The San Francisco Giants capitalized this offseason after their payroll had over $50 million come off the books at the conclusion of the MLB year. They worked on bolstering their starting rotation, but rumors have long suggested they're also looking to fill their vacancy in left field.
Yoenis Cespedes, who has been speculated as an option, could still be a possibility even after the Giants' heavy spending. Jim Duquette of MLB.com thinks the Giants are the top landing spot for the power-hitting outfielder.
"The Giants have already spent more than $200 million to bring in Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija, so it's a question as to whether general manager Bobby Evans will have the financial flexibility to add a middle-of-the-lineup bat," writes Duquette.
"As of now, the Giants are choosing from Gregor Blanco or Jarrett Parker to start in left, but both profile better as bench pieces, which has led to speculation that San Francisco will make a move to upgrade that spot. Alex Gordon's name has been floated, but AT&T Park is notoriously tough on left-handed hitters, and Cespedes, who has power to left-center field, can also back up Angel Pagan, who has battled a variety of injuries, in center."
San Francisco backloaded the deals of both Samardzija and Cueto, as both pitchers will make a total of $26.63 million in 2016. This gave them some relief for the upcoming season, so they can perhaps add Cespedes with their payroll expected to reach $168 million when the team settles the salaries for their arbitration-eligible players.
However, it will have to be at the right price. (But keep in mind the team will have an addition $50 million come off the books after 2016.)
"The Giants are carefully monitoring the outfield market and could still be a big player for one of the big stars out there, though with a $150 million deal said to be very unlikely, they may look to a second-tier free agent or maybe a trade," adds Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
Even with Jason Heyward signing an eight-year, $184 million contract with the Chicago Cubs, the outfield market is still undefined. Top names such as Cespedes, Gordon, Justin Upton, Dexter Fowler, Gerardo Parra and Denard Span remain unsigned and it's unclear how high the demand for their services is.
Here are some predictions from MLB experts regarding Cespedes' future deal:
ESPN's Jim Bowden: six years, $126 million
CBS Sports' Jon Heyman: six years, $150 million
Tim Dierkes of MLBTradeRumors.com: six years, $140 million
Rumors from earlier in the offseason suggested the Los Angeles Angels, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox and others could be in on Cespedes, but there really hasn't been much talk on any of them. The Orioles recently engaged with Cespedes due to their standstill with Chris Davis. The Giants were said to be "hot" on Gordon, but nothing has developed since. Upton's market has been extremely silent as well.
"The theory among some agents a week ago was that once Jason Heyward signed, the dominoes in the outfield market would begin to fall," writes ESPN's Buster Olney.
"But it's not entirely clear if that's actually the case -- that teams will emerge from their winter dens to buy heavily into one outfielder over another.
"It seems that more teams are prepared to wait and see if a good outfielder will drop to them at a price they like. Which is why there are common refrains among evaluators these days."
Perhaps the Giants are hoping Cespedes' price drops or that he'll no longer be seeking a six-year deal. San Francisco pounced on Cueto and Samardzija and signed them both at rates the front office felt were below the market value. The same could be done with Cespedes.
