MLB San Francisco Giants

Gregor Blanco Could Become Permanent Starter for San Francisco Giants

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By @real_johnshea

Gregor Blanco

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

GM Brian Sabean is doing what he so often does during periods of roster construction: staying quiet. The three-time champion-San Francisco Giants have seldom surfaced as legitimate suitors for multiple high-profile free agents this offseason, and remain hung up over whether to re-sign Pablo Sandoval to a deal exceeding $100 million.

The Giants have issues aside from third base, though. They need to add two starting pitchers, an everyday left fielder and a power bat off the bench. The Giants don’t have any solid in-house solutions to fill those voids, but two familiar faces could potentially return as short-term solutions to recurring problems.

For most savvy baseball fans, it’s a foregone conclusion that Michael Morse will sign elsewhere this offseason given his liability as a defender. Morse is best utilized either as a first baseman or designated hitter. The Giants have a first baseman and don’t have the option of using the DH on a frequent basis.

But Morse struggled mightily while splitting time between two AL clubs in 2013, albeit partially due to injury. He owns a .257/.318/.389 career batting line over parts of five seasons in the AL. To compare, his NL slash line of .290/.341/.504  is much more impressive.

Like most free agents, Morse will most likely float to wherever the money is, but that doesn’t mean the Giants shouldn’t at least attempt to re-sign him as a role player to fill that void off the bench. Morse showcased his value as a home run threat off the pine in Game 5 of the NLCS, smashing a game-tying home run that helped enable Travis Ishikawa‘s heroics.

Morse would primarily become a situational role player if  he were to re-sign with the Giants, seeing limited action at first base assuming Brandon Belt is able to stay healthy, while serving as the club’s DH in road interleague action. That might not suit Morse at the age of 32, but it’s a pitch the Giants need to make regardless.

Morse wouldn’t come cheaply. At least, not in comparison to prototypical bench options, but he would improve the Giants’ depth in 2015, a problem that nagged the team throughout 2014. If Morse were to adopt that kind of role with the Giants for, say, the next two seasons, it would create the possibility of Gregor Blanco becoming a permanent left fielder.

Blanco posted strong second-half numbers while primarily serving as the Giants’ leadoff hitter in the wake of Angel Pagan‘s injury troubles. He registered a solid .365 on-base percentage in 221 plate appearances after the All-Star Break, demonstrating an ability to consistently set the table for the middle of the order.

Although he managed to hit just .187 in the postseason, Blanco’s outfield defense was key. It’s also worth noting that Blanco’s total of five extra-base hits in the playoffs trumped Buster Posey‘s glaring total of zero.

So, while it’s necessary for Sabean to avoid the feel-good, post-title strategy of re-signing just about everyone, redefined roles for both Blanco and Morse could ultimately improve the 2015 version of the Giants.

John Shea is an MLB writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @real_johnshea. Like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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