4 early season moves the Giants must make

Right off the bat, we have a no-brainer. It never made any sense that Luciano was being sent down, apart from a hope and a prayer that 34-year-old Nick Ahmed, who had a horrific 54 OPS+ with the Arizona Diamondbacks a year ago, would be able to keep up his hot hitting from Spring Training. Now that the pitchers’ stats count, they’re back to feasting on Ahmed, who’s got a 52 OPS+ through his first 21 at-bats.

Luciano, meanwhile, is off to a 7-for-16 start in AAA with a pair of doubles. This is by no means an indicator that he will continue to shred the pitching at the MLB level. But at the very least, he’s got his legs under him at the plate.

The entire reason the Giants A) let franchise icon Brandon Crawford walk in free agency and B) didn’t go after a big-name shortstop in free agency or the trade market was so that Luciano could get his chance. They need to find out what they have in him now, so that by the trade deadline, they can decide if they want to take a swing at a big name (like, say, the Brewers’ Willy Adames).

Call up OF Luis Matos

Let’s make it a full-on youth brigade. The Giants are getting nothing from right-handed platoon bat Austin Slater, who has been a combination of injured and ineffective for the last two seasons. Matos, meanwhile, is 22, showed signs of growth throughout 2023 and crushed it in Spring Training.

For most young players, it’s crucial to be in the lineup on a daily basis, because that helps establish a flow and keeps confidence high. But the Giants have become famous in recent years for their platoon system, which keeps lefties and righties cycling in and out of the game at a moment’s notice.

Matos got used to that system in 2023 in his 76-game sample size and he needs to be a part of that picture now. The Giants have a good base of established veterans in the lineup now (see: Matt Chapman, Jorge Soler, Michael Conforto), but they’ll need more athleticism and upside in order to take the leap to contender status. Players like Matos are the answer in that respect, not middling veterans like Slater.

Trade C/LF Blake Sabol for bullpen depth

A rookie in 2023, Blake Sabol provided a spark for a Giants team without much star power in the lineup. But in 2024, Sabol has been pushed to AAA with the arrival of Jung Hoo Lee and Soler, making him an extra piece. It’s unlikely he will get an at-bat in San Francisco until if and when someone gets injured.

The pitching staff, meanwhile, is already injured. Tristan Beck, Luke Jackson, Sean Hjelle and Ethan Small have all hit the IL in the past month, leaving the bullpen with little to rely on past closer Camilo Doval and the Rogers twins. Teams like the Nationals and Athletics, who have a number of decent bullpen arms that won’t help them much in 2024, should be pouncing at the chance to acquire position players

For the sake of argument, let’s send Sabol and Giants’ No. 27 overall prospect Cole Foster, via MLB Pipeline, to the Washington Nationals for Dylan Floro. Floro is off to a strong start after a disappointing 2023, he’s a free agent after the season and he’s assuredly hoping to earn a trade to a contender. For a team like the Giants hoping to steady the pitching staff early in 2024, he’s the perfect fit.

Listen on trades for IF Wilmer Flores

This is a tricky one to navigate, because Flores was the best hitter on the 2023 Giants (admittedly, a team that didn’t have many good ones). He’s a respected veteran, the team loves him and he’s had a nice career resurgence there. But acquiring Matt Chapman left Flores as the odd man out in the Giants’ lineup.

Even in the Giants’ rotating carousel of at-bats, Flores has just 19 plate appearances, which is only that high because Mike Yastrzemski missed last weekend to have his second child. It’s a disservice to a player who had 23 homers and an .863 OPS in 2023 to relegate him to fill-in duty when the team faces right-handed pitching.

Now, the Giants shouldn’t be shopping Flores around like he’s dead weight, because that’s decidedly not the case. He’s hit to a 118 OPS+ in those first 19 plate appearances and if Chapman gets hurt, he’s back to being the everyday third baseman. But if a team comes in with an offer to upgrade the Giants’ pitching staff, or if Flores is a requested throw-in to pull off a trade for a star in the lineup, Farhan Zaidi has to be willing to listen.