There’s a story that the San Francisco Giants want to finish. More importantly, it’s the story of their GM Farhan Zaidi, who has come close but closed a deal with a major star. There was Carlos Correa, then there was Aaron Judge but everything ended up as a disappointment. With the likes of Blake Snell and Matt Chapman still in the market, could 2024 prove to be a turning point?

Yes, the Bay Bombers have signed the Korean superstar Lee Jung-Hoo but he’s still unproven in MLB. What they need is a star who has already proven his pedigree. Now if the reports are to be believed, the Giants are ready to go balls to the wall for their prime targets. 

Blake Snell and Matt Chapman remain prime targets

The Giants are one of the few teams who are linked with three major Scott Boras clients – Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, and Cody Bellinger. Though Cody Love remains closer to the Chicago Cubs, the former two are currently up for grabs. Looking at the fact that with the arrival of Spring Training, competition is bound to increase, the Orange Nation has made a strong play. 

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports, “The Giants have cleared $9.25 million in payroll by trading starter Ross Stripling to the Oakland A’s (paying $3.25 million of Stripling’s $12.5 million salary), it certainly could help land third baseman Matt Chapman or another marquee free agent.” 

One look at Spotrac shows that the 2024 Payroll of the Giants is estimated to be at $182 million. With the taxation threshold being $237 million, the G’s have a lot of wiggle room with them. This could help in their pursuit of Blake Snell and Chapman. While the latter wouldn’t be very expensive, it’s the former that requires big space in the payroll. 

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Snell’s free agency has remained above $200 million. His agent Scott Boras hasn’t shown any interest in lowering this number. But the competition has lessened because of it. 

Why the Giants could be in an advantageous position 

Apart from their payroll being lower, the Bay Bombers present a great lineup to Snell. Though they finished with only 79 wins in 2023, there were quite a few positive takeaways from their season – especially their pitching staff. Would forming a formidable duo with Logan Webb attract Snell? You never know. 

But it’s the payroll and desperation that can prove to be a game-changer for the Giants. Having failed so many times, the Gyros wouldn’t want to come short again. There’s a strong chance that the Giants will fight till the end for Snell and Chapman. Especially as chances like this don’t come again.

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