In an offseason that already had the Giants acquire “face of the franchise” players Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen, San Francisco decided to take it down a notch and get themselves a solid third tier player.

Austin Jackson is perfect for the Giants.

Right now, he comes at a steal, $6 million for two years, a deal that keeps the Giants about $1 million under the luxury tax, which is pretty major, considering that they were $10 million over the luxury tax at the beginning of this offseason.

On top of that, the Giants were in desperate need for a center fielder, and even if Jackson doesn’t become an everyday starter, he can still prove to be a valuable bench piece or platoon guy.

So, who is the new kid in town?

For starters, next season will be Jackson’s ninth season in the big leagues, and he’ll be turning 31 in February.

He’s played on five different teams throughout his career, starting with Detroit in 2010, then going on to the Mariners, Cubs, White Sox and Indians, respectively.

Jackson has had a batting average of .275 and has hit 62 home runs throughout his career, including a career-high .318 average in 2017 with a .352 average against left-handed pitching.

Jackson’s offense is just as reliable as his defense, as he posted a .955 fielding percentage last year, along with making this play.

The only question that remains about Jackson is what exactly his role is going to be for the Giants.

According to Giants Executive Vice President Brian Sabean, he won’t be the starting center fielder.

“We don’t know exactly what’s going to transpire between now and Spring Training,” Sabean said in a conference call with KNBR reporters on Tuesday. “He’s certainly a viable option. Did we get him to be our everyday centerfielder? Probably not. I don’t know that in his recent history he’s been able to go out there in that fashion.”

His role will eventually be positioned within the next couple of months, as spring training is a little over a month away.

At the end of the day, however, the Giants have definitely picked up a piece that can give them a chance to compete in 2018.