San Francisco Giants DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

San Francisco Giants left-hander Robbie Ray (elbow) is scheduled to throw from 120 feet on Saturday as he rehabs from Tommy John surgery that he had last May. Ray is slowly progressing from his surgery and is hoping to start throwing off a mound early in spring training and eventually make his season and team debut around the All-Star break in a "best-case scenario." The Giants acquired Ray from the Seattle Mariners in a trade early in January to give the Giants more rotation depth in the second half of 2024. The 32-year-old former American League Cy Young winner in 2021 only made one start with Seattle last year before going on the shelf and having surgery. When healthy, Ray misses a lot of bats, but the long layoff could be bad news for a pitcher that showed very shaky command of his pitches before 2021.

The New York Yankees are reportedly one of a number of clubs interested in signing free-agent third baseman Matt Chapman. The veteran remains one of the top free agents left on the market and perhaps the best infielder available. The 30-year-old tailed off after a blistering start at the plate in 2023 but still hit 17 home runs and 39 doubles, alongside a 10.7% BB% across 581 plate appearances, production that graded out 10% superior to the league average, as per his 110 wRC+. Of course, he remains an excellent defensive third baseman and boasts significant extra-base power with a career-high of 36 home runs set in the 2019 season. A lucrative multi-year deal is a lock for a player still in his prime.

If left-handed-hitting outfielder Cody Bellinger signs elsewhere in free agency this offseason, the Chicago Cubs could turn to right-handed-hitting third baseman Matt Chapman while seeking another left-handed bat some other way. Ultimately, the Cubs may want to give the majority of their designated hitter at-bats to Christopher Morel, as they did in 2023. The 30-year-old Chapman took a slight step backward offensively in his second year with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023 and managed a modest 17 home runs despite finishing second in hard-hit rate with a barrel rate in the 98th percentile. His swing-and-miss issues are also concerning, but Chapman's deficiencies at the plate are offset by his excellent defense at third base.

Free-agent pitcher Blake Snell, who is coming off his second Cy Young Award, has had his market "quietly monitored" by the Toronto Blue Jays, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The two-time Cy Young winner is reportedly seeking a multi-year deal of around $240 million. Numerous teams, including the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Giants, and Phillies, have all been linked to Snell throughout free agency, but no one has come close to signing him. Toronto is just doing its due diligence by keeping tabs on the southpaw. He would certainly fit in nicely with a strong Toronto rotation that features Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, and Chris Bassitt. For now, Snell remains a free agent.

The New York Yankees have made an opening offer to top free-agent starter Blake Snell. But little to no evidence of significant progress on Snell or two other top rotation targets in Jordan Montgomery and Chicago White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease, the Yankees are starting to look more seriously at right-hander Marcus Stroman. The Yankees remain far apart on a Snell deal and are starting to believe that Montgomery prefers to return to the Texas Rangers or go somewhere else. New York seems to believe Snell, the 2023 National League Cy Young winner, wants to come to the Bronx and are guessing the main competition may come from the Giants and Angels. If the Yankees can land Snell, they'd have both of last year's Cy Young winners at the top of their starting rotation.