base, and there are at least 20 shortstop starts available, too. The Giants also don't have a great backup plan at third base, where Evan Longoria is the starter but will get plenty of time off. Flores is the current backup there but is likely to be the DH a lot.
Story, 29, had a .801 OPS and 24 homers last year. He has at least 24 homers in every full big league season and has twice passed 30, although he has had jarring home/road splits. His career road OPS is just .752.
RELATED: Why Kapler loves "vibe" ace Webb is bringing to Giants
Pederson is the only free-agent addition to a lineup that has lost Buster Posey and Kris Bryant. Zaidi said Thursday that he felt good about the group.
"Even before we added Joc, we talked some about having a pretty good depth of guys that we thought could factor into our roster," he said. "There's still a chance that we have expanded rosters, at least early in the season, and that may give us a chance to carry more of the group. As we add guys -- I wouldn't rule it out -- but it's starting to become harder to think about who comes off that position player group.
"You factor in injuries to some degree, but you don't want to create too much of a crowd there. I think the right fit, we would still look at, but we feel pretty set on the position player side."
Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast
"story" - Google News
March 19, 2022 at 12:54AM
https://ift.tt/eVn37hD
MLB rumors: Giants among Trevor Story finalists in free agency - NBC Sports
"story" - Google News
https://ift.tt/ng0ZvDT
https://ift.tt/G7HsKqI
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "MLB rumors: Giants among Trevor Story finalists in free agency - NBC Sports"
Post a Comment