12:59pm: The Giants have shown “preliminary” interest in Hamels, Morosi tweets. The 37-year-old was limited to just one start with the Braves last year due to shoulder troubles and is planning to host a showcase for interested parties, though said workout has yet to be scheduled.
8:20am: The Giants are still in the market for rotation help, and the organization’s preference would be to balance out its group of starters by adding a left-hander, general manager Scott Harris revealed to Jon Morosi on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM this week (Twitter link).
At present, the top three spots in San Francisco’s rotation all belong to right-handed starters: Kevin Gausman, Johnny Cueto and Anthony DeSclafani. Twenty-four-year-old Logan Webb is likely the favorite for the fourth spot despite some struggles through his first 94 MLB innings. That’s in part due to his strong minor league track record and recent standing as one of the organization’s top prospects, but also due to a lack of palatable options elsewhere on the 40-man roster. Righty Shaun Anderson has struggled both in the rotation and in the bullpen. Fellow right-hander Tyler Beede is expected back from Tommy John surgery in 2021 but will obviously come with some workload limitations.
The Giants do have one lefty option on the roster in the form of 25-year-old Conner Menez, and former Rays/D-backs top prospect Anthony Banda will be in camp on a non-roster invite as well. Handedness aside, the Giants could simply use more innings in the rotation at the moment. Even DeSclafani, who is guaranteed a spot after signing a $6MM contract for the upcoming season, pitched in only nine games (seven starts) last year. DeSclafani missed the entire 2017 season due to elbow troubles and has spent time on the IL in all but one season (2019) over the past five years.
The free-agent market isn’t short on experienced lefties for the Giants to consider. It’s possible they could reunite with Tyler Anderson, who pitched reasonably well for them in 2020 but was nonetheless non-tendered. They’ve also already been reported to have interest in veteran Jon Lester, whom Harris knows well from his time as director of baseball ops and assistant general manager with the Cubs. Other options with ties to the Giants’ front office include former Cub Jose Quintana and Alex Wood, the latter of whom was with the Dodgers during Zaidi’s time as general manager there.
Of course, such connections can be overblown, and the market has plenty of alternatives. James Paxton is perhaps the highest-upside option of the bunch if he’s healthy, while veterans like J.A. Happ or Martin Perez could provide some bulk innings. Cole Hamels and Rich Hill remain unsigned as well, and Carlos Rodon is still seeking a new home after an injury-ruined finish to his White Sox tenure.
The Giants should have ample payroll capacity to take on any option they prioritize, be it via free agency or trade. At present, the club projects to have a payroll just north of $142MM (via Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez) — a far cry from the $200MM mark carried as recently as 2018.
they really still fancy themselves as a free agent draw with the current state of their team, eh?
Players don’t care about “states of teams”, they care about money and what teams ballparks are in proximity to a good laundromat.
well then they’ll have to shell out more Shark and Cueto contracts and continue to be mediocre.
Are you trying to be cute or are you just not that smart?
Giants fan logic. LOL
What an obtuse and unknowledgeable statement.
As a free agent, who wouldn’t want to go to a team that has….
1. More money than 90% of teams in MLB
2. About $80 million coming off the books in 2022 and a willingness to invest it back
3. A top-tier farm system with a string of prospects getting close to the majors
4. Arbuarbly the best stadium in baseball
5. A history of success (second-most wins in MLB history) and winning culture
6. A rabid fan base
7. A large media market
8. Great weather year-round
Could not agree with this more. Giants will be a contender (for wildcard) in the next 2-5 years. GET YOUR MONEY
Gabe Kapler is not Bruce Bochy. Bochy could get 25 guys from Labor Ready and win a pennant.. that’s why Cooperstown will be calling in a few years.
@DrDan75 Bruce Bochy?
Bochy finished his career as a manger with a LOSING record ( 2003-2029 ) And that’s not because of his time here in San Diego. His record as manger of the Giants is 1052-1054. LOL
Who cares? He won THREE championships by making the right moves when it counted.
Counter point, also located in the worst state in the union (in arguably the worst city in the state).
Don’t believe me? See CA Gov, taxes, mass exodus of CA residents right now.
Lol and there I was thinking I could go the whole morning without someone spraining an ankle sprinting to regurgitate unrequested Fox New talking points from 8 years ago. Lol @ “counter point”
How do you people prevent from walking into open manholes daily?
I live in the Bay Area and Cubs fan is right. Newsom can’t even get people vaccinated because he is more worried about “equity” than immunity. He is actively talking about taxing the highest earners, which baseball players would be, at a higher rate to make up for the fact he is facing a budget shortage due to his shutting down the economy. The shut down did nothing to stop the spread, as current numbers would indicate. I’m getting out of this state sooner than later, and I’m a CA native who is firmly middle class. The negatives are far out weighing the positives at this point.
Such a good point in regards to the effect shutting down had in re to State economies. I live in MN, but do a lot of hunting in WI, North Dakota, & Nebraska as well.
So I get to see states that panicked/made it political Vs states that didn’t. The ones that held fast are in *much* better fiscal shape heading into ’21 with no noticable differences in rate of infection or death.
@tom yes Elon Musk with spacex and Tesla, Nissan, Toyota, oracle, Hewlett-Packard, Lennox, Abbott, Pfizer, Panasonic the list goes on and on. It’s all just a Fox News conspiracy. So is it ok if we listen to what the smartest man alive thinks? Or should we defer to you the poster of movie quotes?
Man it’s been 8 years since:
This article was posted yesterday?
msn.com/en-us/travel/news/a-california-exodus-reti…
This article posted in December 2020?
cnbc.com/2020/12/16/californias-growth-rate-at-rec…
And 8 years since
2017 article on businesses leaving CA
investors.com/politics/commentary/another-big-comp…
2018 article on businesses leaving CA
investors.com/politics/editorials/california-compa…
2019 article on businesses leaving CA
cnbc.com/video/2019/11/27/why-companies-are-leavin…
It’s gotten so bad the state even thought about taxing people as they leave
forbes.com/sites/patrickgleason/2020/08/31/califor…
And CA even tries to keep your tax money when you leave.
forbes.com/sites/robertwood/2019/12/03/leave-calif…
Man 8 years already.
My how time flies.
I think we’re talking about baseball here dude. I’m not a giants fan but I’d much rather live in SF than whatever little backwater banjo twangin’ trailer park you seem to be so proud of.
Hmm… backwater trailer park, or feces infested homeless camps? Can I get a 3rd option?
Since we’re talking baseball…Dude!
Because Chicago is such a tax and crime free haven? Because people aren’t also leaving Illinois and other such states for the same reason?
justacubsfan:
I lived in a lot of places in this country. DC and it’s suburbs, and Annapolis Maryland. Horse country in Virginia. Boston for school. Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Colorado. I’ve also lived out of the country in Germany and Panama.. The results of being a military kid. Plus, I have family in Arizona and Arkansas, so I’ve spent a lot of time in those states.
And best thing I ever did was move to San Francisco. My only regret was I wish I had moved there sooner, and I lived in the Bay Area longer than I lived anywhere else. I no longer live in the Bay Area, but have no regrets about remaining in California. I’ve been to Chicago, and it’s a great place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.
Yeah and I bet he’s racist! That’s really bad right? I mean you are such a non-racist. You should post about it and make a fool out of yourself again!
justacubsfan: CA is the fifth largest economy IN THE WORLD. TX and FLA are not. CA’s population is still growing, in spite of thousands of fires. Get your facts on straight and your head on straight.
@Mo that’s an old figure. Simply remove spacex, Tesla, oracle and Hp that’s well over $1 trillion in revenue from those few companies alone. That’s just a fraction of what’s leaving or has left recently. It’s just facts and not all that complicated
Uh.
“No worries, dude.”
Look, all those lost jobs can just be replaced by driving for door dash, or whatever.
(ahem)
Justacubsfan-none of which matters much for players at the top income level of any location they choose to play in, and can actually buy into the best that a city like San Francisco has to offer. These arent real-world livers.
1. and 2. dont matter because plenty of teams have money. 3. is overstated. 4. and 6-8. are either opinions or not important considerations and 5. doesnt matter because theyve been on the downswing for the past few years.
1. Use capital letters at the beginning of sentences. 2. Use the punctation that we all learned in grade school. 3. End your sentences with periods, like an adult.
lolzmets: you remind me of another troll we had around here. Alway harping on DarkSide’s grammar and punctuation. You would be the third incarnation. You were driven off before, you’ll be driven off again. Begone, troll!!!
Hello, your list seems pretty accurate, except for the year round weather on the list. While we all have different tastes for weather, I don’t think many SF residents would agree with you. Maybe you were thinking of San Jose? There is much better weather there.
Jek* got autocorrected to Hello
Hey Paddy,
When I’m talking about the weather, I’m talking Bay Area in general. It doesn’t snow, doesn’t rain much, never too hot or cold…
San Francisco in summer is hit or miss, but the location of Giants stadium is not nearly as affected as the rest of the city. It’s actually perfect there for day games and as long as I have a fleece on have never been cold at a night game. (Maybe I’m a little enthusiastic after decades of bat#$@ weather at Candlestick.)
paddy:
I much prefer the weather in SF to San Jose. San Jose is too hot in the summer. What made me laugh when I moved to SF, was hearing people complain that it was too cold when it was mid-50s, and then complain that it was too hot when it was mid-8o’s. The only drawback to the weather in SF, as far as I felt, was the temp drop after the sun went down. I missed warm evenings. But given how bad the weather could be in other places I lived I’d still take SF.
“A raid fan base”
I like how you hid that in there.
A top tier farm system with very little of it above AA yet. How about you wait til some actually start producing at the big first. You aren’t the Dodgers yet.
This is because many pro baseball players are jackasses who get to view our beloved game as vacationers, who will only go play where the sun shines constantly and can have their run on Jennifer Lopez and the best salsa music.
@jekporkins Winning Culture ? SF just booked it’s 4th consecutive below .500 season. And they’re about to book their 5th. What are you talking about?
Great weather? I’ve been to AT&T …..it’s unseasonably COLD
Top-Tier farm system? Huh? Giants farm is improved but it’s closer to ‘middle of the road’ than to top 5
Frisco isn’t the worst place a Top FA could choose…..but it aint great by any means
I enjoy watching Californians argue over weather….like anyone there has any idea what cold or hot really is.
Don’t get the wine & cheese crowd started
DarkSide.. Though they are a team on the rise, money will always be the biggest free agent draw. BTW the Giants have plenty.
on the rise? they are mediocre and their best prospects are a few years away.
Free agents are generally going to take the best offer. With that said, I can’t see the giants contending next year or 2022.
– San Francisco is a great city
– the Giants have somehow remained competitive
– they have a need for a starter
– pitchers park
– MLB pitcher = pretty cool job
That’s without even getting into the fact that almost every free agent ever will go where they get the best offer
Have no idea what you’re getting at with this one, @darkside.
Just a typical stupid dark side comment. He was hoping that he’d get more upvotes on this one…
nice to see ive made an impression
The only people who upvote Dark Side is Dark Side and his other account he uses in a second browser.
For the record I’ve upvoted posts by Darkside before.
cmon now. “great city?” who doesnt have a claim to saying that. and id argue the 2nd point is debatable, the third point applies to most teams, and the 4th applies to about half and probably doesnt matter that much.
You are doubling down on a rather dubious take.
I get. I’ve done it a time or two myself, bro.
@DuckyBuckinFent Competitive? They haven’t booked a winning season above .500 since 2016. LOL
You guys remember when Bryce Harper spurned the Giants to sign with the Phillies because he “didn’t want to be part of a rebuild?” Since then, the Giants have won more games than the Phillies and the two organizations are going in opposite directions.
The state of a franchise can change in a matter of months (see: cubs, chicago).
Also, there is no “mass exodus” of California. Major tech companies are still importing the best and brightest at breakneck speeds. Yes some companies have left, but in that time others have popped up and are doing major business including DoorDash, 23ansme, Robinhood, coinbase, square, Airbnb, Instacart, twitch, zoom, and so on. The state still has more jobs than it does people to fill them and you can see the growth via real estate prices.
You can say what you want about the politics or the dirtiness of San Francisco, but the simple fact is California has a rock solid economy given that just about everything we all use on a daily basis comes out of this state.
The state is about to lose a seat in the House of Representatives, so net/net they are losing population. Also the the makeup of the people leaving versus coming are much different. People leaving are mostly middle class, people coming are low and unskilled workers. You will end up with millionaires and a receipient class for all the social benefits. Also California has no way to meet its future public employees pension obligations. Not a bright future.
250,000 Californians moved to the Dallas-Ft.Worth metroplex LAST year. That’s very literally enough fan base to support a AA franchise….JUST around Dallas. The Royals fan base draw from Kansas is 3 million tops. That’s a heck of a lot of people leaving California.
San Francisco has real estate limitations that drive the prices. No doubt high real estate prices around the state…but quality of life is dragging…and people are leaving in substantial numbers. They can have a better quality of life other places..that’s very realistic.
I obviously don’t know what they’re expecting to land but they are in a decent position to overpay a pitcher like Quintana or Paxton for a year or two to reestablish themselves in that spacious park. Worst case they suck and it’s a short commitment and best case they perform good and they sneak into a wildcard spot or flip them.
Brett Anderson has been really solid for a lefty I hope my Nats pick him up because he’s cheap but Brett would be good for Giants
he’s already on the IL for straining his forearm brushing his teeth
This has James Paxton written all over it.
Great solution IF he can stay healthy, and that IF is the size of the Transamerica building
Giants certainly have a lot of washed up overpaid Reds Starters!
Ha! True of Cueto to be sure, but Gausman is on the rise, and DeScalfani could still be good. Apart from last year, every other year of DeScalfani’s tenure with the Reds was a good one.
There is a reason he couldn’t sign that QO fast enough last year. He’s a 30 year old league average pitcher that is going to get 20 million next year. Descalafanii for 6 million seems like a much better deal.
Dodgson! We’ve got Dodgson here!
See, nobody cares.
My right-handed tosses are so soft that they have the same action as a lefty’s. SF, call my agent…
That rotation has the potential to be very average or worse.
Not if they can get just the right mix of smoke and mirrors like they did last year.
It’s going to be hard to keep sustaining that magic trick.
Is Gio Gonzalez still considered a starter?
After the 2021 season, the giants will be in a position to be competitive for a wildcard spot if they make the right free agent signings. Shedding Cueto, Belt, and Crawford at the end of the season will open up a lot of options for them. If they can extend Gausman (or trade him at the deadline for pitching depth) i think they are in a good position for the future.
If only they didnt have to play the Dodgers or Padres…
Are they in a position for a wildcard because they will be good or because at that point 24 teams make the playoffs?
That’s how young teams improve, by playing against clubs who are better than they are. The W-L record might not immediately bear it out, but if I were a giants fan I’d much rather they play the Dodgers and Padres than the NL central.
Jon Lester what’s up?
Get Alex Wood!
Mets Giants trade proposal:
Giants get Steven Matz
Mets get Wilmer Flores
Matz would get you an animal style burger from In n Out and thats about it
Not really true. Sure his ERA was bad, but all of his peripherals were basically the same. If it wasn’t for a ridiculously unsustainably high HR/9, he would have been right around where he’d always been. He’ll be a low 4 era guy agin this year.
Peripherals or not, a 9.86 era is HORRIBLE. No one’s giving you wilmer flores for that garbage
He’s not wrong. Had an awful ERA, but in a small sample size. Plus he had a 4.15 xFIP and 4.05 SIERA. While I don’t think he’s worth Flores, if the Mets are willing to sell low, I’d jump on it. Although I do think Matz would work better as a reliever. Seems like he could be an Andrew Miller.
Um Andrew Miller. His stuff is not as good he doesnt have a wipe out slider and has never half as good as Miller. I was thinking a regular lefty out of the good ol bullpen
No fries?
Nope maybe a coke tho
You don’t want the fries from In and Out.
McDonald’s, Burger King, Jack in the Box have better fries.
Ahhh I see I live in MD so I decided to a in n out since it in Cali ok thx for info
I agree – In and Out makes the best burger out there but their fries are seriously lacking.
mmm…In and Out….
The difference between the fries at In n Out, and those other places, is the lack of processing at In n Out. I know McDonald’s fries go through something like 50 some different processes. At In n Out they take potatoes, put them through a cutting tool, and then straight to the fryer. You can ask for extra crispy fries at In n Out, which I think improves them.
@tad: YES! You’re spot on about the fries!!
Mets need Matz and SF loves Flores –
No legs here
Flores doesn’t leave unless through FA. They have mutual interest which will keep him there. Plus, he produced for them in 2020 so he will stick around
Mets should make that trade in a heartbeat! Flores hits lefties well and the Mets lineup is full of them so LHP will be coming out of the pen vs the Mets. Giants do have an impressive recent history of winning and with all the money rolling off the books should contend in 2022/2023.
The Mets could move Matz. Up and down but out of NY he may do well
Glad the Giants are still seeking more arms. Logan Webb deserves a shot at earning his way onto the roster, but I’m not at all convinced that he’s a guy you want to just slot right in. He has just not shown that he can dominate big league hitters consistently.
I’m pretty sure Tyler Beede is a bust, sadly.
All of the pitchers listed in the article come with serious question marks. I think the Giants are going to cycle back around to Tyler Anderson, who’s a known commodity. If he can be signed cheaply enough, let him come to camp and duke it out with Anthony Banda.
I wouldn’t sleep on beede – he looked good before TJ ad seemed like he was putting things together the prev year – a lot of it seems like it has been trying to throw too many pitches that are mediocre instead of focusing on what he could control. I am honestly hoping we see hjelle this year – he is going to be fun to watch even if he is mediocre just for the oddity of watching the tallest pitcher to ever throw in mlb
Hope you’re right 🙂
Randy Johnson has something to say
@stevenebraska
So, he was fine other than they hit the Sh$T out of him. Peripherals are predictors and they were wrong last year. ERA is actual results.
Zaidi hasn’t put together a starting rotation that scares any of the teams they will face in 2021. And none of the projected starters would even be a 5th starter for the Dodgers or Padres (who continue to upgrade their rotations).
Contracts aside, Gausman could actually maybe be the Padres 4th or 5th starter. Last year he looked like he was probably better than Chris Paddack. The only thing is he’s like 35 times more expensive than him.
So yeah, it’s not a great position for the Giants to be in within their division when their ace would maybe be an overly expensive backend guy on your divisional opponent’s team.
yeah but what is the point in doing that this year? next year all of the contracts expire and you have at least a few top prospects coming up – add to that that the padres will float or sink based on the moves they made so you may just want to put a competent team together this year and look to next offseason to start making any big moves you want to make.
Wolf preaches the truth.
So many people are talking about how the Giants are not going to make the playoffs this year but that’s really not the plan. Looking at Zaidi’s offseason thus far, he’s planning on putting the most competitive team on the field he can, wait out those contracts and give the prospects time to mature, then hit the free-agent market after 2021 and hit the ground running in 2022.
As has been the plan all along. They were never going to be a Bryce Harper or a Gerrit Cole away from being competitive. They need to build a cheap, sustainable talent base before they spend big. However, if Belt can come close to matching his production from last year again this season I’d consider bringing him back on a 2 year deal.
tedtheodorelogan:
I gave you a thumbs up, since I agreed with the overall point, but I would like to say that the Giants were competitive last season. They were one game away from the PS, and would have made it had they had a effective closer.
I’d also like to point out that they were in the bidding for Harper, and I think they did consider Cole. When signing a guy for 7 to 10 years, you have to believe you’ll be competitive at some point over the span of the contract.
Clearly, the Phils were also not a Bryce Harper signing away, nor were the Yankees a Gerrit Cole signing away from a WS title. But I think you do make a signing like that if you can, because it makes your team better.
Precisely. Hosmer didn’t singlehandedly make the Padres a winning team in 2018. Machado didn’t do it in 2019. But they were pieces of the big puzzle that makes them competitive in 2020 and beyond.
Hamels is perfect for SF. I’ve been thinking for a while that he’d be a good fit there.
Good call; the article was updated and noted that the Giants are looking at Hamels. Great pitcher, but there’s a lot of milage on that arm. He needs a few more good seasons to be a bonafide hall of famer. Maybe SF is the place to make that happen.
Mets should offer them Steven Matz to see if they can get more than a bag of baseballs and some dry patch.
Wonder what SF may give for Brault? He has turned into a decent lefty the last couple of seasons.
Maybe Kai-Wei Teng plus another lower level minor leaguer.
That could be a nice return. Bummer that the Pirates are not in position to compete as Brault would be a real nice #4 or #5 guy. Has been able to keep the team in games and been consistent the last couple of years. To bad they need to trade a guy like him right now.,
I’d actually like to explore that possibility. Brault isn’t anything special but could be a solid reliever, giants have a lot of young guys Pirates might be interested in, maybe Jaylin Davis.
Carlos Rodon might be an interesting option for the Giants. I can’t see a serious championship contender offering him much in the way of a guaranteed contract or a spot in their rotation. This was a primary reason why the White Sox finally cut bait and non-tendered their too often injured first round draft pick despite his enormous potential.
Rodon might also prefer pitching for a team like the Giants who figure to be more competitive than one that is clearly tanking, especially since they have a couple of spots available in their rotation. The spaciousness of Oracle Park might also be appealing to a strikeout/flyball pitcher like Rodon who had been pitching his entire career in a HR haven home stadium in Chicago.
Tigers have Turnbull, Norris.
Z’s doing this all right- Somehow he managed to turn a farm that was ranked 25th upon entry to now 9~11th depending on where you look all while staying in the playoff hunt modestly the last couple years- The latter was just a cherry on top
Prepare yourself for next year bc these guys will be top 3 spenders in the market for sure and Z knows how to spend a dime
Top of rotation guys probably wont be the biggest concern but he will concentrate on having 5-6 Sps on the roster that are all above league avg on the mound
**Could see a very darkhorse play at Springer if the numbers get super low this year- Maybe like a 6/125 with only 110 guaranteed
@Cap & Crunch ” Z Knows how to spend” Really? What Top Tier FA players did Farhan sign as GM in Los Angeles? Or since he’s been running the Giants?
Zaidi isn’t going to build a competitive team via free Agency. That’s not his philosophy.
Giants fans are in for a rude awakening in 2022. He might sign 1 guy. 1 Top tier Impact guy. If it makes sense. That’s it. His interest lies in developing a pool of in house options. Not high dollar FA’s
Hamels.. robbed the Braves lol .. I’m sure of it… his master plan as a former philly, this last season was his way of getting us just a little more lol…
Lol you guys have a good rotation now. Although smyly is a ? and soroka coming off achilles
Yup. Assuming they can stay healthy and pitch to their baseline abilities if not better, they should be really strong this year. We need a solid rotation after what we had to labor through last year.
They should bring Ty Blach back. He is left handed.
Hamels and re-sign Tyler Anderson wouldn’t be terrible. If the Giants are looking to spend more money than they probably need to then go for Happ and Martin Perez
The Giants are eyeing CHEAP, very reluctant to spend beyond semi-dumpster diving. Cole Hamels (who has never been a stopper anyway) and Jon Lester. Two washed up hurlers. Johnny Cueto already fills that bill for us.
Cole Hamels was NEVER a stopper? Yeah, I think he got the job done.
@ Redline, you’re right – Hamels was a great pitcher, but he’s now 37 and much like Lester, is no longer an ace, is a longshot for providing anything more than replacement value at the back end of a rotation.
@ VTGiant, I understand your frustration. Hamels and Lester are definitely retreads added to a rotation that’s already very underwhelming. I guess the thought is that they’re lefties who could possibly outperform their last couple of seasons by moving to a large park. SF should open their wallets, but that’s not going to happen until this year’s trade deadline at the earliest.