Why Johnson believes Oracle Park, not SF, could keep away free agents originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
Although the negative narrative surrounding the city of San Francisco has been a valid excuse As for why MLB’s big free agents haven’t signed with the Giants, team president Greg Johnson has another explanation.
Speaking with Tim Kawakami at “The TK Program,” Johnson was asked about the team’s attempts to sign big-time home run hitters like Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani and why they weren’t interested in coming to San Francisco.
“We aggressively went after every name you mentioned, I think we had a chance, but I also think your decisions were made before those meetings for a number of reasons that I won’t go into,” Johnson said.
“I don’t think it’s negative for Farhan [Zaidi] or any negative aspects of the team’s approach, we were aggressive in going after them. We didn’t get them, but remember our park isn’t seen as one of the easy parks to hit home runs, so to get a Bryce Harper, Ohtani or Judge, in that case, I think we’re the fifth hardest park to hit. home runs in Major League Baseball, which makes it a little more difficult to go out there and catch the home run hitter.
Kawakami asked Johnson what the role of negative perception of San Francisco, as a city, could have prevented potential free agent signings, but Johnson again downplayed any blame on the city itself.
“I don’t think so, it’s really hard to say,” Johnson told Kawakami. “At the end of the day, it’s more about the estimation and the home runs and the ease of hitting home runs and going after the big players.”
Due to Oracle Park’s configuration, it is known as a ballpark best suited for pitchers, and home runs are hard to come by. Oracle ranks near the bottom of MLB parks in terms of hitting home runs, something big hitters certainly consider when determining where they sign. Los Angeles Dodgers Stadium is known as one of the most hitter-friendly venues in MLB, consistently ranking at the top of the list of stadiums with the most home runs.
The irony is that Barry Bonds, the all-time career home run leader, played at Oracle Park during his time with the Giants. Bonds iconically broke the single-season home run record during a home game in San Francisco on October 5, 2001.
The Giants have made an effort in recent seasons to sign more high-profile free agents to return to playoff relevance. San Francisco has not won a playoff series since the franchise won the 2014 World Series over the Kansas City Royals.
Despite setbacks this offseason in acquiring a prized free agent, the Giants will continue to take advantage of every opportunity when it comes to signing a power bat.
