SF Giants are being linked to slugger Carlos Santana as the offseason approaches

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The Giants have a crucial offseason ahead of them. Could veteran first baseman Carlos Santana be part of San Francisco's 2025 roster?

With the MLB postseason just beginning, the San Francisco Giants are focused on 2025. They have replaced president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi with three-time World Series champion Buster Posey. With a crucial offseason looming, could first baseman Carlos Santana be a good fit in free agency?

SI.com's Sean O'Leary believes the 15-year veteran would be “the perfect stopgap” for the Giants next season.

“While Blake Snell and Juan Soto are rumored to be the team's big names, there is one older veteran who makes a lot of sense for next season,” he said. “Carlos Santana, a 15-year veteran, will be a free agent this winter. He turns 39 in April and is not the same player he once was, but can still provide great value to the Giants.”

Santana finished his 2024 season with the Minnesota Twins, playing 150 games. He hit .238/.328/.420 with 23 home runs, 26 doubles, 71 RBI and 63 runs scored in 594 plate appearances. This production reflected his 2023 campaign, which was split between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Milwaukee Brewers. Santana hit a combined .240/.318/.429 with 23 home runs, 33 doubles, 86 RBI and 78 runs scored in 619 plate appearances.

Carlos Santana is an interesting addition for the SF Giants

Although Santana's offensive numbers aren't eye-popping, he has proven to be a consistent producer into his late 30s. He signed a one-year, $5.25 million deal with the Twins last winter and will likely be in line for something similar this offseason.

According to FanGraphs, the veteran produced 3.0 WAR in 2024. That would be an upgrade for the Giants – manager Bob Melvin only received 0.6 WAR from his first basemen last season. Signing a productive player on a short-term contract will help the club in 2025 without handcuffing the future.

“The future comes in the form of Bryce Eldridge,” O’Leary explained. “If he doesn’t get drafted in 2025, he’ll be back in 2026. He moved quickly through the minors this season, reaching Triple-A. He will now play in the Arizona Fall League. However, he may not be ready for Opening Day just yet. Enter Santana. If the Giants sign the switch-hitter to a one-year deal, he can serve as a stopgap for Eldridge. If the team decides the youngster isn’t quite ready, Santana can take over the first base role for the year.”

San Francisco selected Eldridge 16th overall in the 2023 MLB Draft. Although he is only 19 years old, he has quickly risen through the ranks in the Giants' minor league system. He began 2024 in Single-A San Jose before finishing it in Triple-A Sacramento. The left-handed hitter amassed 519 plate appearances in four levels. That resulted in a .292/.374/.516 line with 23 home runs, 27 doubles, 92 RBI and 76 runs scored.

Giants are entering a new era of baseball operations

Zaidi took over the Giants' baseball operations in November 2018. His tenure included just one postseason appearance. That happened in 2021, when San Francisco won the National League West 107-55. They were eliminated in the NLDS starting in October.

Otherwise, the Giants have not won more than 81 games in a season. The past campaign was particularly disappointing. San Francisco achieved an 80-82 record despite bringing in Melvin as manager and making several high-profile roster moves. Last offseason included the acquisitions of Robbie Ray, Jung Hoo Lee, Matt Chapman, Jorge Soler and Blake Snell.

Another consistent occurrence during Zaidi's tenure was the Giants missing out on several top free agents and trade targets. Some players they haven't been able to acquire recently include Giancarlo Stanton, Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.

Posey was crucial to Matt Chapman's six-year, $151 million contract extension being finalized in September. With a new leader and a new general manager, this regime will aim to bring more on-field consistency back to San Francisco – with an emphasis on scouting.

Matt Musico covers Major League Baseball for Heavy.com and has been writing about baseball for a decade. He is the creator of MLB Daily Dingers and his work has appeared on NumberFire, MLB Trade Rumors, Bleacher Report, Elite Sports NY and Yahoo! presented. Sport. More about Matt Musico