After finishing the 2022 season in third place in the National League West with an 81-81 record and 30 games behind the division champion Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants are expected to be active in free agency this winter.
As many have linked San Francisco as a possible suitor for this offseason’s biggest free agent, Aaron Judge, apparently the Giants are also making a play for another one of baseball’s most prominent stars looking for a new contract: Trea Turner.
While the 29-year All-Star has already been extended a qualifying offer by the Dodgers, Turner is included as one of the strongest shortstop free-agent classes in recent memory.
In addition to L.A., both the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies and Seattle Mariners reportedly have interest in him.
And according to a Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports, the Giants are another team that has interest in signing Turner while also going after Judge:
The San Francisco Giants will pursue not only Yankees star Aaron Judge in free agency, but also Dodgers All-Star shortstop Trea Turner.
Carrying such an offensive threat as Turner does, there’s no doubt that his .298/.343/.466 batting line with 21 home runs and 100 RBI could positively impact any team’s offense, including San Francisco’s.
Led at the shortstop position this past season by 35-year-old Brandon Crawford and backup Thairo Estrada, the Giants shortstop position carried a lowly .219 batting average and .333 slugging, finishing third-worst in baseball for both categories.
Signs also indicate that Crawford, who had four stints on the injured list in 2022, is possibly nearing the end of his lengthy career with the Giants. The upcoming season will be the final year of Crawford’s two-year, $32 million contract.
If the Giants somehow were to sign both Judge and Turner, it would surely provide them with the star power to pursue their first World Series title since 2014.
San Francisco Giants 2022 offense
While it is certain that every team would like to add an offensive powerhouse like Judge, the Giants would greatly benefit if they could somehow acquire both him and Turner.
Although they ranked a decent eleventh in runs scored last season (716), they still fell 131 runs short of their division rival Dodgers. Their batting average of .234 as a team ranked even lower though, 23rd out of baseball’s 30 teams.
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