First Basemen
- Garrett Atkins (31)
- Lance Berkman (35)
- Russell Branyan (35)
- Jorge Cantu (29)
- Adam Dunn (31)
- Troy Glaus (34)
- Mike Hessman (33)
- Eric Hinske (33)
- Nick Johnson (32)
- Paul Konerko (35)
- Casey Kotchman (28)
- Mark Kotsay (35)
- Adam LaRoche (31)
- Derrek Lee (35)
- Melvin Mora (39)
- Xavier Nady (32)
- Lyle Overbay (34)
- Carlos Pena (33)
- Robb Quinlan (34)
- Fernando Tatis (36)
- Mike Sweeney (37)
- Ty Wigginton (33)
Many of the free-agent first-basemen are old. Some, like Nick Johnson, have injury risk. Others, like Carlos Pena and Adam Dunn, have uninspiring strikeout totals. There seem to be evident weaknesses with all of the above players, but of all of them, who would you most like to see the Giants pursue?
Personally, I would go with Nick Johnson for a very, very cheap contract due to his career .401 OBP. His ability to take walks is something the Giants could use, though his injury risk is tough to ignore. A safer option might be LaRoche, although I doubt he'd want to play at AT&T Park, and he'll never put up bigger numbers than he has in the past (low upside).
Konerko is a proven veteran, but his stock is way too high after finishing second in the AL in home runs in 2010, and I'm very skeptical as to whether or not he'll ever match that production again.
All in all, this is a tough call. The free agent market is stacked with first-basemen, but all of them have injury risks, are in their mid to late-30s, or just don't have great potential. If the opportunity to get Nick Johnson for a very (and I mean very) low cost presented itself, I think he'd be a good fit. He even gets on base against LHP (career .422 OBP) which is good for the Giants, who have several players that had trouble against left-handed pitching in 2010: Pablo Sandoval and Andres Torres are the stand-outs. Again, this would be if he were available for a cheap contract, because his injury risk is very eminent.
So anyway, who would you want the Giants to go after? Answer the poll on the upper right sidebar, or comment with your opinion.