The San Francisco Giants' Joc Pederson and Thairo Estrada are Silver Slugger finalists. Pederson had a monster year in a somewhat limited role, given that nearly 90% of his plate appearances came against right-handed pitching. Estrada is a finalist at the utility position, which is a new one for the Silver Slugger Award. Which of these SF Giants players might win, and why?
Offensively, Pederson did exactly what the Giants wanted him to do this season. He crushed right-handed pitching. He actually held his own against left-handed pitching as well, but he faced them so little that it doesn't necessarily indicate real improvement. Pederson struggled defensively, and whether he returns to the San Francisco Giants seems to have a lot to do with what his market is. Will he seek a Kyle Schwarber-type deal (4/$79M)? He has a right to want that kind of deal, as Schwarber is a similar player, but whether it's out there remains to be seen. The SF Giants almost certainly give that kind of money to him, since he is a defensively challenged platoon player.
Estrada is not a free agent—far from it. The SF Giants still have four years of team control over Estrada, but happily, Estrada is a Super Two this offseason, meaning he will reach arbitration a year early. This means that he will earn far more than the league minimum salary in 2023. MLB Trade Rumors estimates a $2.4 million salary for Thairo Estrada next year. The Giants should be happy to pay it, as Estrada had a breakout campaign and was overall the Giants' best position player. While not a star in any category, Estrada was simply above-average across the board, leading to an above-average 2.7 FanGraphs WAR in 2022. The Giants were right to let Donovan Solano walk in free agency, opening up second base for Estrada.
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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.
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