San Francisco Giants: Jarrod Dyson Worth a Look in Center Field

The San Francisco Giants have a lot of holes to fill, and it might be worth it to give Jarrod Dyson a look in center field.

Well, this offseason is off to a slow start. With Giancarlo Stanton seemingly holding up the market as the Miami Marlins’ new ownership group try to unload the big fish, the free agency and trade markets have come to a screeching halt. The San Francisco Giants still seem to be very much in on Stanton, but there are other needs they have to fill before next season begins.

Center field presents a big issue for the Giants. They have to improve the position, specifically on the defensive side, and they’ve been linked to a number of names as potential trade targets. Billy Hamilton and Jackie Bradley Jr. are just a few of those names. The Giants aren’t exactly rich in trade pieces, and it could turn out that their best bet at improving center field is through free agency.

The biggest center field name on the market is also one the Giants should keep their distance from. Lorenzo Cain was a cornerstone of the Kansas City Royals’ team that made back-to-back World Series in 2014 and 2015, and is now one of the top free agents on the market. He would certainly improve the Giants with a strong glove and solid defense (though his long-term value can definitely be argued), but his price tag is for more than money.

The Royals extended Cain a qualifying offer this offseason, which he declined to become a free agent. That qualifying offer makes Cain that much pricier, as the Giants would forfeit their second and fifth-round draft picks if they signed him. The Giants, by virtue of their terrible 2017 season, will pick second in both rounds, giving them basically a second first-round pick. They would also forfeit $1 million in international bonus pool money, but the draft picks alone should give the Giants pause.

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Cain is the cream of the crop in terms of free agent center fielders, and beyond him, there isn’t a whole lot of star power. There are some nice complementary pieces, but if a team is looking for a star center fielder, free agency isn’t the place to do it.

One of the more popular lower-tier center fielders is Jarrod Dyson, whose name has already come up a few times among Giants’ fans. Dyson, a 33-year-old, just finished his eighth MLB season and his first with the Seattle Mariners. His .258/.325/.352 slash-line in 2017 was quite similar to his career .251/.324/.350 mark, and his 85 wRC+ in 2017 almost mirrored his career 85 wRC+ mark.

He isn’t going to collect many extra-base hits (23 in 2016 is his career-high) and home runs are not really a part of his game (12 career, five in 2017), but he can use his excellent speed to turn singles into doubles. He’s stolen at least 26 bases in six straight seasons, reaching as high as 36 in 2014.

Most importantly for the Giants, Dyson plays great defense in center field. He has posted positive numbers every season since his debut, and in 2017, he ranked in the top-five in DRS (10) and UZR/150 (8.6) among center fielders that played at least 700 innings. He also has a strong arm, racking up 10 assists from center field in only 96 games.

Dyson can be had for relatively cheap, as MLB Trade Rumors predicts him to sign a two-year, $12 million deal (they also predict he signs with the Pittsburgh Pirates, for what it’s worth). If a prospect comes up and plays well in center field, Dyson can become a utility outfielder. He’s played 61 games in left field and 38 games in right field throughout his career, and he certainly has the speed to cover right field at AT&T Park. He would also make a dangerous option off the bench as a pinch-runner.

Those last two names would be stopgaps, as would other free agents like Peter Bourjos, Rajai Davis, Cameron Maybin, or Leonys Martin. They would be brought in on short term and relatively cheap contracts, filling the gap until a young player (namely Steven Duggar) is ready to take over as the big league center fielder.

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The Giants could do worse than bringing Dyson into the fold. He would immediately become the best base-stealer they’ve had in years while upgrading center field defensively tenfold. They would still need to add a bit more (getting more power in the lineup should still be a priority), but Dyson would be a good start for a team looking to re-tool.