Giants trade idea lands them breakout slugger to boost ailing offense

A slumping San Francisco Giants discourtesy sewage moreover much bad news this week erstwhile prima 3rd baseman Matt Chapman landed connected nan injured list. 

Though X-rays connected his manus came backmost negative, immoderate magnitude of missed clip for Chapman is simply a sadistic rustle for nan Giants offense, arsenic he leads nan squad pinch 12 location runs and ranks 2nd to Heliot Ramos successful RBI, slugging percent and OPS. With Jung Hoo Lee (.239/.288/.352 since April 19 ) and Mike Yastrzemski (.181/.264/.234 since May 6)  in nan midst of prolonged slumps and free-agent acquisition Willy Adames still struggling to find his footing, nan Giants person been forced make hopeless moves for violative production, specified arsenic signing free supplier Dominic Smith and inserted correct into nan 5th spot successful nan order. The results person not been pretty, arsenic nan Giants grounded to people much than 4 runs successful immoderate crippled from May 17 to June 4 and person averaged conscionable 2.7 runs successful their past 22 games. 

Fortunately for nan Giants, their dependable starting rotation and league-best bullpen person kept them afloat during this period, and they are still conscionable a half-game backmost of nan Los Angeles Dodgers successful nan National League West. At a definite point, however, their over-reliance connected their pitching unit will drawback up pinch them, and it’s difficult to envision them catching nan Dodgers pinch an discourtesy that has scored astir 100 less runs. The Giants are going to request immoderate much violative firepower, and The Athletic’s Jim Bowden believes they could find a solution successful Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan O’Hearn. 

“O’Hearn, 31, is my favourite target for nan Giants because he’s been nan Orioles’ astir accordant player, slashing .316/.397/.500 pinch 9 homers, 24 RBIs and a 158 OPS+,” Bowden wrote. 

Though fewer could person predicted O’Hearn would put up this benignant of discourtesy production, the underlying metrics support nan breakout. His .315 xBA ranks successful nan 98th percentile, and he besides grades retired good successful sweet-spot % (93rd percentile) and hard-hit % (88th percentile). With Lee and Yastrzemski struggling, O’Hearn could beryllium nan cleanable left-handed compliment to nan right-handed powerfulness of Adames, Chapman and Ramos. 

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