In some ways, the San Francisco Giants had a nice stretch at the Winter Meetings. Former second baseman Jeff Kent was elected to the Hall of Fame by the era committee; the organization had several award winners and earned the No. 4 pick in the MLB Draft Lottery. 

These are all positives, especially the draft selection, which is only the fifth time in franchise history the Giants will select so high. However, the Winter Meetings for San Francisco were simultaneously uneventful as no free agents of significance were signed and no great trades were struck. So, what should the level of concern be when the Giants need help at pitcher, outfield and more? 

According to Grant Brisbee of The Athletic, there are varying levels of concern attached to different areas of need for the club. Brisbee covers each roster deficiency and his corresponding level of concern for the Giants’ moves, or lack thereof, to address it. 

Brisbee starts with first base and designated hitter, which he assigned a low level of concern. The same can be said for second base, and outfield is when we see a jump to a medium level of concern.  

Things begin to heat up when we reach the pitching staff, which he ranked “medium-high.” 

“If the Giants want starting pitching, and they sure do, it’s still out there,” Brisbee wrote. “There are the fancy, high-priced pitchers who would slot in nicely behind Logan Webb in the rotation, like Tatsuya Imai. There are the sensible, underrated veterans who might be a relative bargain, like Lucas Giolito.”  

“There is a wide variety of veterans who aren’t seeking multiyear deals at all, like Max Scherzer. And, of course, there are still trades to make. You can make those suckers in April if you need to.” 

What is working in favor of the front office is how many quality pitchers remain without a team following the Winter Meetings. Below are the top remaining pitchers on The Athletic’s board: 

5. Framber Valdez 

9. Ranger Suárez 

10. Tatsuya Imai 

12. Michael King 

20. Merrill Kelly 

21. Zac Gallen 

30. Lucas Giolito 

31. Chris Bassitt 

34. Zach Eflin 

37. Zack Littell 

41. Max Scherzer 

42. Dustin May 

“That’s quite the variety,” Brisbee added. “And there’s even a little quality to be found on the next tier down, too. Tyler Mahle looked excellent in his two starts off the IL in September for the Texas Rangers, and he might want a one-year deal if the impending lockout isn’t spooking him.” 

Beyond their shower of accolades, the Giants were no doubt underwhelming during the four-day event in Orlando. Yet, there are still many names available that can address multiple positions. Because of that, San Francisco still has hope. 

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