Brandon Belt has been an integral part of the SF Giants lineup since he made his MLB debut with the team back in 2011. However, set to be a free agent this winter, "the Giants are not expected to push for a reunion" with Belt, according to a recent report by NBC Sports Bay Area Giants beat writer Alex Pavlovic.
Belt underwent season-ending knee surgery earlier this month, prompting a premature end to his 2022 campaign. He never seemed to find a rhythm offensively this season, likely dealing with the early effects of his injury. In the end, he hit just .213/.326/.350 in 78 games with eight home runs. His offensive struggles were one of the main reasons the Giants missed the playoffs this season.
It does seem like somewhat of a surprise to hear the Giants have little interest in keeping Belt with the team beyond this season. After all, Belt was one of the best hitters in MLB as recently as last season, blasting a career-high 29 homers alongside an excellent .274/.378/.597 line. In fact, Belt hit .285/.393/.595 with 38 home runs and 78 walks in 148 games from 2020-2021.
Coming off his excellent 2021 campaign, Belt accepted a one-year, $18.4 million qualifying offer from the Giants to stay in San Francisco. Heading into this offseason, though, Belt will be one of the most proven first basemen available on the free-agent market.
At the time of Belt's surgery, it was unclear if he would be able to return to MLB. During a segment on the team's broadcast, he gave a heartfelt thank you to Giants announcers Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper, which suggested he knew his career could be coming to an end. However, Belt told Pavlovic that the early returns from his rehab process following the operation have been great.
“If I don’t it’s not going to be because of my knee,” Belt told Pavlovic about whether he will play in the big leagues again. “You never predict the future, but I think physically, I’ll be ready to play next year.”
Even if the Giants are not interested in Belt, one would expect several teams to pursue the veteran first baseman on a deal with significant incentives. Belt remains an excellent defensive first baseman and teams have more flexibility to get him into the lineup with the universal designated hitter. As much as he struggled at the plate in 2022, several teams should take a chance that Belt can approach his previous levels of production after recovering from surgery.
If this is it for Brandon Belt's career with the SF Giants, it marks the end of an era. Belt has been a mainstay in the Giants lineup for more than a decade and has amassed 175 home runs in 1,310 games with a .261/.356/.458 triple-slash. He was a part of two World Series championship teams and also earned a selection to the 2016 All-Star Game.
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