For the San Francisco Giants, Brandon Belt is certainly a Forever Giant. Be that as it may, it was still important for the SF Giants to follow through on their self-proclaimed goal of getting "younger and more athletic." Part of that can involve making tough decisions, and the Giants have done that by letting Belt and Evan Longoria walk. It was apparent in 2022 that Belt and Longoria, while important members of the Giants for many years and leaders in the clubhouse, were trending in a downward. Both players are in their mid-30s, and the Giants probably made the right call by moving on from these two popular veterans.

In a roundabout way, Villar stands to benefit the most by Belt's departure. The reason is because it opens up first base for some combination of LaMonte Wade Jr., J.D. Davis, and Wilmer Flores. If Belt had returned to occupy first base, Davis and Flores would've profiled more at third base. Which would've pushed Villar, who has minor league options, to the minor leagues most likely. With third base instead wide open, Villar should be given a chance to play nearly every day for the Giants. Villar had a monster season in Triple-A, and had a huge September in the majors. If things don't work out, Davis and Flores are solid fallback options (though not great defenders at the hot corner) and Casey Schmitt is one of the Giants' best position player prospects and he made it to Triple-A last season.

Changing gears, today is the deadline for teams and players to exchange arbitration figures. So far, the Giants have avoided arbitration with all but one of their arbitration-eligible players. Logan Webb is the only remaining arb-eligible Giants player who hasn't reached a salary agreement for 2023. If Webb and the Giants fail to settle by today's deadline, they'll be ticketed for an arbitration hearing, which is best avoided if possible. There's a chance the two parties settle on a one-year agreement, and there's also a chance they reach an agreement on an extension. Stay tuned for the outcome later on today.

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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

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