The Los Angeles Dodgers have dominated headlines this offseason with their additions of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, but other teams in the National League West are trying to improve as well.
The Arizona Diamondbacks most notably acquired Eugenio Suárez in a trade with the Seattle Mariners and signed Eduardo Rodriguez to a four-year, $80 million contract.
Meanwhile, the San Francisco Giants brought in former Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) MVP Jung Hoo Lee on a six-year, $113 million deal. The team was also among the finalists to sign Ohtani and Yamamoto before they joined their biggest rival.
As the Giants look to continue bolstering their roster, some free agents have wondered if they will be able to keep up with the Dodgers next season and beyond, via John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle:
“The biggest issue the Giants have is the fact that the Dodgers are getting better. Players want to know if they come here, will they be able to compete with the Dodgers? And now Arizona. That’s the real major question that San Francisco has to answer.”
The Giants are coming off a disappointing season in which they went 79-83 and missed the playoffs for a second consecutive year. However, the team still has some opportunities to upgrade their roster with elite talent.
After signing Lee, there is speculation the Giants could look to add reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell to their starting rotation. Josh Hader is also on the market, and Corbin Burnes and Dylan Cease are believed to be available via trade as well.
The Giants have been aggressive looking to upgrade their roster with superstar talent the past few seasons but have fallen short each time, missing out on Ohtani, Yamamoto, Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa, among others.
MLB shares graphic of Jung Hoo Lee with Giants losing to Dodgers on scoreboard
After news broke of the Giants reaching an agreement to sign Lee, MLB posted a graphic to their social media accounts that some perceived to be a slight to the organization.
The image featured an enlarged version of Lee standing on the field at Oracle Park, with the scoreboard in the background showing the Dodgers holding a 6-5 lead over the Giants.
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