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With a new manager and general manager in the fold, the Giants head into the post-Bruce Bochy era as perhaps a dark horse for some significant offseason business.
Guaranteed Contracts
- Evan Longoria, 3B: $58MM through 2022 (includes $5MM buyout of $13MM club option for 2023)
- Johnny Cueto, SP: $49MM through 2021 (includes $5MM buyout of $22MM club option for 2022)
- Buster Posey, C: $45.8MM through 2021 (includes $3MM buyout of $22MM club option for 2022)
- Brandon Belt, 1B: $32MM through 2021
- Brandon Crawford, SS: $30MM through 2021
- Jeff Samardzija, SP: $19.5MM through 2020
- Tony Watson, RP: $2.5MM through 2020 (exercised player option)
Arbitration-Eligible Players (projections via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)
- Kevin Pillar – $9.7MM
- Tyler Anderson – $2.625MM
- Donovan Solano – $1.2MM
- Alex Dickerson – $1.2MM
- Joey Rickard – $1.1MM
- Wandy Peralta – $800K
- Non-tender candidates: Pillar, Rickard, Peralta
Free Agents
- Madison Bumgarner, Will Smith (signed with Braves), Pablo Sandoval, Stephen Vogt, Fernando Abad, Scooter Gennett, Kyle Barraclough, Mike Gerber, Dan Winkler, Pat Venditte
Reports surrounding Will Smith’s three-year, $40MM deal with the Braves contained the detail that Smith’s representatives used the Giants’ $17.8MM qualifying offer as a bargaining chip with other teams. If no rival club was willing to step up and offer Smith the type of multi-year contract he was seeking, Smith would just have accepted the Giants’ one-year offer and returned to San Francisco for the 2020 season.
As it happened, Atlanta came up with a suitable offer and Smith will now be working out of the SunTrust Park bullpen. It’s possible the threat of an accepted qualifying offer was just a negotiating tactic on Smith’s part, but taken at face value, the closer was seemingly willing to be a Giant next year.
It creates an interesting sliding-doors scenario for the Giants as they head into what could be an intriguing offseason. If Smith had remained in the fold, would president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi have been more inclined to go for it in 2020, showing the same competitive zeal that led him to keep Smith, Madison Bumgarner, Tony Watson and other seemingly surefire trade chips at the deadline? Or, with Smith gone and the Giants now in possession of an extra compensatory draft pick, will Zaidi further focus on rebuilding what is still one of the older teams in baseball, and one that suffered its third straight losing season?
It could be that both avenues will be explored, as Zaidi has indicated he will continue the rebuilding-while-reloading strategy that he has deployed throughout his first year running the Giants’ front office. Zaidi recently said his club is “open to anything” this winter. “We’re still in a mode where we want to compete next year,” he explained. “… But we want to do it in a way that creates flexibility for us and keeps us an organization moving in a positive, healthy direction.”
Zaidi will have a new voice alongside him in the decision-making process, as Scott Harris was hired as the Giants’ new general manager and Zaidi’s top lieutenant. Though Harris has seven years’ experience as the Cubs’ assistant GM and director of baseball operations, he is also only 32 years old, continuing the recent trend of younger executive hirings (Zaidi himself recently turned 43) and more modern approaches to roster-building around the game.
That same direction extended into the team’s search to replace Bochy as manager, as almost all of the names linked to the Giants job were younger coaches who would have been first-time managers. As it happened, the club went with a younger name who did boast some dugout-leading experience, as the 44-year-old Gabe Kapler was hired just over a month after being fired from a two-year stint managing the Phillies.
Kapler’s appointment came with no shortage of controversy and even some dismay from some Giants fans. While in Philadelphia, Kapler amassed only a 161-163 record over two seasons, earning criticism for everything from player discipline issues to questionable in-game tactics and bullpen management. Nonetheless, there’s a long list of managers who improved after struggling in his first job, and Kapler and Zaidi have a long relationship dating back to their days in the Dodgers’ front office.
Zaidi, Harris, and Kapler will go into their first offseason together looking at an everyday lineup that is technically filled at every position. Longtime catcher Buster Posey will look to get back on track now that he’s over a year removed from hip surgery, though the Giants will look to spell him with a backup who could play more often than your average second-stringer. A reunion with Stephen Vogt is already being explored, though the Athletics have also shown interest in bringing Vogt over to the other side of the bay and other organizations are sure to be involved.
The quartet of Brandon Belt, Mauricio Dubon, Brandon Crawford, and Evan Longoria are penciled in around the infield. The Giants’ outfield was a revolving door in 2019 but the team finally unearthed a couple of hidden gems in Mike Yastrzemski and Alex Dickerson, while Kevin Pillar hit 21 homers and provided at least some stability in center field, even if Pillar’s glovework (-1.6 UZR/150, -5 Defensive Runs Saved) has taken a big step back from his defensive heyday in Toronto.
With a $9.7MM projected arbitration salary, Pillar has a big price tag for a player who is seemingly declining on defense and has never been an above-average bat. There are arguments on both sides as to whether San Francisco should retain or non-tender Pillar, and this is one of several positions that the Giants could address in a bold fashion. A trade for the Pirates’ Starling Marte, perhaps, since the Bucs could decide to rebuild under new GM Ben Cherington, though he’s sure to be targeted by multiple contenders and may come at too steep a price. If the Giants prefer a younger player at a lower acquisition cost and salary, they could consider names like Manuel Margot and Michael A. Taylor or look into much less experienced performers. The free agent center field market isn’t teeming with great options, though Japanese star Shogo Akiyama has some intrigue, and his on-base skills would be a big help to a Giants lineup that struggled to get runners aboard.
In fact, the Giants struggled at basically everything on offense last season, so there’s certainly room for upgrades within their everyday lineup. Contractual obligations, however, are a big obstacle to creating space — with Crawford, Belt and Posey all coming off subpar years and Longoria owed $58MM for his age 34-36 seasons, rival teams won’t exactly be lining up to make trade offers. Of that group, Belt probably has the widest trade value since he could be helped the most by a move to a more hitter-friendly ballpark, but he’s also in an era where teams aren’t willing to pay top dollar at first base for anything less than top-flight production. (Belt’s ten-team no-trade clause further complicates matters.)
This isn’t to say that a creative trade couldn’t be found, if the Giants were to eat money to accommodate a deal or perhaps arrange a multi-team swap. Perhaps lightning could even strike twice for Zaidi and he’d find another team willing to entirely absorb one of the Giants’ big salaries, such as how the Braves surprisingly paid full freight on Mark Melancon at last year’s trade deadline.
If the veterans could largely be seen as placeholders, San Francisco will look for some offensive improvement from within, if Dubon hits well in his first full MLB season, or if Yastrzemski and Dickerson continue their hot hitting into 2020. Zaidi has said that the Giants will look to acquire a left-handed hitting infielder who could spell Dubon or Longoria. While rookie Kean Wong has already been claimed off waivers from the Angels, a more proven veteran option would likely be preferred. Options abound in free agency. Donovan Solano (a right-handed hitter) is also on hand for infield depth, looking to build off a very strong performance in part-time duty in 2019.
Neither Yastrzemski or Dickerson have long track records of success, so the outfield depth will again be an area of concern. Dickerson’s injury history makes him more of a question mark, so the Giants could consider him as a fourth outfielder type while looking for a more reliable everyday option (probably a right-handed outfielder, as both Yastrzemski and Dickerson hit from the left side). Cameron Maybin could be brought back for a second consecutive winter, though his pre-season 2019 stint didn’t end in the best of circumstances. Avisail Garcia could be a youthful upside play … or the club could even bring in Yasiel Puig. Odd as it would be to see Puig in a Giants uniform, he does have ties to Zaidi and Kapler.
The Giants could also see this as an opportunity to land a bigger-ticket outfielder. Nicholas Castellanos’ defensive limitations make him an imperfect fit for Oracle Park’s spacious outfield, though he’d certainly add plenty of pop. Castellanos could be signed without draft pick compensation, while Marcell Ozuna would cost the Giants a pick since he rejected the Cardinals’ qualifying offer.
Spending on an Ozuna, Castellanos, or even a more expensive free agent can’t be ruled out since the Giants are starting to see daylight after being buried under a pile of pricey veteran contracts for the last few years. Longoria is the only player under contract past the 2021 season, and the Giants are in no danger of surpassing the $208MM luxury tax threshold, with an estimated current tax number of slightly under $144.6MM. Then again, Zaidi may not be anxious to slot in future obligations unless he sees a real opportunity for value.
Since San Francisco has the extra Smith pick and potentially another choice coming if Bumgarner signs elsewhere, could they make a splash by signing a QO-rejecting free agent of their own? Anthony Rendon and Josh Donaldson aren’t really options unless third base is opened up by a Longoria trade, though any of the other players who declined the qualifying offer could all fit. Beyond Ozuna in the outfield, Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, or Zack Wheeler would immediately bolster a shaky Giants rotation.
Such a signing (of the pitchers in particular) would also announce that San Francisco is fully intent on contending for a playoff berth in 2020, and it remains to be seen if Zaidi is willing to make such a big strike this early in his tenure, especially since the Giants are far from being one player away. One major signing that can’t be ruled out is Bumgarner, yet the Giants might balk at a bidding war that could develop, considering how much interest Bumgarner is already generating.
Even if the Giants avoid the top of the pitching market, some rotation help is certainly required. Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija are the only hurlers who seem certain for the Opening Day starting five, and even that might not be set in stone if Samardzija is dealt before the final year of his contract. Tyler Anderson was added on a waiver claim from the Rockies, a move that has some upside potential but is something of a lottery ticket addition for now given Anderson’s lack of big league success. Tyler Beede, Dereck Rodriguez, Shaun Anderson, and Logan Webb are the other contenders for the three open rotation spots, leaving the Giants in need of experienced arms. Names from the second or third tier of the free agent market (i.e. Kyle Gibson, Michael Pineda, Tanner Roark, Jordan Lyles, Rick Porcello, Wade Miley) all make some sense.
After losing Smith to the Braves and Reyes Moronta for much of 2020 due to shoulder surgery, the relief corps got some good news when Watson remained with the Giants by exercising his player option. Watson is by far the senior member of a young bullpen, so some experienced help is a must, and the closer role stands out as the biggest question mark. It stands to reason that trade candidates like the Blue Jays’ Ken Giles could be on the Giants’ radar. Free agents with late-inning experience, such as Steve Cishek or Pedro Strop, could be considered. Former Giant Sergio Romo can’t be ruled out, or the club might take a chance on Brandon Morrow, who was in L.A. with Zaidi and Kapler.
While the Giants’ 77-85 record actually exceeded some expectations in 2019, it’s worth noting that the club only had a winning record in two months (a 14-13 mark in June, and then a scorching 19-6 run in July). Much work needs to be done in order to turn San Francisco into a true wild card contender, and this offseason could potentially look a lot like the last — Zaidi swung multiple low-level signings, waiver claims, and trades to shuffle around the fringes of his roster last winter. This time around, however, Zaidi has a bit more room to maneuver in exploring a higher-priced version of those same transactions.
Over/Under 81 Wins. ?
Barring a miracle, under. They caught lightning un a bottle for a month and a half last season and still couldn’t win 80. Its hard to see them replacing the talent they’ve lost since the deadline, it’s possible that Posey/Crawford/Belt/Longoria could further regress, and it’s difficult to imagine Yaz and Pillar duplicating 2019.
Under
Guessing under 71 wins
Way under. Not much to work with there right now.
Push
Giants are just another player over the hill for a 100 loss season. Wait, they have several.
The Giants will be considerably Worse this year than last year
A close inspection of last years wins shows a large amount of one run wins.
That was largely the byproduct of a lights out bullpen. Condensing how they gutted that bullpen, They won’t win those games this year.
They also will not have Bumgarner. Last years SP numbers weren’t great but without Bumgarner they’ll be even worse.
After 2021, the Giants will have a chance to be competitive with all of those bad contracts coming off the books.
AKA The Bad, the Worse, and the Ugly.
Because of history, mike yaz needs to be traded to sox.We will give you Bradley & take 65% of David price contract..yes call.me.stupid
Done.
Lmao yeah. Trade our only consistent hitter for a trash hitter and a washed-up pitcher on a bad contract. Glad you aren’t the GM.
I’d do that trade
No need for a FA slash. If anything, get a few of those cheap FA lottery tickets that might become trade bait for prospects, and invest heavily in international scouting. Keep the books clean of big names and be ready to spash out cash after the 2021 season.
This is exactly what they should be doing.
I’ve been saying this for years. Keep the budget the same, but allocate it based on circumstances. If you’re bad, don’t bother getting better. Sign some RPs to flip at the deadline, and all the money you save on your pro level, should be poured into prospects and development.
Better yet, if your baseline salary is $100M, and you only spent $80, add that $20M savings to next year’s budget.
Giants are one of the most profitable clubs in baseball. They can literally choose their budget how they see fit. The big question is how to aquire as much young talent as possible to be able to have a sustainable run. Unfortunately, most of our depth is still single and double A depth.
When all the bills are paid they still make a HALF a BILLION A YEAR they can afford whoever they want
But buying all the most expensive free agents on the market still doesn’t make them a competitive team without a young core to build around. I’m all for going crazy on the open market when it makes sense, but it makes zero sense this off-season.
Forbes has their revenue at $462 million, so how are they making $500 million in profits?
They own surrounding property around the ballpark as well, which supplements their income and payroll. They’re about to go on a full scale remodel of that area as well.
antibelt,
You apparently don’t know how revenue/profits work. If the Giants only have $462m in revenue, that includes all possible sources. It includes the property around the ballpark. If it doesn’t, then it’s not part of the team and therefore not available for spending or scrutiny. Even if we say it did, which we aren’t because it doesn’t, you’re assigning quite the profit to those outside ventures.
Exactly! Pick up Alex Wood+Other smaller free agents and move them at the trade deadline
It’s a credit to Zaidi that he spun some gold out of straw this last season. I also appreciated how he went for it at the deadline, and even though the team bellyflopped, it showed he meant to compete if he could.
Hopes aren’t too high for 2020, but with some smart moves like last year, the Giants might tightrope their way through a rebuild while still fielding a watchable team.
If I were a SFG fan, I’d have hoped he traded everyone. Not trading Smith or MadBum set you back a year for development purposes. And they finished 10th, 12 games out. The most important thing a GM can do is to realize whether or not the team is a contender. The July record was primarily the result of a 9-1 record in one-run games. In fact, except for the unbelievable 38-16 record in one-run games, you wouldn’t have won 70 games.
Nah, not really IMO. Zaidi was listening at the deadline, and Bum and Smith weren’t valued high enough by other teams; It made more sense to just keep them and receive compensation in the draft. He also managed to deal away Melancon and Pomeranz and to get some decent young guys with upside.
Just trading all of your players because you won’t make the playoffs without receiving fair value doesn’t make sense. I’m sure if Farhan was offered the proper deals he would’ve traded others along with Melancon and Pomeranz. I feel he did a great job at the deadline.
That was the owners who didn’t trade them not bad offers. They want to put fans in the seats and knew if they did a complete rebuild nobody would go. Smith had value at trading deadline and would have brought back a good player.
Which was the right play for last season. If Zaidi was offered a great deal for Smith he would’ve pulled the trigger. Why only take a good deal when you can get a draft pick with the QO and still compete. The Giants weren’t able to sustain that July success but I feel it was worth the gamble. With the way the Giants roster was constructed, there was no reason to not go for the ride in Bochys last year.
Giants fans do have expectations to compete, year in and year out. The amount I pay for tickets each year, my expectation is for them to compete during a rebuild. Otherwise, if they just want to bring up minir leaguers, I’ll just go watch them in San Jose and Sacramento.
Just trading all of your players because you won’t make the playoffs without receiving fair value doesn’t make sense.
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Fair value just means whatever the best offer on the market is. The Pittsburgh fans argued ad nauseum that they wouldn’t trade Vazquez without ‘fair value’. In the long run, you have to decide whether it is better to hold onto a player, or accept an offer you feel is less than what you value the player for.
FWIW, it also feels inconsistent that the SFG fans approved keeping Smith and MadBum, because they wanted to compete, but also approved trading away Melancon & Pomeranz., even though that would make the current team less competitive.
FWIW, I thought they were great trades, as it improved your 2020+ team.
The amount I pay for tickets each year, my expectation is for them to compete during a rebuild.
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Same here in the RSN. But it is important to recognize when your team is not competing. Nobody wins every year. If trading Betts, for a good package, makes us more competitive in 2021-2026, I’d make that trade, even if it makes us less competitive in 2020.
JoeBrady, Giants fans were actually thrilled to see Melancon and Pomeranz go. Melancon was a bust for the Giants, and even if his numbers looked OK last season, the eye test definitely didn’t concur. Hopefully he can find his form with the Braves. Pomeranz also got kicked around as a starter. His future is in relief, and hopefully he, too, will have better results elsewhere.
We were all shocked when Melancon’s contract was taken on in full. That Zaidi pulled it off has even led to speculation that he could unload some of the other albatross contracts currently weighing down the payroll. That’s probably wishful thinking, but it shows that moving on from those two guys at the deadline was definitely not inconsistent, but a boon for the team.
So, sign Betts through his mid-thirties? So people could complain in two years?
arc89,
You have no idea what the offers were and what went into the process. Anyone who pays attention knows that Zaidi is making the moves, not the ownership. If that were the case, Panik would not have been DFAd like he was. That’s not something you do if you’re leaning on nostalgia just to sell tickets.
And by your comment it’s obvious your not a giants fan or would understand why he couldn’t trade smith or bum he would have been run out of SF
Not a SFG fan, and I understand big market teams have differing priorities than small market teams. But the fact is, the SFG are down 600,000 in attendance over two years. Fans don’t buy tickets unless you win. Keeping Smith and MadBum doesn’t help attendance. And it doesn’t help you win in the long run.
And, as a RS fan, if we could get a good package for Betts, I’d trade him tomorrow. It’s important to have fan favorites, but if a FA like Smith is leaving, a trade only means that the player leaves two months earlier.
Giants should take Eovaldi with a prospect attached, get the BoSox salary below the luxury tax threshold. I think Betts stays in Boston for 1 more year, fans would revolt if he’s traded now.
No thanks, keep your prospect and your WS “hero”.
JoeBrady,
Getting rid of players like Smith and MadBum only make sense if you get decent value in return. You’re not selling seats in SF or any other city with a decent baseball history by dumping players and getting nothing back.
Imagine getting a top 10 MVP vote but still be a non-tender candidate.
It would suck for Pillar (who also won the prestigious, in-house Willie Mac award).
But it was pretty unexpected that he received an MVP vote altogether. No one saw that coming.
I believe they’ll tender him a contract; There’s no payroll shortage at the moment. The Giants have enough holes to fill on the cheap elsewhere.
The fan base would turn on Zaidi if he nontendered Pillar after hiring Kapler.
If the fan base turns on Zaidi for dumping Pillar, then they aren’t bright.
The fan base already turned on Zaidi w/ the Kapler hire. Zaidi could care less what the fans think. Lol.
He isn’t going to let the frisco media or Giants fans dictate policy in his front office. He isn’t going to do a focus group w/ fans before he DFA’d Crawford or doesn’t re-sign Bumgarner. Nor should he
You could argue he shouldn’t, but Zaidi already ignored the fan base’s wishes with the Kapler hire, if every single move for the rest of the season is a middle finger to the fanbase then he will have accomplished the exact opposite of his main directive – to make the team profitable. Attendance has gone down the last two years and will tank to unprecedented lows in 2020 unless he makes *at least* a couple of fan-service moves.
Sports marketing data is clear. The only thing that drives attendance is WINNING
Zaidi isnt Bobby Evans or Larry Baer. He could care less what the fans think right now. He’s in the middle of a massive rebuild. He’s a Student of Andrew Friedman. Friedman’s notorious for a lock down baseball ops dept. w no leaks , no pandering to the fans and media.
Frisco fans have been pampered in the past by Larry Baer. Those days are gone and they’re never coming back.
Attendance has gone down the last two years and will tank to unprecedented lows in 2020 unless he makes *at least* a couple of fan-service moves.
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The attendance tanked because the SFG stopped winning. The way to address that is by adding value with every move, not trying to make poor s/t moves to appease the fans.
And I personally doubt the fanaticism of fans who would weaken the SFG’s long-term success by trying to improve from 71 wins to 76 wins.
Particularly in SF. You have 3 WSCs this century. Your goal has to be another WSC, not any s/t move to win 81 games.
Zaidi is a student of Billy Beane. All of Beane students tend to flame out in a blaze without the glory. The shovel still hasn’t broken ground on that rebuild. We’ll see how much winning is done over the next 6 years.
Pillar over achieved last year and Giants fans are appreciative. But he is not worth the approximately $10M he’ll receive this year. Let him go. Sign Marte or Ozuna and a solid #2 starting pitcher.
MVP vote…lol. That single vote was from that homer Giants apologist that writes for the chronicle. Hank Schuman
Pillar? Who cares? The Giants are gong to be really bad . Why the need to sign Pillar? He has one of the WORST OBP in baseball. He kinda sucks
Hiro,
That vote was Hank Schulman and it was a throwaway. He was probably the best player on the Giants last year (apologies to Yaz, who was actually the best player but wasn’t on the team as long), but he wasn’t anywhere near the MVP conversation.
I’m curious if my team, the red sox will look at Brandon belt to play 1st base, we need a good hitting middle lineup type guy and he doesnt seem to bad, granted i live in the boston area i dont get the giants games, but its a glaring hole that we need and it doesnt seem like it would take much to get him, probably some level 1 prospects, worth thinking about
It wouldn’t take much; The Giants are frustrated by Belt’s streakiness, and he’s had countless home runs robbed from him due to the park. A change of scenery. would benefit both sides.
We’ve got Chavis to play first this year.
Plus he a plus defender at first base an on base machine to quote Billy Beane do I care how a guy gets on base
Red Sox are not paying 30 or so million for Belt’s services, so no need for the Giants to trade him if they don’t get someone to take the salary. Plus, they don’t have a better option at first.
@antibelt: They’d have to eat money to move him for sure, but I think they’d do that. They could look to NYY to ship out Belt+cash for Bird and Andujar, maybe. Or they could trade him and take on a bad contract for high upside youngsters. I think that catching prospect Aramis Garcia can hold down duties at 1B if they traded Belt but didn’t get back a 1B.
Bird has been released, and Andujar would require a top 5 prospect to be moved. Aramis is currently slotted as back up/depth. No way should he be our starting first baseman.
Top 5 for Andujar? Hahaha, please
Definitely a top 5. Can’t stand fans who think people will gove away their best prospects for aging veterans. Andujars first season is offensively better than any of Belt’s. Yanks wouldn’t give up him for anything less than a top prospect, preferably a starting pitcher.
Fenway is not the right ballpark for Belt. He’s a lefty pull hitter, that rarely goes to the opposite field. He might hit a couple more there, but he would be much better in a park without a large RF.
Belt would be an asset in Fenway. Excellent glove and his power will greatly improve in Boston. If the Red Sox take on most of his contract and throw in a legitimate prospect, the deal can get done.
Why wouldn’t they go into a rebuild? they are not a playoff team. Look to trade Cueto, Watson, Belt, etc.
Giants need to get younger, more athletic. A team like the Mets could use Cueto provided the Giants give some cash in the deal. Get a top 10 prospect like Peterson in return.
Why would they trade Cueto, who’s value is at an all time low after missing most of 2019?
If the Mets could afford to pay Cueto, they would just resign Wheeler.
I expect the Giants to be really bad this year, hoping 2021 is where we see some of the talent start to make it to the majors and then by 2022 everyone but Longo will be off the books and we can try and compete then
I admire the Giants relentlessness to try to be competitive these last couple of seasons but it’s probably time to pull the plug. I can see them getting creative and finding ways to move some of those big contracts without kicking in any cash. With all the pitching needy clubs out there, they can very well move Cueto, Samardzjia & Watson. Belt to the BoSox makes sense in a hypothetical Eovaldi or Price swap. It’s an uphill battle for them, but if they make 2 or 3 moves and a few of their veterans rebound- anything can happen.
I understand the the Belt to Boston talk but why would SF take on those miserable deals when Belt is only $16 mil for two more?
Why would the Red Sox want Brandon Belt and that contract when we have Michael Chavis to play first?
Don’t worry; it’ll never happen. The RS need Price more than they need Belt.
These 2 GMs are creative enough to make something work for both teams, even w/ their desire to cut payroll. They both have parts the other teams need, at least in short term.
Chavis is a good fit to platoon to replace Holt rather than full time player, IMHO. Also think Sox would be more than willing to include Price in some kind of package (Bradley, etc) for Cueto/Belt deal but admit this is probably too far out there for this type of deal.
Why would the Giants take Price’s massive contract? Makes no sense. Farhan wants a clean slate. The quicker, the better.
Some good points @Phillies2020, but a rebuild doesn’t have to be as black and white as people seem to think. Most of the pitchers you mentioned would require chipping in $ and would leave the already barren rotation worse off. Makes sense to hold on to these guys for now, at least for the 1rst part of the season.
All but Longoria’s contracts will be off the books after 2021. Transitioning the dead weight former championship guys into part time roles while cycling in smart pickups (like Yaz, Dickerson, etc) might be the way to go. By 2021, the Giants can open the coffers and spend big just as the new core (Bart, Ramos, etc) is seasoned enough to come up to the bigs.
Zaidi has his hands full trying to retool this team, but they are doing a total rebuild. I think they can move passed the Diamondbacks and Rockies in the next few years by making good moves. Passing the Padres is always a possibility, but beating the Dodgers is a pipe drearm right now.
“They need to rebuild”
What have they been doing that suggest otherwise?
No one wants Crawford/Belt/Posey/Longo, so instead they’ve gotten younger through other trades such as bringing in Dubon and Jaylin Davis
You haven’t seen anything yet really resembling a rebuild. But you will now. Zaidi is gonna make a bunch of changes this year
Any chance the Giants would be interested in a Longoria/Odor-centered trade? I think it would make sense for the Rangers at least.
Odor? No chance. Him and his attitude are too streaky. At Least Longo got better during the season.
The Giants will take on bad contracts with prospects attached in order to facilitate their rebuild but stay a middling competitive team at the same time. They have the money and fan base to take this route.
Prediction: Wil Myers will be on the Giants opening day roster along with Lowrie/Cespedes from the Mets.
Mets have recouped almost 75 percent of that Cepedes contract, and Lowrie only has one more year. They won’t give up their future to dump what amounts to about 16 million (especially if either player can actually play this year.)
Myers actually makes sense but only if they swap a bad contract or something. The Giants are trying to get rid of their bad contracts not get more
If I were Farhan, I would do whatever it takes to get rid of Crawford, Belt and Longo. Even if you trade Belt for prospects and make Longo and Crawford bench guys, a new look at ss (Dubon perhaps), 3rd, 2nd (if Dubon moves to short) and 1st, will at least make the first half of the season intriguing enough to watch. That’s all Zaidi
Smith is a really good bullpen piece but I don’t think they make their decision to compete based on whether he’s a part of next year’s team… strategy is unchanged. They’ll still try to build the farm and find players with control who can contribute now.
Also, the Rays are on the hook for a good portion of Longoria’s salary, though I don’t understand why anyone thinks the Giants have financial constraints-they don’t, even with the current infield as is.
Assuming no starting pitching additions and no more Bum they’re probably not going to be good next year unless Beede and Webb mature a lot and Cueto and Shark pitch according to expectation. The offense will be bad even with a middle of the lineup power bat addition (who?) because it’s probably unlikely that the infield will turn it up (Longoria was a fairly solid contributor).
And on Pillar, I watched a lot of games and that guy can still field. Don’t think he’ll approach 20 homers next year but he can lock down CF.
I will say now if SF sign Puig I will not support the Giants this season. I’m getting annoyed with Zaidi trying to turn us into the SF Dodgers.
He’s a good bat though. I think we should rebuild.
Yeah, but he’s a turkey, and the clubhouse (not to mention the fans) would not want to tolerate him. There are better bats without all the baggage.
Funny, if the giants were to sign Puig he’d be the best overall player on the roster in years. And that’s saying a lot.
Lol fans always think they get clubhouse culture or fans would stat away. Most don’t care and just note seats to sell
sleepyfloyd,
Puig wouldn’t have been the best player on the 2019 Giants, much less being the best player over the last few years.
This narrative that the Giants have been trash, with literally no good players, for the last 5 years is just nonsense.
The Dodgers have won the division 7 years in a row. As a die hard Giants fan, please turn them into that. Find people who are successful and model yourself after them.
Just rebuild smh
Totally agree with Krukow. Now that Matt Duffy is available it’s time for reunion with the Giants. Duffy offers the versatility to play multiple positions; infield and outfield. And, Duffy was (would be) a fan favorite.
Hard pass. What is the Giants fan bases obsession with Matt Duffy?
PLEASE stop with this Matt Duffy nostalgia. Not only is he a poor match for the 2020 Giants, he would spend 85% of the season on the IL.
most pitiful offense in MLB. even Orioles/Tigers/Royals had better hitters than the Giants in 2019. no upside with any of them. only their pitchers got them to 77 wins last year. in 2020 without Bum, it’s going to be worse.
I loved Warren Spahn!