MLB Rumors: SF Giants Eyeing Shortstops — 2 Prime Candidates Named

The San Francisco Giants landed their big outfield splash in free agency in Jung Hoo Lee from Korea. But they're not done yet making upgrades to their roster. Brandon Crawford is gone, now a free agent unlikely to return after 13 seasons in the Bay. Shortstop, then, is a prime area of concern, and according to Giants Insider Susan Slusser, they're hitting the trade market, with their eyes on a couple of shortstop prizes:

Willy Adames

The Milwaukee Brewers slugger is going into the final year of his contract, so this would be a one-year rental as he heads to free agency next winter. That would buy them time for top shortstop prospect Marco Luciano, just 22, to hopefully be ready for a full-time role. 

The Brewers have been rumored to be open to considering trading Adames, but it won't come cheaply. Adams launched 24 homers in a bit of a down season for Milwaukee in '23, as it came with just a .717 OPS and a below average OPS+ of just 95. He also batted .217. 

But going into his age-28 season, he's still in his prime, and is bound to put up some big numbers in his contract year The Giants could reap the benefits of that. In 2022, Adames cranked 31 long balls with 98 RBIs. That's the kind of offence San Fran is badly in need of.

 Ha-Seong Kim 

Slusser also mentions the Gold Glover Kim as a possible trade target at short for the Giants. They've had a close-up view of him within their division over the past couple of years, and he even got some MVP votes for his 2023 season, which in addition to the defensive chops at the keystone, also saw him hit 17 homers to go with a .351 on-base percentage and a 110 OPS+ (10% better than league average). 

The Padres, should they be so inclined to trade Kim, do have a couple of other shortstops on their roster who could take over, in Xander Bogaerts and Fernando Tatis Jr. (though he's now proven to be a Gold Glover in right field). 

Photo: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports