On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick talks about the latest with the San Francisco Giants. Brandon Belt accepted the Giants' $18.4 million qualifying offer yesterday, meaning he'll be back at that price in 2022. It's a huge offseason item checked off the list for the Giants, as Brandon Belt has emerged as one of the game's best hitters in recent seasons, and he has emerged as a leader in the clubhouse. Losing Belt and Buster Posey, who retired after the season, would be a big blow to the Giants' culture and lineup. Belt is also an excellent defensive first baseman, so it's great to have him locked up for at least one more year. Belt was the only player among 14 who received the qualifying offer to accept it. Last season, Kevin Gausman was one of just two players to accept the offer, and it worked out beautifully for San Francisco.

Ben next discusses Giants general manager Scott Harris telling KNBR's Kerry Crowley yesterday that the team hoped to cross the finish line with one or two pitchers in the next week. In the last few years, anytime either Harris or Farhan Zaidi has said something like that, it has come to fruition. So that's something fans should be on the lookout for in the coming days. Another starting pitcher, Justin Verlander, came off the board yesterday with a stunning two-year, $50 million deal with the Astros (the second year is a fully guaranteed player option). Four of the 22 starters to appear on the Top 50 Free Agents lists by MLB Trade Rumors, ESPN, and FanGraphs have already signed. The Giants will need to get in that market sooner or later, and it's worth pointing out that the pitchers who have signed have received more years, a higher AAV, and more total money than predicted by the three sources mentioned above.

Finally, Ben discusses a Marcus Semien rumor and the fact that tomorrow is the deadline for teams to add players to the 40-man roster to protect them from selection in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft. The Semien rumor, courtesy of the Seattle Times, states that the Mariners may need to offer the player a five-year deal in the $150 million range to keep him from the Giants or Yankees on a four-year deal. Ben discusses Semien's potential fit in San Francisco and how he would make the Giants' infield defense among the very best in baseball. Ben discusses which players need to be protected by adding them to the 40-man, and gets listeners set for tomorrow's deadline.

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