The San Francisco Giants are playing well right now, and they need to go strong when the Trade Deadline rolls around. They have an unprecedented realistic opportunity to win a division title, and will need all the reinforcement they can get. Last year, they didn’t show a clear bend toward either contention or rebuilding at the end of July. But now, they need to have a top-level focus. It may make all the difference.
The Ideal Candidate
Shohei Ohtani Would Be an Excellent Option
Shohei Ohtani is going to go down in history as an all-time great. A player qualifies as a superstar if he is either a slugger or a great pitcher. But Ohtani is both. His 2023 salary of $30 million has finally started to reveal something of what he’s worth, although it won’t do justice until it gets to at least $40 million per year.
Ohtani will be a free agent at the end of the season. But the Los Angeles Angels have a winning record, which suggests highly realistic playoff chances, and makes it feasible for them to plan on keeping him at least for the time being. So it’s a long shot that the Giants (or anyone else) will get him. The Angels performance would have to regress significantly before the Trade Deadline came up. It’s true that the front offices on contending teams can sometimes get really stupid and trade their great players when they have a chance that year. But who in their right mind would do that with Ohtani?
Nevertheless, the Giants should keep an eye on him just in case he becomes available. They wouldn’t want to miss out. This offseason, too, they should make it a priority to sign him to a multiyear contract. Some may protest that it doesn’t always benefit teams to spend exorbitant chunks of their money on single superstar players. They may have a point, but it’s better to hold to the traditional truth that top-level talent wins games.
Even for those who might not think it wise for the Giants to break their pockets on Ohtani, picking him up at the Trade Deadline is an entirely different thing. They likely wouldn’t have to pick up his full remaining salary for 2023. And even if they would, it would be affordable since it’s only the prorated portion for less than half a year.
Would you like to see the Giants add another impact player before the deadline? pic.twitter.com/vpjbZhCWMb
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 11, 2023
Would the Giants Be Aggressive Enough?
So let’s say Ohtani became available on the trade market. Could the Giants be more serious than before? Last year, they were considering trading for Juan Soto. We’ll never know how much of an effect he would have had in San Francisco. The Giants recent pursuit of great players has just been futile. This applies to the offseason as well, but that’s a discussion for another time.
There will be competition for Ohtani if he becomes available, and it might show itself in the Giants division. The Los Angeles Dodgers are almost certainly keeping their eye on him. And who knows what the Arizona Diamondbacks are thinking? It’s certain that the Giants would have a hard time parting with their organizational prospects. That’s one reason why it is so important that they do well in the draft. If they can steadily restock their organization with prospects, they will have some to spare at the Trade Deadline. When it’s time to focus on the present, teams have to be prepared to do that. We’ve seen organizational improvement for the Giants, and let’s hope that it lasts.
Whatever the market looks like, the Giants need to make some kind of a meaningful move. 2023 could be their championship year if they do the right things. And the front office would be most motivated to act in an aggressive manner if the team is good on the field in the two or three weeks leading up to the Trade Deadline.
Conclusion
The Giants need the Angels to lose games. Of course, there’s a priority list. If the Angels play any of the Giants NL West competitors, root for the Angels 100%. But if the Angels playoff chances could somehow be weakened, there might be a chance that they would put Ohtani on the market at the Trade Deadline.
Photo Credit- Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Players Mentioned- Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto
