The Athletic's Keith Law was on KNBR recently and he ripped the San Francisco Giants' apparent plan to start Marco Luciano at shortstop, going so far as to call the plan "reckless." Does Law have a point? Are the SF Giants setting Luciano up for failure? Or does Law have questionable analysis skills? Memorably, Law not so long ago wrote a piece in which he re-drafted the class that yielded Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, and Christian Yelich, among others. The player Law said he would take first overall? Andrelton Simmons—a shockingly poor decision with the benefit of hindsight. So ... maybe Law's words shouldn't always be taken as gospel. He also bad-mouthed the SF Giants ahead of the 2010 season, and we all know how that ended up.

Among the other questions asked and answered on today's mailbag edition of the Locked On Giants podcast:

If Luis Matos has a good spring, would you trade one of Mike Yastrzemski and Michael Conforto and give Luis an everyday corner spot? Don’t understand the logic of starting him at Sac if he has a good spring but basically give Luciano SS without much competition.

Do you think we really need Slater? He’s basically a one trick pony and was horrible the 2nd half of last year. Between Matos, Blake Sabol, Tyler Fitzgerald, Wade Meckler, and Ramos he’s taking up a valuable roster spot and is a FA next year. I just think Ramos deserves a fair shot.

Any chance you can discuss the WAR for every teams 1st round pick from the 10 years and how the Hiants would've been better off having not signed a single first round pick in that span? Susan Slusser retweeted the chart I’m talking about.

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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

Follow Ben Kaspick on X, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the San Francisco Giants and talking with fans.

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Locked On Giants is normally all about the data, with of course a heavy dose of passion mixed in. But on today's episode, things switch gears in a dramatic way. Javier Reyes of Locked On Padres joins the show and each host describes the players on his respective team that fans have disliked the most in recent seasons.

From the San Francisco Giants' side of things, players like Mark Melancon, Tommy La Stella, a couple of hot-headed relievers, and many others are discussed at length. Explored are the reasons why fans dislike them.

For the Padres, there are some names that might surprise SF Giants fans, including Eric Hosmer, who somehow has a reputation in the game for being a really good player, even though he was just awful for San Diego. Locked On Giant host Ben Kaspick goes so far as to call Hosmer the most overrated player in baseball in the last three decades.

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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

Follow Ben Kaspick on X, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the San Francisco Giants and talking with fans.

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#SFGiants #FirstListen

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If the San Francisco Giants had the chance, should they trade Keaton Winn straight up for Willy Adames? They absolutely should, even though Winn has a bright and exciting future. The Giants could really use a true shortstop, and who better than a talented hitter and elite defender who's only 28? Adames fits the SF Giants extremely well, and the Giants have a surplus of young pitching. It might take more than that to land Adames, but he's a player the Giants should definitely be targeting.

Among the other questions asked and answered on today's mailbag edition of the Locked On Giants podcast:

Why are so many people asking for Adames instead of FINALLY seeing what we have in Marco Luciano?

Thoughts on Joc Pederson liking that post about the city?

Now that Joc's gone who has the most swagger on the team?

What are a few examples of ways the front office has integrated differing viewpoints into their decision-making processes, compared to last season?

Are you proud of the Giants organization? Are you proud to be a Giants fan right now, or were you proud to be a Giants fan back when the organization was run differently (Bochy Era), and just hopeful that it will get back to something to be proud of?

Do you think a couple of signings/moves are imminent after they can add Alex Cobb and Robbie Ray to the 60-day IL on 2/14?

If you were Farhan Zaidi would you rather pay 6/$180M for Blake Snell or trade for Jesus Luzardo in a prospect package costing at least Carson Whisenhunt or possibly Marco Luciano as the top player back to Miami?

Ok real question, do you think the 107-win season was actually the worst thing that happened for the SF Giants' long-term strategy, soft rebuild (reset?), Zaidi & Gabe Kapler game plan?

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Jorge Soler once led the majors with a 48-home run season. Last year, the defensively challenged slugger launched 36 homers. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Francisco Giants are "in talks" with Soler, meaning that the Giants signing him is a real possibility. Soler would provide tremendous pop to the lineup, but at this stage in his career he is a pure DH. Soler is awful defensively. In his favor, however, is the fact that he holds his own against same-handed pitching so the SF Giants would not need to platoon him.

What would be the ramifications of adding Soler to the roster? Unfortunately for the Giants, it would seem to take playing time away from Wilmer Flores, who had a monster season with San Francisco last season. As of right now, Flores projects as the SF Giants' DH, but the team still needs a platoon partner at first base for LaMonte Wade Jr. So that spot may actually be Flores', but that takes at-bats away from him. It's a complicated situation that, when combined with Soler's inability to play defense, make him seem like not the most important fit/priority.

In other news, Buster Posey and Greg Johnson commented on the SF Giants' offseason after finishing a round of golf at Pebble Beach. Both Posey and Johnson were clear that the Giants remain interested in some of the top talent in free agency. There are four players remaining—two pitchers and two hitters—who are expected to command deals of $100 million or more, and the SF Giants make sense for all of them.

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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

Follow Ben Kaspick on X, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the San Francisco Giants and talking with fans.

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#SFGiants #FirstListen

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The San Francisco Giants' very odd and interesting offseason continued Friday, as they sent pitcher Ross Stripling to the Oakland A's in exchange for Jonah Cox and cash. In the deal, the SF Giants save $9.25 million, which is no small sum considering all they gave up was Stripling, who was awful last year, and the Giants also received a prospect in return.

But the deal immediately made it look like a precursor to a bigger deal for the Giants, likely one involving a starting pitcher. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported today that the Giants were one of the teams in on Corbin Burnes before he was traded to the Orioles, and it doesn't seem like a coincidence that this Stripling trade happened the next day. Perhaps the SF Giants are preparing to back up the Brinks truck on last year's NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, who'd pair exceptionally well with last year's Cy Young runner-up Logan Webb.

But Farhan Zaidi said the trade was mostly about creating more avenues for young pitchers to get opportunities, particularly early in the season, before Alex Cobb and Robbie Ray return from injuries that are expected to sideline them for months. That may well be true, and the Giants do have an impressive pipeline of young arms, but in that case they must trade for or sign significantly more talent for this offseason to be a success. Whether it's starting pitchers or position players, the Giants must do more to improve after fans suffered through two consecutive painfully mediocre seasons.

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Corbin Burnes being traded from the Brewers to the Orioles has implications for the San Francisco Giants. Milwaukee has signaled its intent to re-tool, trading away a Cy Young-caliber pitcher because he was entering the last year of his contract. Enter the SF Giants, who could use another Brewers player on an expiring deal: shortstop Willy Adames.

There are numerous reasons why Adames makes sense for the Giants. First of all, going into the season with just Marco Luciano penciled in as their starting shortstop is too risky. Adames is a plus-plus defender, is 28 years old, and is an above-average hitter. Acquiring him would be a big swing for the Giants, and it would allow them to move Luciano into a competition for the third base position, which currently consists of J.D. Davis, Casey Schmitt, Wilmer Flores, and perhaps David Villar. Davis is the frontrunner to play there, except it would make more sense for him to play DH given the current roster construction, especially if they acquired someone on the left side of the infield.

So the big question is: what would it take to acquire Adames? The cost for Burnes wasn't that high, simply because he is a short-term rental. And as good as Adames is, he has less value than Burnes. So the SF Giants would probably have to give up a mid Top-100 prospect type (Carson Whisenhunt?) and perhaps a bit more. Arms like Tristan Beck and Keaton Winn could also be of interest to Milwaukee. The cost won't be prohibitive, Adames would make the team better, he is a high energy player, and a trade would make a lot of sense.

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Patrick Bailey and Jung Hoo Lee kind of got cheated by the system. Bailey, who burst onto the scene in 2023 with his defensive excellence at the most important position on the field, was never a Top 100 prospect darling. Lee, who's coming over from Korea, is only 25 years old, and would certainly crack a top prospects list if eligible, was not included on MLB Pipeline's list this year because they decided to stop including international signings.

However, that didn't stop the SF Giants from having four representatives on MLB Top 100 list. There were the usual suspects, Kyle Harrison and Marco Luciano, leading the way. Both players reached the major leagues in 2023 and figure to have a real shot at further development this upcoming season. Harrison has ace potential and Luciano could have 30+ home run power.

Two newcomers joined the list for the Giants. Carson Whisenhunt, a left-handed pitcher, was ranked for the first time. Bryce Eldridge, the San Francisco Giants' first-round selection in the 2023 draft, also cracked MLB Pipeline's Top 100 list. Whisenhunt features a devastating changeup, one of the best in professional baseball, and Eldridge is a 6'7" teenager with huge raw power. Oh, and he's also a pitcher who sits in the low to mid-90s and throws strikes.

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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

Follow Ben Kaspick on X, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the San Francisco Giants and talking with fans.

On X: https://x.com/BenKaspick

#SFGiants #FirstListen

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Joc Pederson continues his tour of the NL West, agreeing to a one-year, $12.5M deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks with a mutual option for a second year. If it doesn't feel like a big loss, that's because it's really not. The Giants' departing free-agent class is mediocre at best, and the biggest deals signed by outgoing free agents are Sean Manaea's two-year deal with the Mets and Pederson's one-year deal with the Snakes.

Meanwhile, the Giants have added Jung Hoo Lee, who boasts excellent projections and cost $113M over a guaranteed six years, plus a $19M posting fee. They also added flamethrowing sinkerballer Jordan Hicks on a fascinating four-year, $44M deal and intend to use him as a starting pitcher. Tom Murphy was also signed to a two-year deal plus a club option for a third. The SF Giants also dipped into the trade market in a fascinating swap that saw Robbie Ray join the Giants with unwanted players Mitch Haniger and Anthony DeSclafani (along with $6M in cash) going to Seattle.

Switching gears, the Giants' pitching projections are discussed. Logan Webb projects across the board as one of the best starters in baseball. Camilo Doval projects as one of the best closers. That's a good place for the San Francisco Giants to start, and they've also got intriguing young players like Kyle Harrison in the mix. Alex Cobb and Ray should act as fascinating mid-season "acquisitions."

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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

Follow Ben Kaspick on X, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the San Francisco Giants and talking with fans.

On X: https://x.com/BenKaspick

#SFGiants #FirstListen

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