Three Giants stories worth watching this week – NBC Sports Bay Area and California

In just a few days, the Giants could become one of the most interesting teams in baseball.

With the MLB Winter Meetings officially starting Monday at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, San Francisco awaits the biggest free agent decision in league history as president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and general manager Pete Boutella navigate a busy offseason with plenty of moves to make.

Except for a few transactions, the holiday season has been fairly quiet so far, but that will change this week as the Annual Meetings never fail to provide fireworks.

Here are three Giants stories to watch this week in Nashville.

Celebrating or licking wounds?

Contract negotiations for two-way star Shohei Ohtani are reportedly entering the final phase, and while the Giants’ exact position among the remaining teams is unclear, there is no doubt that San Francisco has Ohtani at the top of their free agent wish list and will do everything in their power to land him.

After losing star players year after year, the Giants may be just days away from finally getting rid of the monkey and landing one of the greatest athletes on the planet.

Or they won’t get a rose. once again.

No matter what Ohtani decides, this will be a very stressful week for the Giants who are hoping to celebrate with some champagne instead of drowning their sorrows in a bottle of Tennessee whiskey.

Feeling stressed

If the Giants miss out on the opportunity to acquire Ohtani, the pressure to land a starter will intensify. While the majority of the fan base is already prepared for disappointment, that doesn’t mean the groans won’t get louder if the apple of the Giants’ eye rejects them.

In this scenario, the Giants are essentially begging someone to take their money, similar to what happened last season where they agreed to an eye-popping 13-year, $350 million contract with Carlos Correa after losing Aaron Judge, which was a clear overpayment. But they had to overpay.

Sure, the Giants can and likely will land a handful of good players this offseason, but they simply can’t leave the Winter Meetings without getting a superstar this offseason or laying the groundwork to get one. They must act quickly and pounce on every top name available in free agency and on the trade block. It wouldn’t be surprising to see another overpayment in this scenario. What choice do they have?

Zaidi’s biggest trade so far?

Perhaps the most impressive part of Zaidi’s tenure with the Giants was the trades he made. He has never made a successful move to another team — a Kris Bryant trade in 2021 is coming — but he has a very positive record overall in small to moderate deals.

Tyler Herb by Mike Yastrzemski
“Critical Considerations” by Cairro Estrada
Shawn Anderson on LaMonte Wade Jr.
Darren Ruff for JD Davis and three leads

For example but not limited to.

This offseason we could see the first trade involving one of the Giants’ top prospects of the Zaidi era. He’s made it clear this offseason that the Giants will be aggressive in the trade market. Stars like Juan Soto, Luis Robert, Dylan Cease, Corbin Burns, Pete Alonso, Mike Trout and others could be available and the Giants would be wise to target all of them.

The Giants have a surplus of young players and will likely cash in on that in a trade at some point, but if they’re feeling pressure to make a big splash, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see a coveted prospect move on.

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