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Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi met with reporters at the General Managers Meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz., earlier this week to discuss the club’s offseason needs, recent option decisions and more.

Here are five things we learned from Zaidi’s media availability: 

1. Conforto’s return won’t preclude the Giants from adding another outfielder

Even with Michael Conforto back in the fold, Zaidi said the Giants will be in the market for outfield help, especially in center field. San Francisco outfielders ranked 28th in the Majors in Outs Above Average this past season, underscoring the club’s need to get better defensively in 2024. 

“We have a pretty good pitching staff, we think,” Zaidi said Wednesday. “We have one of the lowest walk rates in baseball. We generate a lot of ground balls. For us to really get the best out of the skills of our pitching staff, we need a really good defense, whether it's infield or outfield defense. Center field is going to be a priority for us.” 

Eleven players saw time in center for the Giants in 2023, led by rookie Luis Matos (438 innings), Mike Yastrzemski (351 1/3 innings) and Austin Slater (180 2/3 innings). Still, Matos didn’t grade out well defensively at the spot, and Yastrzemski and Slater weren’t healthy enough to consistently form the center-field platoon the Giants had envisioned heading into the season.

2. These top two free agents could be the answer

Cody Bellinger and Korean star Jung Hoo Lee -- both of whom are represented by Scott Boras -- would be obvious fits given San Francisco’s need for a true center fielder.

Bellinger, 28, was non-tendered by the Dodgers last offseason, but he regained his MVP-caliber form with the Cubs in 2023, batting .307 with an .881 OPS and 26 homers while splitting time between center and first base. Lee, 25, is known as an elite contact hitter and batted .318 with an .860 OPS and six homers over 86 games for the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization before suffering a left ankle fracture in July.

Boras said Lee is expected to spend approximately three weeks at the Boras Sports Training Institute and will hold workouts for teams before his 30-day signing period opens later this offseason.

“We've had probably close to half the league already contact us about him,” Boras said. “Jung Hoo has center-field premiums. He can play defense. He has power. I think Jung Hoo is going to bring K-pop to the MLB.”

3. Haniger, Conforto could see more time at DH

To free up spots in the outfield, Zaidi said Mitch Haniger and Conforto could get more at-bats at designated hitter next year, particularly now that Joc Pederson is a free agent.

“I think we can move things around,” Zaidi said. “As of now, our DH spot is open, as well. We may adopt an approach of rotating a couple of different guys through there. That could open up some outfield playing time.”

The Giants, of course, will need Haniger and Conforto to bounce back from underwhelming seasons and show they can still be impact bats for the club moving forward. Zaidi expressed confidence in Conforto’s ability to find more offensive consistency in 2024 now that he’s opted into the final year of the two-year, $36 million deal he signed with the Giants last offseason.

“We recognized when we signed him to this deal that it might be a couple of years before we see kind of the Conforto of old come back,” Zaidi said. “I think we saw it in stretches last year. When you look at his overall season, we think there's another year of production in there. We weren't surprised by the option decision, but he's also a guy who hit in the middle of the lineup for us when he was healthy. I think he can be a real asset for us.”

4. Ongoing conversations with Manaea

Unlike Conforto, left-hander Sean Manaea decided to exercise the opt-out clause in his contract and become a free agent earlier this week. With the Giants also on the hunt for “impact starting pitching,” Zaidi said he plans to keep an open dialogue with Manaea, another Boras client who previously pitched for new manager Bob Melvin in Oakland and San Diego.

“I think what we saw with Sean is just the demand for starting pitching and him wanting to be out there,” Zaidi said. “He’s obviously got a relationship with Bob Melvin. I think there's some mutual interest in continuing to remain engaged. They're looking at options, we're looking at other options, as well.”

5. Another setback for Bednar

Right-hander Will Bednar, the Giants’ 2021 first-round Draft pick and No. 26 prospect, made only six appearances in the Arizona Fall League before being shut down with back discomfort. Bednar, 23, has been plagued by back trouble since turning pro, logging only 20 appearances across his last three Minor League seasons.

“I know he's concerned,” Zaidi said. “We’re concerned, as well. Hopefully this isn't something significant and it’s just another bump in the road.”

The Giants got better news on left-hander Carson Whisenhunt (No. 3), who enjoyed a swift rise to Double-A Richmond before going down with an elbow sprain in August. Zaidi said Whisenhunt completed a throwing progression and topped out at 96-97 mph during live batting practice sessions, putting him in line to be “full go” for Spring Training.

MLB.com’s John Denton and Juan Toribio contributed reporting from Scottsdale, Ariz.