Key dates for Giants leading up to spring camp

This story was excerpted from Maria Guardado’s Giants Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Spring Training is only six weeks away for the Giants, who remain in talent acquisition mode as they continue to survey a free-agent market that’s been slow to develop. San Francisco has made two notable moves thus far, signing Korean center fielder Jung Hoo Lee (six years, $113 million) and veteran catcher Tom Murphy (two years, $8.25 million), but the club is expected to keep adding as it looks to build a more competitive roster this winter.

There are other upcoming events to monitor aside from free agency, though. Here’s a look at what’s ahead for the Giants from now until mid-February:

Jan. 11: Shōta Imanaga’s posting window expires

Imanaga, a 30-year-old left-hander who was posted by the Yokohama BayStars in late November, will have until 2 p.m. PT on Thursday to sign with a Major League team, so his market is expected to heat up next week.

While he’s not as well known as countrymen Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Imanaga recorded a 2.96 ERA over eight seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball and is expected to have plenty of suitors, especially since he’s one year younger than fellow free-agent lefties Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery. The Giants remain on the hunt for rotation help after losing Yamamoto to the rival Dodgers, so they’re expected to be in the running for Imanaga along with the Red Sox, Cubs, Angels and Mets.

Jan. 12: Deadline to exchange arbitration figures
The Giants agreed to terms on one-year deals with outfielders Mike Yastrzemski ($7.9 million) and Austin Slater ($4 million) in December, but they’ll still need to determine 2024 salaries for the rest of their arbitration-eligible players, including first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr., second baseman Thairo Estrada, third baseman J.D. Davis and reliever Tyler Rogers.

If the Giants and their arbitration-eligible players can’t agree on a contract by Jan. 12, they must both put forth a salary figure for the upcoming season, with a hearing scheduled between Jan. 29 and Feb. 16. If they still can’t reach deals by the time of the hearing, a panel of arbitrators listens to each side’s case and then selects one of the two salary figures (nothing in between) as the player’s salary for the upcoming season.

Jan. 15: International signing period opens

Top prospects from across the globe will be eligible to sign with big league clubs once the international signing period commences later this month. The Giants’ 2023 international class was headlined by Dominican outfielder Rayner Arias, who is already impressing after receiving a $2,697,500 signing bonus last year. San Francisco will have a $5,284,000 base signing pool in 2024 and will be permitted to trade bonus slots beginning on Jan. 15. Check out MLB Pipeline’s list of the Top 50 international prospects here.

Jan. 20: FanFest Tour, Stop No. 1

The Giants are launching a new caravan called FanFest Tour, a new, reimagined experience for fans that transforms the traditional one-day San Francisco-based event into an expanded series across Northern California. The first stop will be held at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento and feature Rocklin, Calif., native Logan Webb, who will be joined by other teammates and coaches from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. PT.

Jan. 23: Hall of Fame BBWAA voting results announced
Todd Helton, Billy Wagner and Andruw Jones are among the candidates who are trending toward enshrinement, though they’ll have to receive at least 75% of the vote from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America electorate to secure their spot in Cooperstown. Other notable names on the 2024 ballot include Gary Sheffield, Carlos Beltrán, Alex Rodriguez, Omar Vizquel and newcomers Adrián Beltré, Joe Mauer and Chase Utley.

Jan. 27: FanFest Tour, Stop No. 2

No. 1 prospect Kyle Harrison and new hitting coach Pat Burrell are scheduled to appear at the second FanFest Tour event, which will take place at San Pedro Square Market in San Jose from 4-7 p.m. PT.

Feb. 3: FanFest Tour, Stop 3
The caravan will also roll through Napa, where outfielder Michael Conforto and third-base coach Matt Williams will meet with fans at the Napa Yard Oxbow Gardens from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. PT.

Feb. 14: Giants pitchers and catchers report
Valentine’s Day will mark the official start of Spring Training for the Giants, who train at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Feb. 19: Giants position players report
The Giants will hold full-squad workouts for less than a week before kicking off Cactus League action against the Cubs at 12:05 p.m. PT on Feb. 24 at Scottsdale Stadium.