3 moves the Giants can make after missing out on Shohei Ohtani

2. Giants can anchor lineup with Cody Bellinger signing

Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto both passed the Giants by, but the next best thing is Cody Bellinger. After two truly terrible seasons with San Francisco's division rivals in L.A., Bellinger signed a one-year, prove-it contract with the Chicago Cubs. And prove it he did. Bellinger finished 10th in NL MVP voting, slashing .307/.356/.525 with 26 home runs and 97 RBIs in 499 ABs.

He appeared in 130 games, looking more spry and explosive than he did in those final Dodgers seasons. Notably, Bellinger was also a useful dynamic option in the field, switching between the outfield and first base. Luis Matos is currently pegged as the Giants' starting centerfielder, so an upgrade is due. Why not swing for the best?

If the Giants were willing to pay Ohtani anything remotely close to his $700 million deal with L.A., Bellinger will feel like shopping in the bargain bin. He's due for a pricey long-term contract, potentially in excess of $250 million, but the Giants have proven their willingness to pay for a positional star. Now one just has to actually sign there.

A natural weariness is tied to Bellinger's very recent struggles, not to mention his strikingly low hard-hit rate of 31.4 percent, which lands in the MLB's 10th percentile. The average exit velocity on Bellinger's hits last season was 87.9 percent, in the 22nd percentile, which doesn't exactly suggest elite slugging upside. On the other hand, Bellinger hardly ever strikes out and he's a two-time Silver Slugger with an MVP award in his trophy cabinet. There's precedent for Bellinger tearing it up at the plate.

If the Giants spend enough, it shouldn't be impossible to pry Bellinger away from Chicago.