The giants must emerge in the trading market

The Giants have been fairly quiet through the first two months of the offseason. They added a backend starter Adriaan Huiser on a two-year, $22 million deal with a club option. Their only other moves were cheap flights on rehab relievers Jason Foley And Sam Hentz.

While technically in line with their offseason plan to focus on pitching, their moves so far aren’t the type that will make the difference. Chairman Greg Johnson and general manager Zack Minasian have downplayed the chance of a long-term investment in the pitching staff. There are still a handful of players on the open market that fit on paper. Each of Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez or Zac Gallen would improve rotation. Best free agent hitters Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger And Bo Bichette happen to fit in their respective biggest problem areas on the player’s side (right field and second base, respectively).

The owner may not want to meet the asking prices required for someone in that group. The Giants expect a payroll of $176 million, as calculated by Grid source. That’s just above their 2025 opening day of $173 million. That doesn’t include the $17 million payment they owe Blake Snell on Jan. 15, as they agreed to defer the signing bonus on his contract for the ’24 season.

They also risk one of the most expensive management situations in the MLB. They owe fired skipper Bob Melvin a $4 million salary. They paid a $3 million buyout to the University of Tennessee to release Tony Vitello from his contract. Vitello is reportedly set for a salary of $3.5 million, meaning they are committing $10.5 million to the position for the first season.

Even with a projected $40 million until they reach the luxury tax threshold, the budget could be tight for a major free agent. However, that doesn’t mean the offseason has to be all deep acquisitions. The Giants have a few ways to pursue the additional wins needed to push them from their annual .500 finish to a more solid place in the Wild Card picture.