Righting what's wrong

Harrison Bader gets the Giants a step closer to the right direction.

In the thick of this long, slow, confusing winter, the Giants finally did something that made a lot of sense. They prioritized their outfield defense.

True, it would’ve improved with you or I standing in left field. But Harrison Bader in center is a welcome addition for both fans and pitchers. He’s on board for the next two years at $20.5 million.

MLB’s “Outs Above Average” is quickly becoming the go-to metric to assess defense, and it says the Giants outfield was the worst in baseball last year. Bader, though, ranks as one of the best defenders over the last five years.

The move sets up Jung Hoo Lee to play right field, where he’ll have a better shot to nail runners with his strong arm. Heliot Ramos, one of the worst defensive outfielders in baseball last year, will return to his post in left field. (Concerningly, this endangers the streak of 19 different Opening Day left fielders.)

Bader isn’t much of a hitter but he is coming off a career-best season (.796 OPS, 17 home runs). Luckily the Giants shouldn’t need him to hit higher than seventh, and they shouldn’t care much at all what he does with the bat. It’s all about the glove.

Notes

• It’s prospect-ranking season, and the light is finally starting to shine on the Giants’ farm. Josh Norris of Baseball America weighed in on the state of the system: “It’s not just night and day (difference). It’s the shortest day of the year versus longest day of the year.” Check out the rankings from MLB and The Athletic. (Baseball’s top prospect being named Konnor is so right and wrong to me all at once.)

• Insider Héctor Gómez said Wednesday night the Giants have intensified talks to land Framber Valdez, the top free agent pitcher on the market. Now that would be a welcome addition. Who’s going to pitch in the bullpen? Don’t ask.