The San Francisco Giants have made a few key moves this offseason. They signed Willy Adames to a seven-year, $182 million contract and also brought in Justin Verlander on a one-year, $15 million deal.
However, the Giants are going to need a little bit more if they want to make it to the postseason for the first time since 2021. They could use one more bat and one more arm.
Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report proposed the idea of San Francisco trading for Spencer Torkelson and buying low on the Detroit Tigers’ former top prospect.
“The Giants haven’t had someone hit 30 home runs in a season since Barry Bonds in 2004. For as beautiful as Oracle Park is, it’s not a great place for power hitters to go, and the Giants have trouble attracting free agents with options,” Kelly said.
“That means that new president of baseball operations Buster Posey needs to get creative. Trying to buy low on former No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson—who doesn’t currently project to be in Detroit’s Opening Day lineup—would be a good way of trying to solve the power problem in San Francisco.”
Torkelson hit 31 home runs in 2023 but saw his power numbers dip significantly in 2024. He also hit just .219 during the regular season.
However, thanks to Detroit signing Gleyber Torres, Torkelson has essentially been squeezed out of a spot, as Colt Keith has moved to first base.
So, perhaps a fresh start could benefit Torkelson. While San Francisco isn’t exactly a hitter’s paradise, he would be able to play every day and have a starting role with the Giants.
Torkelson was once Detroit’s top prospect, but he hasn’t lived up to the hype just yet. It will be interesting to see if the Giants, or any team for that matter, tries to buy low on him and give him a chance to start fresh.
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