Friday, December 12

The Giants’ biggest offseason focus will be restocking their pitching depth, but there are several other areas of the roster that could use upgrades, as well.

Another deficiency the Giants will have to address is their outfield defense, which ranked last in the Majors with -18 Outs Above Average in 2025.

Heliot Ramos’ struggles in left field (-9 OAA) were particularly pronounced, but the Giants also got subpar defense out of Jung Hoo Lee (-5 OAA) in center field, raising questions about whether the former KBO star will be able to stick in the middle of the diamond or be forced to shift to a corner spot in the future. 

“There's no question we have to be better in the outfield as a group,” president of baseball operations Buster Posey told reporters at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas last week. “It's something that we'll have to evaluate. We’re trying to get a coaching staff in place to have some of those talks with [Lee] about what he thinks are some adjustments he can make to improve.”

Lee signed a six-year, $113 million contract with the Giants ahead of the 2024 season, but he was limited to only 37 games in his first year in San Francisco after undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. The 27-year-old returned to action this year, but he experienced some highs and lows while grinding through a 162-game season for the first time in his career.

Lee looked like a star in the making after batting .319 with a .901 OPS over his first 30 games, but his production nosedived over the next two months and reached a nadir when he hit a paltry .143 with a .551 OPS in June. Still, Lee managed to bounce back in the second half, batting .293 with a .759 OPS over his final 57 games.   

“I thought it was a really important year for him,” Posey said. “Getting to know him a little bit, he's a very self-aware person. I'm sure he's analyzed his season and has started to think about certain parts of it that went well and certain parts that maybe didn't go as much as planned. I think there's probably a little bit of an adjustment to the physicality of a Major League season. He's somebody I'm really excited to see what this next year will look like because I think he's gonna be a guy that makes adjustments well.” 

Lee spent each of his previous two offseasons rehabbing from injuries, so he said he was looking forward to having a full winter to focus on improving his strength and conditioning, especially after struggling to maintain his weight during the regular season. He acknowledged that he’ll have to figure out how to get better defensively, as well. 

“The defensive stats round up how good you are at communicating with your outfielders,” Lee said via interpreter Justin Han in late September. “I feel like this year was my first year working with the boys out there. I could have done a better job communicating with the boys and also do a better job at being more aggressive with the plays. As the center fielder, you’re the quarterback over there in the outfield. For next year, I feel like I should be more aggressive and communicate a bit more with the boys.”

Ramos, 26, never looked entirely comfortable in left field this year, but he emerged as one of the Giants’ most consistent hitters after batting .256 with a .728 OPS and 21 home runs over 157 games. San Francisco already has Rafael Devers and Bryce Eldridge projected to split time at designated hitter next year, so it’ll be imperative for the club to ensure that Ramos remains playable in the outfield. 

Helping Lee and Ramos take steps forward defensively will be a big development project for new manager Tony Vitello and his coaching staff, though Posey said he believes there’s “more in the tank” for both of them. 

While Lee and Ramos are currently locked into two of San Francisco’s starting outfield spots, the club still has a void to fill in right field, which became a bit of a revolving door after Mike Yastrzemski was dealt to the Royals at the Trade Deadline. Drew Gilbert, Jerar Encarnacion, Luis Matos and Grant McCray are among the internal options for the job, but Posey said he’s open to bringing in some new acquisitions, as well. 

Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger and Harrison Bader will be available in free agency, though there are also several outfielders who could be trade candidates this offseason, including the Guardians’ Steven Kwan (a Bay Area native and four-time Gold Glove winner), the Twins’ Byron Buxton and the Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan. 

“I kind of look at it as an open spot right now,” Posey said. “We'll see how the offseason progresses, as far as if there's anything we can do additions-wise to put us in a better spot. It's a work in progress.”

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