Giants Reportedly Interested in Former Rival Yasiel Puig in Free Agency
By Sean Facey
Yasiel Puig is one of the top free agents left on the market as Spring Training looms, and he's drawing interest from a handful of teams in need of a power bat to man one of the corner positions.
Among the potential suitors for his services? The San Francisco Giants, believe it or not, whose fans surely remember the inimitable Cuban slugger's time with the rival Dodgers not so long ago.
Sources: #SFGiants have interest in free-agent outfielder Yasiel Puig. Familiarity with Farhan Zaidi from their together time in LA.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) February 7, 2020
Puig spent the start of his career with LA, where he played under current Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi. It's worth noting that he'd be a fine fit for San Francisco, as not only would his signing be a nice dig at the Dodgers, but it would also help provide a batting order in dire need of some pop.
That cannon arm in the outfield won't hurt, either.
Yasiel Puig high-fiving Hunter Pence and Pablo Sandoval after a three-run homer against Madison Bumgarner, as the background of the simulation flickers briefly and the scoreboard flashes your dad's career statistics
— Grant Brisbee (@GrantBrisbee) February 7, 2020
The Giants ranked 28th in the MLB in runs scored last year, and their team OPS of .694 was more than 60 points below league average. Though Puig's .785 OPS from 2019 isn't eye-popping, he's a fiery presence and sheer unpredictability could pay dividends.
Signing Puig won't help the Giants compete with the super-powered Dodgers. That much is certain. But bringing him in would at the very least begin to help steer the team in the right direction moving forward.