Brandon Belt has until November 17 to decide on whether to accept or reject the $18.4MM qualifying offer from the Giants, but the club isn’t just twiddling their thumbs in the meantime. Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports that they met with his representatives today and “discussed several contract formats.”
After a down year in 2019, Belt has been one of the best hitters on the planet for the past couple years. Over the past two seasons, he has hit .285/.393/.595, producing a wRC+ of 163, which is third-best in MLB among those with at least 550 plate appearances, trailing only Juan Soto and Bryce Harper. However, the first baseman, who turns 34 in April, has been often limited by injuries. Only one of his past five campaigns saw him get into more than 112 games, and it happened to be that down year in 2019. In 2021, it was just 97 games. Still, the production is strong enough that the Giants are happy to retain him, as evidenced by the extension of the QO, but also on whatever type of multi-year deal they discussed today.
A few months ago, the club extended their other Brandon for two-years and $32MM, which could perhaps be the type of deal they’re offering Belt now, slightly less money than the QO on an annual basis, but over a longer term. MLBTR recently predicted that Belt would accept the QO and try to re-enter the market a year from now, after he has hopefully had better health and seen the NL implement the DH.
Baggarly also reports that the club met with representatives for righty Anthony DeSclafani and discussed multi-year deals for him. Zaidi has already made it clear that the rotation is the “number one priority“, which makes a lot of sense given that it currently consists of just Logan Webb, on account of DeSclafani reaching free agency, as well as Kevin Gausman, Alex Wood and Johnny Cueto. DeSclafani, 32 in April, had a miserable season for the Reds in 2020 but righted the ship nicely in 2021. After being picked up by the Giants, he tossed 167 2/3 innings with an ERA of 3.17. MLBTR, in the same pieced linked above, recently predicted he would garner three years and $42MM, an annual average value of $14MM.
But the Giants aren’t just considering their departing free agents, of course. John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that they have interest in Seiya Suzuki, who is expected to be posted for MLB teams soon. Baggarly quotes Zaidi as saying that a right-handed hitting outfielder like Suzuki “kind of fits our team.” That’s a bit of an understatement, as their current outfield skews heavily the other way, with Mike Yastrzemski, LaMonte Wade Jr., Steven Duggar and Alex Dickerson all hitting from the left side and Austin Slater being the most notable righty. Kris Bryant, who hits right-handed, was brought into the mix at the trade deadline but is now a free agent.
MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk recently wrote about the Giants as part of the Offseason Outlook series and noted that they are lined up to be one of the busiest teams this winter, given their multiple openings and limited payroll commitments. Zaidi and the rest of his team are sure to explore each and every opportunity to add to their team this winter, and all indications point to them already doing just that.
I think 3 years/$58M guaranteed and up to 4 years/$72M would make sense for Belt.
$19M, $19M, $14M w/ a $6M buyout on a $20M option.
It’s commensurate with his last deal plus inflation.
Belt’s production has maintained, he’s really earned his place as a well paid veteran on the Giants.
I disagree. Belt is hurt too much to dish out more than maybe 2 years for that much. He’s lucky he got a QO offered to him
I disagree with your disagreement. that AAV actually sounds right to me. Wonder if this would be a situation where those only 2 guaranteed years with multiple option years as well
@Trillionaire is always suggesting teams will pay players more than they will. He never takes into account that old guys with injury problems have less earning power. The other day he suggested the Dodgers declined to make a $18.4M QO to Clayton Kershaw because they were going to turn around and offer him a multi-year deal at $27.5M per year. It made no sense. I can’t speak to this Belt suggestion because the Giants did at least QO him but it does seem rather high to me. They would probably let him walk and take the draft compensation before paying him that much. The Dodgers are definitely not going to turn around and pay Kershaw $27.5M a year after refusing to pay him $18.4M a year though.
He’s not “lucky to get the QO.”
That’s hilarious.
Checkout FanGraphs Brandon Belt profile.
Skip all the way to the bottom of the page, and you’ll find a player AAV based on their stats, and if they were to hit the market on 1yr deals based on that season alone.
He’s consistently above $18m(several seasons at $30m+)and this year was worth equal to a player making $26.7m.
A 3yr deal worth $66m would’ve been absolutely reasonable for everyone involved.
Belt is literally the player they have based their hitting philosophy on.
I highly doubt their going to let Belt play mercenary 1B/DH the next 3-5 years. Especially since the DH is likely coming to the NL pretty soon, however Belt’s defense hasn’t showed any signs of decline, and if it weren’t for Freddie Freeman(just like if Buster didn’t share the NL with Yadier Molina, or Crawford sharing the NL with Tulowitzki, then Andrelton Simmons)I’m certain he’d have a few more Gold Gloves/Silver Sluggers on his mantle.
If Belt hadn’t have been injured come the playoffs, they could’ve had a legit WS run. Swap him with Kris Bryant, who’s sure to get at least 5yr/$144m, and we don’t get out of the NLDS.
Belt’s injuries WOULD be legit cause for concern, if they were anything other than the random injuries that baseball players get.
As Belt get injuries that fall into the category of unlucky, and ones that do not lead to high likelihood of re-injury. It’s not like he’s torn a ligament in his left foot 3 times, or torn something in his knee twice.
He gets the injuries that are bound to happen to baseball players, broken thumb, due to being hit by a pitch, or a concussion due to being hit by a pitch, or missing a week at a time because an illness went around the clubhouse.
That’s no reason to not pay a guy. If he had any chronic injury issue it’d be one thing, however he hasn’t. Was it Hunter Pence’s fault when a minor leaguer broke Hunter’s arm with a pitch during spring Training? Or Stanton/Fister/Bassitt’s fault for being hit with pitches/comebackers?
Starling Marte was hit in the head by a pitch in September, but he just got 4yrs/$78m.
Didn’t seem like his injury history of being hit by pitches in the head effected his payday? Nor Stanton’s.
Why would it effect Belt’s?
Belt literally saw a concussion specialist in 2017 to decide whether or not he should RETIRE.
The fact that he’s been the catalyst of our offense nearly every year since then is miraculous and inspiring, and his offensive output has been better than ever.
(Also, what if: Bam Bam was actually just the worst hitting coach in baseball, and the park never had anything to do with it???
Worth considering, though I’m aware they made some minor changes to the park since Bam-Bam’s tenure expired, so perhaps we’ll never know.)
Fact of the matter is, Buster Posey’s hips were always a bigger red flag than anything Belt’s ever had.
If you think baseball players should be immune to injury, give us HIPAA access to your medical+employment record to tell us how many mondays you’ve missed at work, and plead your case as why your pay shouldn’t be docked because you called in sick a few times, while Malcolm over here has only called in sick 3 times in the same time period?
Oh because you’re a human and sometimes things happen that were out of your control?
Go figure.
Do you read why players miss games or just reward less brownie points to guys that don’t play 162 every year?
(Because if it’s the latter, there’s something I gotta tell you about starting pitchers, that might blow your mind…)
Best hitters on the planet??
I would say 3rd best hitter in MLB the last two years would qualify as that, yes.
False
Re-read what he wrote
Yea. He’s saying Belt is a top 3 hitter the last 2 years. That is false.
My name says it all when it comes to Belt. Always hurt, always getting inside his own head. Time to turn the chapter if we can’t get him on a two year deal. By then, we will have quite a few prospects ready.
comment from 4 years ago?? different player now, antiSTAR
@bklynny67
Did you read the article? In I believe the second paragraph it states, “Over the past two seasons, he has hit .285/.393/.595, producing a wRC+ of 163, which is third-best in MLB among those with at least 550 plate appearances, trailing only Juan Soto and Bryce Harper.” This is what he’s basing his statement off of
Belt isn’t even a top 7 at his position much less the entire league.
He has a couple solid seasons but one was a Covid shortened season and the other he played in less than 100 games.
Here are a few better hitting 1B:
Freeman
Olsen
Vlad Jr.
Abreu
Muncy
Votto
Goldy
Hoskins
Alonso
@usa well the numbers paint a different story. You strike me as someone that doesn’t understand numbers very well though, so I’ll give you a pass.
@Bruh
I understand numbers lol. I am a stat guy.
You seem to think that 1-2 good seasons from Belt puts him above Freeman and Vlad Jr. and Olsen and Alonso and the others that I listed above. So how about I give you a pass? Lol.
You can’t seriously think that Belt is a top 3 hitter in the league. He isn’t even a top 3 or top 5 first baseman. One or two decent seasons doesn’t change that.
In fact Goldy had better numbers across the board this past season and he isn’t even a top 3 anymore.
Belt is a rich man’s Hosmer. He is good but not great. You can think he is a top 3 hitter that’s fine but you would be wrong.
He definitely isn’t worth 18 million a year especially going into his age 36 season and oft injured.
Check the stats of Vlad Jr. and Matt Olsen and Goldy and Freeman. Then get back to me.
All I said was he had the 3rd highest ops+ and wrc over the last two years. I didn’t say he was better or worse than anyone.
@ Bruh
Fair enough. Yes he has the 3rd highest ops+ over the past 2 seasons in which case one was cut short due to covid and several stars were almost dismal.
Some stars never got hot while league average players had career years. Fluke season in 2020 if you will.
In 2021 Belt played in under 100 games. It’s easy to have high BA or high ops etc when you don’t play 140+ games.
Meaning who knows if he would have sustained those numbers had he played a full season.
So while Belt had a really good season in 2021 and has put up the 3rd highest ops+ over the past 2 seasons, he clearly isn’t a top 3 player at his own position or on his own team.
That’s what my argument was. I apologize for misreading into your post.
I always thought of Hosmer as a poor man’s belt and vice versa. Belt is a rich man’s Hosmer. Decent average, good defense but light bat by 1B standards.
Belt is good not great and I can name at least 8 or 9 maybe even 10 or 11 better hitters at 1B. Just off the top of my head without digging into every team’s first baseman. There may be more.
Honestly I think even 2y/32m is too much.
Hoskins is not a better hitter
Far more power and will almost always have higher power number than Belt who will have higher on base numbers.
If it’s a power bat you need though Hoskins would be the better fit.
If it’s a defensive minded 1B that gets on base Belt is the better fit.
These 2 are pretty close in talent because tvey
Pretty close because they share categories.
The others I listed above beat Belt with a Belt in most categories and therefore are better than Belt.
Give real numbers dude, and not just subjective banter because you think you know everything. You’re just blathering at this point. Numbers, facts, statistics, etc. Please give me anything other than “this guy is better because I said so.”
@Bruh
I almost do know everything about baseball thanks for noticing. I am on my iPhone not my home computer where I can post pics and links etc.
I don’t need to post links however to show that Freeman and the others are better than Belt who at 34 years old has had maybe 4 or 5 decent seasons.
Freeman will always be good and always has been good. One or two categories that Belt is listed as a top 3 player in all of baseball doesn’t change the fact that he is barely top 3 player on his own team.
In his own division he is buried behind stars like Betts and Tatis and Machado and Seager and Trey Turner and Story to name a few.
That’s just a handful but there are far more better hitters in the NL West. Just one division. Much less the entire NL or the entire MLB.
By your definition it seems as if you would put career scrub Robbie Grossman above Christian Yelich because Grossman had a better season in 2021.
Yelich has struggled the past 2 seasons just as Bellinger has where as Grossman and Belt have shined. I get it. You jump on the hot hitter.
But if we are ranking them, I guarantee you that most teams would be after Yelich of the 4 players I mentioned. Even Bellinger has more upside than Grossman and Belt.
In 2020 several stars never got into a groove while some career scrubs or career journeymen type players had career years. It was very strange but could be explained by the shortened season.
In 2021 sone of those same stats struggled again while the guys who had career years in 2020 took off where they left off.
I think by 2022 things will go back to normal and the stars will shine again while the players who had career years will fall back to earth.
It is normal for 33-36 year old players to all of a sudden have career years. It happens all time in every major sport. Career revival if you will.
However for a team to have 3 players in their mid 30’s have career years and have 2 career #4 starters pitch like a #1 and #2 starter and have career backups have career years is unheard of on one team.
The Giants 2021 season was an anomaly and it will not happen again. It’s like the 69’ Mets all over again. Those Giants team will be lucky to win 87-88 games never season.
Bank on it and screenshot it or whatever you gotta do. I am a stats guy. I can pretty much tell you what a guy will do before the season starts and be 90% correct or higher in most cases.
I don’t go off of anomaly type seasons. I take 3-5 year trends and calculate if the player is getting better or if they are aging and should regress, into consideration.
If you think Belt who should be in line for a 25/75 season with an average around .290 in 2022 is a top 3 hitter in all of MLB then maybe you should switch to golf or tennis as your go to sport.
Belt isn’t the 3rd best hitter on his team. And don’t give me numbers & figures, because figures lie & liars figure. If SF is down 1 in the 9th & has runners on 2nd & 3rd with 2 outs, who do you want up? I’d take Buster, Craw, & KB over Belt. And wherever this “Kris Bryant underwhelmed” bs is coming from is ludicrous. “His swing uses too much athleticism which can be a problem.” WOW. In a pole a couple of years ago MLB pitchers voted KB as the 3rd most feared batter in NL. But because some nerd thinks his swing requires too much athleticism, let’s not sign him. So I guess the other 10+ GMs after him just don’t know what they’re doing. SF will regret not going after KB. You don’t win ROY & an MVP with a flawed swing. Stupidest comment ever
Numbers lie? So he didn’t have the 3rd highest wrc+ and ops+ the last two years combined because you say it’s a lie? Then you respond by giving all these hypothetical subjective scenarios and anonymous polls? I think I’ll stick with actual objective data as opposed to the ramblings of some internet goon. Thanks big hoss!
@ Bruh
I would take the much younger Ryan McMahon over Belt and McMahon isn’t even a top 10 at 1B.
Don’t read too much into his 1 or 2 categories that he ranks high in.
One season was short due to Covid and the other he only played in 97 games. He barely qualified for the minimum AB’s.
In 2020 several all-star caliber players like Yelich and Bellinger were horrible while average players flourished. 2020 was a fluke season.
In 2021 the Giants entire roster outperformed expectations. That will not happen again. Again a fluke year.
But it’s sports and anything can happen such as the Jaguars beating the Bills, and the Dolphins beating the Ravens. It happens every year in every sport.
I wouldn’t read too much into the Giants success in 2021. Everything went right for them. Having backups equally as good as their starters helped.
The Giants in 2021 were expected to win between 77-87 games with the 87 being on the generous end. They surpassed that by 20 games which is amazing but don’t expect them to sniff 100 wins in 2022.
They will be back in the 82-87 range in 2022. That’s my take, especially with the Padres improving when fully healthy.
Belt has been really good over the past 2 seasons but he hasn’t played as much as some players who finished behind him in ops+ and wrc+ so it’s hard to say if those numbers would be sustainable over a full season.
That said, yes he was top 3 in those categories. But when you look at Goldy for instance compared to Belt, Goldy beats him in almost every other category and Goldy isn’t even a top 3 at 1B anymore. That’s just one example.
I get what you are saying though. Belt has had a really good run over the past 2 years but my point is that he isn’t even a top 10 first baseman overall.
We are welcome to have our own opinions however so I can respect your take.
@usa I understand what you’re saying and can accept other opinions for sure. To say belt isnt worth 2/32 is crazy when most of the veterans you mention are making way more than that (rookie contracts being the exception). You say 2020 was fluky and then mention Bellinger…he was legitimately the worst everyday player in all of baseball in 2021 lol. I know you’re a Dodgers homer, but to say the Giants just coincidentally had career years from the entire roster is ridiculous. They’ve built one of the best coaching staffs and front offices in all of baseball (you know, the guy mainly responsible for building yours — please don’t say Friedman is mainly responsible). You’re failure to acknowledge this reeks of bias. The Dodgers are good bro. The Giants are here to stay.
@ Bruh
I only say Belt isn’t worth 2y/32m because he doesn’t stay healthy long enough and because he is aging.
If that is a fair market value for Belt, it should be the highest he is offered and not a penny more.
I do like the Dodgers but I am more of a Braves fan. Back in the Dale Murphy era, I started following the Braves. They were pretty bad then aside from Murphy and Horner. The pitching was dismal.
Then shortly after I started following them, they loaded up on pitching and ran off like 13 or 14 straight division titles.
I loved that pitching staff. The Big 3. With Avery/Millwood it was the Big 4. They even had Jason Schmidt before trading him for Denny Neagle.
Anyways that’s my favorite team and then the Dodgers. But I do follow all 30 teams closely. Minor leagues and top prospects as well.
I can even name all 30 teams AA and AAA affiliates without looking and tell you what division each are in.
I follow baseball closely and I have learned over the years that the best team doesn’t always win the WS. It’s usually the hottest team that wins it all. Same with the NFL really.
Anyways take care Bruh. I look forward to the off-season FA moves and trades.
Numbers do lie. So if you’re a GM starting a team & need a bat (because Belts stats say he’s the 3rd best hitter the last 2 years) you would take Belt over Freeman, Arrenado, Tatis, Manny, Trout, Acuna, Harper, Albies, Posey, Olsen, Vlad, Chapman, Catellanos, & the list goes on? If you honestly believe Belt is a better hitter than those guys, you need to never post again because that’s ridiculous. The point I was & am making is (regardless of the #s) Brandon Belt is not the 3rd best hitter in baseball. Stats & analytics are great & can give you a good idea of how good a player is or could be, but it is not science. So again, numbers lie!
Exactly Bonds.
Belt isn’t barely the 3rd best hitter in his own team.
One or two categories that place Belt in the top 3 doesn’t make him the 3rd best hitter in the league.
Not when he is buried in other major categories.
Meant Belt is barely the 3rd best hitter on his own team*
Lol both of you guys are ridiculous and deserve each other. Nowhere did I say Belt is better than anybody. My point was that he’s under rated and by many advanced stats (ones that actual baseball people utilize) he’s been one of the top hitters the last two years. Yes, he’s hurt a lot. Those numbers should be taken with a grain of salt because of that. Also, he’s definitely a better hitter than Chapman lol. You guys both seem angry, unintelligent, and bitter. Don’t come at me with subjective hogwash, when I present actual concrete, objective data. You both name a bunch of names without any data to back your point. Both of you attempt to insult my intelligence without any real argument. Two knuckledragging mouth breathers. You’re both the epitome of what’s wrong with our country. Goodbye
@Bruh
Lmfao. I was in the USAF. Do you know how hard it is to get into the USAF? They are picky.
I not only got in but I had my choice of jobs. My intelligence is actually high. I am on my phone not a computer or the actual website.
I use the app on my phone. Can’t really post pics or data etc.
Half the time I lost is on a break at work or at a stop light so occasionally I have typos. But other than that my spelling is spot on and my vocabulary is spot on.
I am very intelligent. I never untrue your intelligence. I just said Belt is not a top 3 player in baseball. He is barely top 3 on his own team. No Giants players are even top 10 or top 20 for that matter.
I wouldn’t even call a marine a knuckle dragging mouth breather. Much less a USAF veteran that could pick pretty much any job he wanted. Just saying.
You can believe Belt is a stud that’s your opinion. You probably like Grossman over Yelich too.
Belt has had less AB’s than most other players which is why he has high numbers in certain categories. Don’t read too much into it.
Belt has never even been a top 10 first baseman. But sure for every Belt and Grossman you take, I will take Freeman and Yelich.
If you take Crawford, I will take Turner or Correa or Lindor and Bogaerts and maybe more.
Bottom line, I win most years. Not counting an anomaly type season like the Giants had in 2021.
His name is….Vlad!
are the Giants 2021-22’s “interested in everyone” team?
Who was last year? I forgot…blue jays?
Mets
Not really their fault that a large portion of this FA class are departures from their own squad. Obviously they’re interested in retaining all of the pieces of the 107 win team. Outside of that, they’ve really only made headlines for their interest in Suzuki who’s an international FA, and Verlander who had like 20 teams watch his BP
Blue Jays have held the title for the last two offseasons. Time to let someone else have a turn
No. The Seattle Mariners would like to have a word.
The Mariners already had a word, and it was to say who they would NOT be going after (ss). Kinda eliminates them right there.
Would be very bitter towards Belt if he rejects the QO and demands more money than what was given to Crawford… that’s a more than reasonable amount for an aging vet with serious injury history… and the Giants already overpayed him with his extension out of loyalty to the championships he helped out with
Being bitter about a guy that wants more security than a one year deal before he is too old to demand it is kind of odd. This reads like the guy who pays for a date and then gets mad she doesn’t put out. He don’t owe you nothing, my dude. Maybe talk to a therapist about your unresolved issues.
I think $18M is more than enough money for his children’s and grandchildren’s future. But, he does deserve more than a year and pray he plays more than 140 regular season games.
@BB 1600, while I think ole Chipper was a little harsh, I am not sure I agree with you (if I were Belt). Personally, I agree that Belt’s injury hx makes his earning potential lower, and I would be comfortable like you with a deal similar to Craw’s deal. But…Craw signed a “Giant-for-life-hometown-discount” IMO. It was a perfect deal for the Giants but Craw could’ve likely made more. Belt would likely be offered more by another team. I hope he takes a two-year 30-35MM deal, but I think he’ll push for a third year (which I hope Z and Co don’t give him).
Third year as a team option would be best. As it is right now everyone talks about offense but belt’s defense is super valuable too. There were at least 3 plays when he was injured and out of the NLDS that would have won them the series. Add to that that there are a lot of up and coming guys but the 1st base dept is actually thin in the system so unless you have a guy that converts ( curious if that is what happens to Bart when Bailey/genoves move up) your best option in the next few years is going to be belt.
Both Crawford and Belt are aging vets that don’t have much more than 2-3 years left in them
Crawford’s contract was very reasonable for both sides
Giants would be foolish to overpay for Belt and yes I would be bitter if he demands 3-4 years of 20M AAV because he’s coming off a large extension where he didn’t do crap until the last season and a half
@mister, you’re totally right about Belt’s stellar defense. Ruf was better than I thought he’d be, but Wilmer was just this side of serviceable. That said, with the A’s dropping their payroll, maybe Z should let Belt walk if he gets to pushy and try to sign a Matt Olsen type. I just don’t think Belt can produce for more than a year or two, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he regressed in his first year of said potential extension.
Matt Olsen is not a free agent. For two years of control the Giants
would need to give up a top 10 prospect plus.
Not sure Zaidi would do that right now, as the Dodger GM he held on to top prospects when they were building.
Sure the Giants want to retain many of their players from 2021. But between what their 3 batting coaches have done with hitters, and what their pitching coaches have done reviving veteran hurlers whose careers were floundering, I doubt they’re going to pay 15-20% over retail to acquire the hot FA’s and names available for trade. That’s for teams such as the Yankees, Padres, and Cardinals.
My guess is that they have targeted maybe 4-5 of their guys as ‘need to get back’, and have lists of available candidates that their coachers believe can be reworked and gotten for a reasonable salary. Am sure they’ll be making strategic acquisitions in-season as needed.
This is one of the smart teams in MLB, and the smartest of the large market teams now that Friedman has gone the way of long-term contracts for name / hot players.
You are absolutely right that the Giants shouldn’t be worrying about bigger name players. Although, think about if they could bring in a bigger name guy, and possibly even make him better than he already is. What if, and I know this is worse than a long shot, but what if they could turn Gallo into a more consistent hitter? If anyone can do it, it’s the Giants
Gallo strikes out way to much for the Giants to interested in him.
I know that. I’m not saying the Giants will pursue him. I’m just saying that the Giants coaching staff is probably the strongest in baseball. They could go after someone who would be an everyday player and make it easier on themselves.
Hahahahaha. Yeah Friedman, the man who taught Zaidi how to build a roster in this manner, doesn’t know what he’s doing anymore
Those 106 wins in 2021 and appearing in 5 of the last 6 NLCS’s really sounds like a washed up exec who doesn’t know how to win
Zaidi was doing this for the A’s before the dodgers and Friedman brought him over because of talent, Zaidi wasn’t some hot dog seller before joining the Dodgers.
I hope the Giants and Belt can work out something mutually agreeable.
Something that doesn’t exceed 2-3 years, and doesn’t exceed about
$15m/yr
QO was more than $15m?
Yeah but that isn’t why the QO gets offered/rejected. Often guys will turn down 1 year deals and take less of an aav in return for an extra year or 2 for the sake of security and the overall contract value. often these will include opt outs, no trade, incentives as well.
Yes it was. I’m saying that they should stick to something a little more reasonable. Belt doesn’t play enough and isn’t consistent enough at the plate to be making more than $15m/yr on more than a 2-3 yr deal
A 1B that doesn’t play 100 games because he can’t stay healthy and the last time he played close to a full season he only had 57 RBIs. He should have taken that offer as soon as it was offered.
So your analysis is he should have taken the deal you have no idea what the terms were? Interesting
He still has a week for the QO, buddy
Desclafani was owned by LA. Please don’t overpay him, Farhan.
Belt hasn’t been consistent since 2016. He’s 35th among hitters in these stats. If you think .285 is best, your standard are low.
If you think BA alone is any kind of illuminating stat, then your standard of reliable information is low.
Top priority has to be retaining at least two of our SP who are FA. Gausman is a no brainer. The others have question marks. Did DiScalfani figure something out in his 30s, or was he a one-year-wonder in 2021? Cueto? One year at $7 million for a supposed #4 or #5 starter. Wood? Health is always an issue with him. Might have to go outside the organization and/or our own FAs o complete the totation.
Belt? Two years at $14million per. That’s a nice bump from the $18.4 QO. Use whatever money left over to improve the OF. Aside from Yaz, who had a down year in 2021, it’s a game of musical chairs each night. I know Gabe loves to mix and match, but as fans, we need at least two guys to be everyday outfielders.
Starling Marte, anyone? I say, yes.
Cueto will want more than Heaney. The value of Starting Pitching has a new floor! Thank You Dodgers!
I think the Giants nab Verlander (Scherzer ain’t leaving LA) and another mid teer starter (Gray?) and yeah, bring back Gausman and Wood. Wood will probably work short innings (4-6) and get bullpen help, maybe long relief like Beede. I think they’ll go after Suzuki over Marte, since Suzuki is a little more of an unknown at this point and Marte I think will have a lot more competition. Suzuki will probably be happy with the Giants too. And yeah Belt will work out something and knowing Zaidi’s methods of not over investing, I’m guessing a 2 year contract.
I would move on from DeSclafani. Rarely did he go beyond 5 innings and there are plenty of other pitchers out there who would benefit from the Giants pitching philosophy.
“Rarely did he go beyond 5 innings”
Except, of course, for the 16 games this season when he did so.
And he tied for 4th in the NL in complete games – and came one out away from another CG that would have put him in a tie for first.
And tied for ML lead in shutouts with 2.
Desclafani’s 2021 was really deceiving. In 11 starts vs. teams with a winning record, he was 1-6 with a 5.77 ERA and averaged less than 5 innings in those starts. That includes 6 starts vs. LA where he went 0-3 with a 7.34 ERA. In his 20 starts vs. sub .500 teams, he was 12-1 with a 1.96 ERA including both shutouts.
Not the kind of numbers you can comfortably rely on in a postseason series unless you’re putting him up against another teams 4th starter. Somebody will undoubtedly offer him more money than he’s worth to SF.
It’s true that DeSclafani had trouble with the Dodgers, which is one critical factor that Zaidi and Harris will look at. They are talking with him, and would grab him at the right price and length (3/$42M), to take a spot, but if the bidding goes beyond that, the Giants would likely drop out. As others have noted, I can see them focusing on Gausman and Wood, but Zaidi will not overpay on Gausman either, and his agent may want more than 4 years, at which point I can see Zaidi dropping out there as well.
If both Disco and Gausman fall off their radar screens, that’s when I can see them perhaps going after a bigger fish for at least one rotation spot. They could still fill in the rotation with Webb, Wood, the big-ticket pickup, and two new reclamation projects, and get by, with loads of money to still spend on Belt and a full-time OF pickup.
The real chink in their 2022 armor however is the true impact of not having Buster around anymore, which hasn’t yet really sunk in.
I think SF is making a big mistake by not putting more energy into retaining Kris Bryant. Zaidi has said “Kris was brought in to help this year’s team (meaning the 2021 team) & we will not get into a bidding war for him.” Why not, dude plays multiple positions, likes SF, & can rake. Rather than sign 4 good players, I’d rather they sign 2 or 3 great players. Like forget Disco, Belt, & other 1 year wonders. Sign Sherzer, KB, & Correa (move him to 2b) & call it a day.
Correa isn’t moving to second base and is not what the Giants need or at that price. I’m hoping for Gausman, Verlander, Semien, and a trade for a top starting arm, prospect (from Marlins or Guardians or?). That last one means we have to give up one of our best minor league prospects.
You’re right, Correa ain’t moving to 2b, it was just wishful thinking on my end. My main point was why aren’t we sold on KB? Another position I wish they’d address is closer. SF hasn’t had a legitimate closer since Brian Wilson (W. Smith had a nice year for us but is he a true closer). As good as SF was this year, how many times did we blow 9th inning leads? Many times we’d end up winning in extras) but we need a lights out closer.
Camilo was pretty good aside from NLDS Game 5 and the first time he was called up. I think he will have that job next season
Read where Suzuki has some experience at third base, . Could be a good fit
Suzuki hasn’t played third base since 2014, and then only in a very limited number of games. He’s an outfielder.
I’m not a Giants fan, but I wonder if they could plug a couple big holes from across the Bay. It would cost SF’s top prospects, but Matt Olson (1B) and one of Montas/Manaea/Bassitt (SP) would be major progress.