SAN FRANCISCO -- It has been a slow offseason in general for MLB teams, but for the Giants, the pace has been particularly measured.
Until they announced a one-year deal with Derek Holland on Monday morning, the Giants had guaranteed just $585,000 to free agents. That changed Monday, and Farhan Zaidi expects more action over the coming weeks.
During a conference call to discuss the Holland deal, Zaidi said there's a lot of "under the surface activity" with the market. He pointed out multiple times that there is a month remaining until pitchers and catchers report, and he is optimistic he'll have his outfield bolstered by then. The Giants at this point have Steven Duggar in center and question marks in the corners.
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"We have quite a few guys that we're looking at in the outfield mix," Zaidi said. "I'm still optimistic that we're going to add on that front. We've obviously got a group of guys that we like, but they're inexperienced. Adding some experience and known production in the outfield is something we'd like to do."
Technically, the Giants are inexperienced in all three spots. Duggar is coming off a surgery-shortened rookie season, and while the Giants anticipate him being their center fielder, they also would like to get a platoon partner for the left-handed hitter. The 40-man roster does not provide any experienced options.
In addition to Duggar, the Giants currently have Mac Williamson, Austin Slater, Chris Shaw, waiver addition Mike Gerber and Rule 5 pick Drew Ferguson. Nobody in that group has any experience as an everyday player in the big leagues. That's the bad news. The good news is that the free agent market has moved so slowly that Zaidi still has plenty of options. He said trade talks also have been steady.
While the outfield has the biggest holes, there are other needs to address before pitchers and catchers report Feb. 13. The Giants have not replaced Nick Hundley, who remains on the market. They also need at least one more starting pitching option. Even with the reunion with Holland, the Giants are short of the depth Zaidi desires.
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"As things stand right now, we feel like we've got a group of five starters we feel good about," Zaidi said. "(Jeff) Samardzija is doing really well in his throwing program, so we're certainly optimistic about him. (But) teams nowadays try to go into the season not just with five guys, but you like to have seven or eight guys. Adding more starting pitching is still high on our list."