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(Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
The San Francisco Giants are in a challenging division with the reigning back-to-back World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers. While the Giants have spent money, it’s not to the extent that the Dodgers have.
San Francisco have long-term money committed to Willy Adames, Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman, and Jung Hoo Lee among the players in the starting lineup. Nonetheless, should the Giants be looking to spend more to build an offense that can challenge the Dodgers in the NL West?
Former MLB manager Mike Shildt spoke on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM and noted that free-agent hitter Bo Bichette would be an ideal fit for the Giants.
“Giants would be really interesting,” Shildt said in a video posted by MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM on December 26. “They have a spot there at second base. That’d be a heck of an infield, right? Chapman, Adames, Bichette, and Devers, what they do with him, first base, or how they use him. But man, what a good fit.
“It fits for the ballpark over there, too, in Oracle Park. You mentioned the line drive stroke. Got a nice approach, used the whole field. Not an overly friendly ballpark for Slug. They’re built to win, so it’d be a winning player. It’d be a fit in San Francisco for him.”
Bo Bichette Told to Make Third Base Switch
Moreover, regarding the position, Shildt believes Bichette should transition from shortstop to third base rather than second base. Nonetheless, he acknowledges that either position wouldn’t be an issue for the infielder to adjust to.
“I think it’s going to be easier for a guy to go from short to third, just based on everything being forward-facing with your throw, angle of the ball coming in,” Shildt added. “Obviously, the ball gets on you a little bit quicker, so you may have to change your set-up a little bit to go to third base. I feel like when [Xander Bogaerts] went over to second base two years ago, when we asked him to do that, we had [Ha-Seong Kim] at shortstop, and he did a great job.
“It just took him a lot to acclimate his feedback, which is just one representation of it, but is pretty accurate. If you’re not used to having your back to the field a little bit more on that double-play pivot, and the throws are different, you’re working across your body a little bit more, I think that transition over to second can be a little bit more challenging. But these guys are great athletes. They make the adjustment.”
Giants Appear to Want Infield Help
The Giants appear to be looking for an infielder, although they might be wanting one who can play multiple positions. On December 10, Katie Woo and Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported, citing a league source, that Donovan remains on the Dodgers’ radar.
Meanwhile, Woo reported on December 13, citing sources familiar with negotiations, that the Seattle Mariners and Giants have emerged as front-runners for Donovan.
Amid rumors linking Donovan to the Dodgers and Giants, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic shared his thoughts on San Francisco’s interest in the St. Louis Cardinals’ versatile player.
“You think of adding someone like Donovan to the core they already have and maybe trying to slug next year to see where you’re at, while hoping some of the young pitching comes along; I still don’t think that’s the way to win in San Francisco,” Pavlovic said on the December 15 edition of “Giants Talk.”
“I think Donovan makes a lot of sense to be involved in that market, and it does potentially open things up. If you have that guy at second base, it opens up your current second baseman as someone you can include in trades for pitching. There are a lot of different ways this could go.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com. He previously covered the league for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has contributed as a freelance writer for The Sporting News. He also served as an editor for Athlon Sports and Heavy Sports focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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