This story was excerpted from Maria Guardado’s Giants Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
It’s been a rollercoaster offseason for the Giants.
For seven minutes, they appeared to have Aaron Judge. For seven days, they appeared to have Carlos Correa. Both wound up in New York, with Correa pulling a stunning reversal by agreeing with the Mets after his 13-year, $350 million deal with the Giants fell apart over medical concerns.
The wild developments have soured what was expected to be a huge winter for the Giants, who were intent on filling their superstar void after falling short of expectations in 2022.
It’s unclear where the Giants will go in 2023, but here are three optimistic predictions for the new year:
1. Logan Webb extension talks pick up this spring
After losing Correa, the Giants pivoted by agreeing to terms with outfielder Michael Conforto (two years, $36 million) and left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers (three years, $33 million). Reuniting the Rogers twins restored some wholesome vibes in the wake of the Correa fiasco, but there’s another move the Giants could make to try to build up goodwill with their disappointed fanbase: Extend Webb.
After Buster Posey joined the Giants’ ownership group in September, Webb joked that he had sent his former teammate a text saying, “I know who to talk to now when I hit free agency.”
Webb, 26, is under team control for three more seasons, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Giants try to lock up their homegrown ace on a long-term extension sooner rather than later.
The Giants have preferred to add pitchers on short-term deals under president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, though Webb likely falls into a different category since he’s younger than most free agents and has established himself as one of the top starters in the Majors over the past two seasons. He also hails from nearby Rocklin, Calif., which could make him more amenable to sticking around to anchor San Francisco’s rotation for years to come.
2. A Giants hitter produces a 30-homer campaign
The Giants haven’t had a hitter bash more than 30 home runs in a single season since Barry Bonds in 2004. That’s the longest such drought in the Majors, but there’s a good chance it’ll finally come to an end now that they’re projected to have Joc Pederson, Mitch Haniger and Conforto hitting in the heart of their order in 2023.
Pederson led the Giants with 23 home runs this past season, but he slugged 36 homers for the Dodgers in 2019 and could benefit from receiving more at-bats at designated hitter. Haniger will also bring some serious right-handed pop after crushing 39 homers for the Mariners in 2021. Conforto is more of a question mark since he’s coming off right shoulder surgery and hasn’t appeared in an MLB game since 2021, but he comes with big upside, as he hit 33 home runs for the Mets in 2019.
3. Kyle Harrison earns Rookie of the Year votes
The game’s best left-handed pitching prospect, Harrison topped the Minors in strikeout rate (14.8 per nine innings) and strikeout percentage (39.8) while compiling a 2.71 ERA, .196 opponent average and 186 strikeouts in 113 innings between High-A Eugene and Double-A Richmond.
The 21-year-old is expected to open the 2023 campaign at Triple-A Sacramento, but the Giants won’t hesitate to fold him into their rotation mix if he continues to dominate early in the season. Armed with a mid-90s fastball with plenty of arm-side run and a power mid-80s slider, Harrison could have a chance to become the Giants’ first Rookie of the Year winner since Posey in 2010.