The Giants have made their previously reported agreement with infielder Tommy La Stella official, announcing on Thursday that he’s been signed to a three-year contract. The deal reportedly guarantees the Beverly Hills Sports Council client a total of $18.75MM, which will be paid out in heavily backloaded fashion: $2MM salary in 2021, $5.25MM in 2022 and $11.5MM in 2023.
La Stella was the No. 30 free agent on our board early in the offseason, with a projected two-year, $14MM deal ahead of him — a mark he’s surpassed. As for the Giants, their books are almost entirely clear following the 2022 season, where a $13MM club option for Evan Longoria is the only contract currently on the payroll. The $5MM buyout attached to that deal is the only guaranteed money on the books for the 2023 season, so a third year for La Stella is hardly prohibitive, even with the backloaded structure of this arrangement.
La Stella’s story is one of perseverance, as there was a time he considered retirement prior to the 2016 season. Again at the deadline, when the Cubs optioned the then-27-year-old La Stella to Triple-A, he thought about hanging it up rather than continue the grind back and forth between the minors and the Show. He returned, however, to resume his role as a professional pinch-hitter, winning a ring with the 2016 Cubs. When he reached free agency, La Stella looked for an opportunity to play full-time, and he found it with the Angels. He broke out with an All-Star season in 2019 when he slashed .295/.346/.486 with 16 home runs across 321 plate appearances.
He kept it up during the truncated 2020 season, producing 1.2 fWAR and 129 wRC+ that took the shape of a .281/.370/.449 line, solid 11.8 percent walk rate, and minuscule 5.3 percent strikeout rate. Though those numbers came in just 228 plate appearances, the Giants figure they are adding a tough out to the top of their lineup in the form of La Stella, who turns 32 years old at the end of the month.
For the Giants, La Stella fits a need as a left-handed bat that slides into the top of the order. Defensively, La Stella should take over the majority of reps at second base, pushing Donovan Solano back into a utility role. La Stella can also play third base. The Giants can now roll with a starting infield of Brandon Belt, La Stella, Brandon Crawford, and Longoria. Solano, Mauricio Dubon, Wilmer Flores, and Jason Vosler are capable of infield reps off the bench. Buster Posey, if healthy, would figure to spend some time at first base as well. In all, it’s a crowded, if versatile group. It also likely means Dubón spending most of his time in the outfield.
Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area first reported (via Twitter) that the two sides were close to a deal. ESPN’s Jeff Passan added that the deal would be three years in length (Twitter link). MLB.com’s Jon Morosi tweeted that a deal had been reached. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser reported the terms of the deal (Twitter links).
Giants?? Haha cmon man
Nice signing by the Giants Tommy boy can rake
Congratulations to Tommy La Stella Artois on his new contract.
Troll
Hahaha?
Giants have 3 rings since the white Sox last…win something then laugh, a decent team doesn’t meant crap, rings do
ABStract? what a yammerer.
It infuriates me that the Angels did not resign Tommy given the reasonable price tag and structure of this deal. I would much rather have Fletcher at short and fan favorite LaStella at 2b (for 3 yrs) than Iglesias (for 1 year) at short and Fletch at 2b. With not much upgrade to the starting staff, makes me wonder if this Perry Minasian actually knows what the heck he is doing.
I think the problem with the Angels is that—from what I’ve seen—they don’t do a good job of evaluating talent, and over-spend on meh players, especially pitchers. I’m not an Angels fan, but with a rotation like they have, I can’t see them going anywhere. A shame, since Trout is clearly the best player in baseball AND a good guy.
Nooooo. I wanted the Braves to bring him back.
Where would the Braves play La Stella?
While the fit isn’t perfect. Spelling Riley at third, backup 2b, hopefully take every AB from Camargo, and being a much better lefty bench bat than Inciarte.
This is assuming the his price isn’t too high. I guess we will find out. But his patient approach would be great for that lineup.
And why would La Stella prefer to be backup for the Braves instead of a starter for some other team? It just doesn’t make sense.
Money and years. This is most likely his big free agent deal. I assume he’s emphasizing length of contract and dollars over starting. Plus he’s been a utility guy for years I doubt he turns his nose up at it.
Wow stove is finally cooking tonight!
Hot take.
the Giants really need to stop trying to tread water and rebuild
You can rebuild without sucking. How does signing a utility infielder keep them from rebuilding?
Especially a guy like LaStella who was an intriguing name for a # of teams with his versatility…if he plays well and keeps hitting they can flip him for prospects.
Haha love the 3 year old takes Darkside, keep them coming
cmon now. they are trading water. unless they trade rentals at the deadline they wolnt build up a prospect reserve through the draft or through trades. the team is midling at the moment. they need an infusion of talent.
Lol who do you want them to trade? Belt on a one year contract? Crawford on a one year contract? To get the yankees #41 prospect? What’s the point?
It’s weird how teams like the Yankees and Dodgers stay competitive without tearing down every few year? Almost as if…there’s more than one way to build a competitive organization.
Cmon darkside, you know that the Giants are grabbing players to see what they can turn in to gold. That’s how they got Wilson and Dubon. Trade deadline, if they aren’t in position, like every team that’s out of it, try’s to trade for pieces. Giants have turned a dumpster fire farm system into top 10 in a couple of years.
Do you even follow the Giants? They’ve been flipping out at the trade deadline, buying forst round picks from other teams. They’re just a couple of years from contending and need veterans to help guide the younger talent.
@AndyWarpath, I’m sorry, but sarcasm isn’t allowed here
Teams like the Astros, White Sox, and Cubs have really ruined the perception of a rebuild to most fans. If teams aren’t trying to suck, they aren’t rebuilding hard enough. Then you have orgs like the Pirates and Royals who always tank and always suck.
Also player development plays a much bigger role in the farm system than you give them credit for. Any one can trade for other teams prospects. Some team are really good ant developing their own. (See: Indians, Dodgers, Cardinals, Rays)
They have built a very solid, deep farm system, but keep pedaling that narrative if it makes you feel happy. Almost the entire overpaid roster is off the books after this year and after that they’ll have more money to spend than anyone and a number of prospects graduationg.
Are they “trying water”? Or are they “trading water”? Or perhaps neither?
Trading rentals at the deadline is exactly rebuilding darkside. I want to see at least semi competitive baseball while we rebuild. We are going to have a massive payroll after this season with prospects coming the year or two after that. Baseball is a long persons game baby.
Pirates were trying and sucked. There was no tanking. Just the results of trying to keep payroll under 100
Dark, they have a ton of money coming available after this season. Why tear it down when they bad contracts are gonna fix a lot of issues?
if it was that simple every team would be doing it. only the Dodgers have been fully successful with that strategy.
they bought Wilson, not the same thing.
So you do realize that giants have a good farm system right? This is kinda what Farhan does — builds up the organizational talent w low key moves without a full fledged rebuild – BR had their farm ranked 6th overall in mlb… Honestly in many ways they are in a better position moving forward than the Phillies are… Just saying…
Darkside830 is a casual fan. Easily noticeable. Not much experience whatsoever
Hey Steve. Are you ten years old? The Royals were in the first of their two back to back seasons in the World Series when the Astros were completing their first season in four years LOSING less than 100 games. That was 2014, and the Astros could jot be anything but being described as rebuilding. And the Royals could jot be described as anything but always sucking. And that was just seven sort seasons ago.
Hey Eastern League Old-Timer, you kill me with your misspellings (jot>not; sort>short) but I get what you are saying. Rebuilding can happen fast if you have a GOOD scouting department and get a lot of high draft picks. For the Astros, that meant consecutive losing seasons of 106, 107, 111 and 92 games before turning it around. The Royals went from 2004 thru 2012 with losing seasons, but then put together 3 good seasons followed by two VERY average seasons before losing over 100 in 2018 and 2019. But after success, smaller market teams face being broken down when the talented players from the successful years deserve and demand bigger AAVs and either get it and stay holding the team to less money for the rest of the roster, or leave via free agency.
Dude has nothing better to do but comment on every comment on every comment thread.
So now it matters how you get young talent in a rebuild? It doesn’t count if you buy a player? Lol! You’re sounding like you just hate the Giants. Here’s the deal Darkside…the Giants picked up and took on terrible long term contracts, it cost them…now they’ve had to pay for it these past few years with losing seasons…but what cracks me up is that they have been better then the Padres and Colorado in these past seasons while rebuilding…I personally don’t want to hear about some small sample sized season. Dodgers are a great team, but they won a small sample sized title. Padres have finally showed up to play for the first time in a decade, in a small sample sized season. Let the 162 game season begin. Where true champions are made!
In the past 10 seasons, assuming that winning a World Series bumps you up most people’s lists, the Royals gotta be in the top 10 of all MLB franchises.
Boston or San Fran top 2. Multiple WS wins.
Dodgers, Astros or Cards next tier. Multiple WS appearances.
Then Cubs, KC, Nats, that’s a coin flip kinda? Without title, the Yankees, A’s, Twins, Rays might make a case to still push KC out of the top 10, but it’s very easy to forget how much of a case KC has.
They make my top 10 from that decade, for the 2 cents (rounded down these days) that it’s worth.
Considering other signings so far, the one team from the list that loses a 3rd round instead of a 2nd round pick for signing Bauer that I choose as my new darkhorse is KC. Possibly MIN.
Wish we were allowed to have 1-3 re-picks in the FA contest!
“Teams in this group: the Brewers, D-backs, Indians, Mariners, Marlins, Orioles, Padres, Pirates, Rays, Reds, Rockies, Royals, Tigers and Twins.”
Andy, a lot of it is recency bias. Also, division difficulty makes a huge difference too.. Example is the Dodgers. Where would their record have placed them in the AL West since 2009 (and where they finished in NL West):
2009: 2nd (1st in NL West)
2010: Tied for 3rd (4th in NL West)
2011: 3rd (3rd in NL West)
2012: 4th (2nd in NL West)
2013: 2nd (1st in NL West)
2014: 2nd (1st in NL West)
2015: 1st (1st in NL West)
2016: 2nd (1st in NL West)
2017: 1st (1st in NL West)
2018: 3rd (1st in NL West)
2019: 2nd (1st in NL West)
I’m not saying they have not put together an amazing run, they have. But, not including last year’s wacky regular season, they have won 8 out of the last 11 NL West titles. In those years the same record would have won only 2 AL West titles. Competition is a factor.
Another big factor is payroll. Since 2012 only in 2018 and 2019 were the Yankees and Dodgers not #1 and #2 in payroll, and they were top 5 in every year.
Its not 3 years old. They love to make low-mid level signings that won’t do a thing. What’s the best thing that resulted from it? Being rewarded with having to pay Gausman 18 million this season.. Oh joy.
they are rebuilding clown. it’s called making smart decisions to fill holes on cheap contracts while their prospects are still developing. their prospects aren’t ready. you dont just rush guys from A and AA ball to the majors. They tried that with Bart last year. Didn’t work.
you act like they’re signing guys like Bauer and Realmuto lmao get a clue.
Farhan has given out one multi-year deal and that was to flores. All the FA signings line up with the albatross contracts coming off the books in 2022. The Giants are still digging themselves out of the contract hole that Bobby Evans dug. In 2022 the only big contact left is the last year on Longoria.
The Giants are not trying to repeat what they did with Zito, Shark and Cueto.
You really show your ignorance with these comments.
last few years when they held onto guys like Watson and MadBum they missed opportunities to get some real assets. if they trade any of these guys at the deadline then id be willing to go with it, but they seem to not trade their biggest assets in the interest of maintaining slim playoff chances.
Do you really believe they didn’t shop watson, smith or madbum?
It’s painfully obvious they didn’t get offers that were equitable or the trades would have happened. You don’t just trade your three best pitchers for nothing.
You really don’t understand the business of baseball.
Another dumb comment by DarkSide. The return wasn’t good enough to sell Giants fans that it made sense to move Bumgarner or Smith. They instead got draft pick compensation, which is probably better than what was being offered.
Not sure if you’ve noticed, judging by your comments, you seem pretty clueless, but teams aren’t exactly trading top prospects or highly regarded prospects for aged and declining players anymore.
I don’t really have a dog in this fight, but it all comes down to what they were being offered or could have gotten on the trade market. I tend to believe based on other deadline deals that they would have been able to get more than the comp picks were worth.
Basically, if whatever they were being offered for Madbum was more valuable than Nick Swiney, then they should have taken the offer. Same with Smith, if someone offered something more valuable than Jimmy Glowenke, then they should have taken whatever that trade offer was, otherwise they were leaving value on the table.
Judging by what they were able to get for a bloated Melancon contract, and the Pomeranz/Dyson trades, I personally feel like they could have gotten more than just the comp picks for MadBum/Smith, but honestly I don’t know what the offers were so perhaps thats not the reality of the situation. It just seems like from an outsider’s perspective that their value should have justified better returns than only the comp picks.
It’s also possible that they were maybe hoping to retain them as well after the season but within their parameters and not the players. I think those cases had many layers to them that we will all never understand completely unless someone goes on record with how it all played out.
champion1701
Directed At DarkSide “You really don’t understand the business of baseball.”
You obviously don’t spend much time here or you’d know that DarkSide understands baseball very well. I think you’re getting hot and bothered and making a personal attack because DarkSide is questioning the management of your precious Giants.
I have a lot of respect for the Giants 3 in 5. But I have noticed that Giants fans swarm like sharks around anyone who says anything less than positive about their precious team. Interesting
Take a look at the responses to his comments. Sharks is the right word. Very personal..
I’ve been around, datkside says a lot of ignorant crap and not just about the giants. Literally everything he said in these comments have been false.
Get a room already
SF Giants fans defending the SF Giants in an article about *gasp* an SF Giants signing??? Color me shocked…
Unless someone was offering a no-brainer prospect for Bumgarner, the draft pick compensation is always better. SImply because you have options.
If you have the choice between getting a $10 DVD as a gift, or a $10 gift card, you pick the gift card almost every time. Why? Because you might find a $20 item on sale.
In the draft, 1st round players fall to the comp picks all the time, for a variety of reasons (signability, willingness to return to college, personality issues, etc.). A lot of GMs would prefer to play their odds and find better talent in the draft than to take a limited option via a trade.
I doubt it, the returns on guys in deadline trades were not great last year and if it is even marginal, if you trust the scouting dept you put together you are likely better off having the pick than a low level utility guy from someone else’s system that may or may not ever break the roster
The 2 draft picks the Giants picked up for Bum and Will Smith signing elsewhere were not about the players they got with those picks but the draft money those picks provided. If SF doesn’t have that extra money to spend they never sign Kyle Harrison, #12 on the prospect list on MLB.com.
I don’t think the Giants would’ve been compensated with a player like Harrison if they’d traded Bum or Smith.
Giants fans are the ultimate snowflakes. very insecure about their team and the only fans that refer to their team in the first person, i.e. “We” and “We’re”. something very odd and provincial about it
those of us familiar with the NY and Boston local media know that a thick skin makes for a much more interesting debate…
WarrenSpahn:
That may be your perception, but that just isn’t true. I see fans of other teams use “we”, and “we’re”, all the time. Look at the first 2 comments on this post. Imagine a similar signing by any team posted on MLBTR, and those fans would have reacted just like the Giants fans have.
And as to the supposed thick skin of Yankee fans, that’s not universally true either. I once made the comment on mlb.com, when they still had them, that the Yankees 27 WS titles weren’t as impressive as it sounds due to their ability to financially dominate the system, especially prior to the institution of the draft. Yankee fans were outraged. Some were literally mad, and called me names.
Another time, when the Yankees were planning on calling up Phil Hughes, I suggested that Yankee fans wait before anointing him as an ace. More than one Yankee fan was again outraged informing me that I knew about baseball.
Funny how you can see faults in others and not see them in yourself.
I think you’re championing the wrong guy. DarkSide is a troll without much substance.
Warrren, you were one of the greatest pitchers I ever saw play. But those days are over. I’ve lived in BOTH Boston and New York. I respect good baseball and good baseball knowledge and substantive commentary. Try loading up on that before calling names.
It’s painfully obvious they didn’t get offers that were equitable
=============================================================
I don’t think so. They managed, somehow, to move Melancon’s contract. They managed to move Pomeranz with his 5.68.
They could easily have moved Madbum, Watson & Smith. Smith was one of the best in the league at that time.
The issue was that they thought they had a chance at the playoffs. They went 19-6 in July. That was primarily because they won 8 straight one-run games.
IMO, they were fooling themselves, and should’ve cleaned house. But if a SFG fan wanted to go for it, I wouldn’t argue the issue. But the issue was one of they didn’t want to, not that they couldn’t.
manmanmanman
“SF Giants fans defending the SF Giants in an article about *gasp* an SF Giants signing??? Color me shocked…”
You missed the point. Perhaps deliberately. It’s not a matter of whether or not a Giants’ fan defends the Giants, although why they feel a kneejerk need to do so on even the slightest criticisms is oddly unique to Giants’ fans. What is also unique to Giants’ fans, which was my point, the one you missed, is that Giants’ fans swarm in a group like sharks around someone who critiques the Giants, and engage as a group in making personal attacks on the commenter. Unique to Giants’ fans. Weird.
Simply not true.
JoeBrady:
What you’re saying defies logic. They traded Pomeranz and Melancon, simply because the return, or moving the contract, was worth making the deal. But by your logic, they decided to keep Bum and Smith even though the return would have been good enough to make the deal?
Why would you think they would make smart moves and then turn around and make dumb ones? Clearly, the logical answer is the returns for Pomeranz and Melancon were worth making the trade and the offers for Bum and Smith were not.
You do not make it to being a top executive of a baseball team by being deluded about your team’s chances. If anyone was to do that, it would have been the owner. That’s the situation you have in Colorado, not in SF.
MoRivera 1999:
The slightest criticism? Not too biased are you? Look at this post:
“Who cares? ….The Giants are terrible. The Laughing stock (sic) of the NL West”
That is the “slightest criticism”? Any fan of any team is not going to take that as a slight criticism were it directed at their team. That post is clearly meant as a slur. Not only is it not slight criticism, it’s senseless. Wouldn’t the “laughingstock” of any division in baseball need to log multiple consecutive seasons in last place? Something the Giants have not done. That said I will not respond to that sort of low mentality.
But why fans of other teams come to posts about the Giants, just to insult, is beyond me. What do they get out of it, other than being able to behave badly through the anonymity afforded. I have no desire to post idiotic insults about other teams despite a dislike for several of them. And maybe some people just like to kick people when they’re down as the Giants are now.
Anonymity + Audience = A-Hole.
It’s what gives these guys fuel. And the EASIEST way for Tim Dierks to put an end to it is to grant people a mute/hide/block button where the bored MLBTR trolls don’t get the attention they wish anymore.
The thing is, people come into these posts, they make the same tired criticisms as they’ve been making for a year now. EVERY time, those criticisms are revealed to not be based in reality. They are almost always wrong, and the Giants fans on this page point out why that is.
Then, the bored troll making said claims tries to punch and claw his way out of the corner by pretending Giants fans are just sensitive.
Let’s be honest, the people who come into these boards and make these tired comments aren’t making legitimate “criticisms”. “The Giants suck” isn’t a criticism. It’s a trollish retort for someone who just wants attention.
“Zaidi was dumb for not trading (Player)” is another tired criticism. It gets shot down literally every post regarding the Giants. The fact that it’s the same 3-4 people making these dumb claims reveals they don’t actually want to have a conversation, they just want attention. So we give it to them. Turns out, they don’t like the negative attention they drew upon themselves.
If you have criticisms about what the Giants are doing, go for it. But be willing to be disagreed with. That someone disagrees with you isn’t a character flaw. And if you’re not looking for a discussion, then you’re a troll. Being a troll IS a character flaw.
Does that make sense, or should I explain it so the Yankee fans in the room can better understand it?
This. Can we get more functionality on this app, please?
So good until the Yankee troll comment at the end.
Baseball, not limbo, no need to stoop!
Jays fan, don’t particularly like Yankee fans, but to generalize any fan base is a flawed approach. Had many a great baseball discussion with Yankee fans. Give me a Yankee or Red Sox fan over a sports fan that finds baseball boring any day.
The value of the picks are innumerably more valuable given that the etra picks were high rounds, and in a draft 0f 5 rounds.
This might be the stupidest comment I’ve ever read on this site. All teams in all sports have fans who refer to “we” when speaking about their team. And Giants fans are very knowledgeable and passionate fans—I’m not one of them but I do live in the Bay Area so I know.
Funny that Warren chimes in on every Giants post. He’s one of the biggest trolls on this website.
Pretty sure they have been…look at their farm rank climbing faster than most other teams the last few years. Not to mention that longoria is the only guaranteed contract on the books for next year.
There’s a lot of “if your unbiased outsider opinion doesn’t align with my biased homer opinion you must not understand baseball” commentary from Giants fans on this thread.
C-Daddy:
C’mon, look at the first 2 comments in this thread. The Giants are getting a guy that the fans of several teams wanted for their teams. A signing that most people think was good, but some could think otherwise. But neither comment was about whether the signing was good, bad, or meh.
No, they were just general, “Giants suck” comments, from fans of other teams. Not sure why so many fans of other teams feel the need to come to every post about the Giants just to say “they suck”, but that’s the way people are these days with the anonymity if the internet.
It’s funny cause the Phillies aren’t rebuilding at all, have a terrible farm compared to the Giants, and yet are WORSE at the major league level to top it off.
so your suggestion is what, they release a bunch of guys before they play their final year for nothing instead of holding and trying to flip at the deadline ? I mean they are rebuilding in a smart way unlike the phillies and reds
I wonder how much interest he garnered in free agency. I expected him to be a fairly popular target for a number of teams.
Solid pickup, I love it
Perfect fit for the team. His high obp, low strikeout left handed bat should be a perfect complement for Longoria/Flores/Solano.
They already have that in Belt
belt throws with his left hand. they needed another left handed infielder. Longoria/Solano/Dubon/Flores all bat from the right side.
Belt doesn’t play Longo, Flores, or Solano’s position
too true – you can only have 1 guy on a team with a high OBP otherwise too many guys get on base
Great player in utility roll- one of the best pinch hitters. Not a 160 game starter. Can cover all infield positions other than short. Depth piece. If he plays 7 days a week production will be average at best.
God the A’s are stupid. Another disappointment for us A’s fans. Good for the Giants. Great Signing.
I too thought this one was all A’s
Could care less about Semien leaving, this is the one that hurts.
This one hurts more than Semien and Hendriks leaving by a lot. Bet when we get financial details of La Stella’s contract, it would have been affordable for us. Semien for 18 Mil is a bit questionable…
YES LETS GO. Great signing Zaidi and Co. Keep em coming
Congratulations! Sincerely, A Disappointed A’s fan lol
I don’t blame you. I was positive the A’s were keeping him around. He is a good, underrated player
Ahh.. La Stela, the guy the Cubs undervalued and then traded him to the Angels so they can make room for Descalso who bombed.
If it wasn’t for the Yankees budget. I’d love him on Yankees instead of Wade.
Interesting, but they have a better players who play same position in Solano and Flores with a potential prospect in Dubon. The Giant lack POWER and LaStella is not filling that need but he could be a better glove than Flores and Solano
they needed a left handed hitter to complement all the right handed infielders you just listed.
What world are you living in? The giants were 6th las year in slg and above average in 12th for homers, they had decent power despite some positions like catcher and cf producing almost no power
Fun with numbers:
14*2b(13%), 1*3b(7%), 10*HR(12%) in 6 games at Coors.
10% of their games.
They’ll be closer to 5% of their games in Coors for 2021.
Slight decline should be expected. Closer to middle of pack. Better than they look at a glance, but their 2020 rankings have a bit of extra juice to them, tough to see a repeat.
filthyrich:
How selective of you. They also play a lot of games in LA, SD and their home park. I seriously doubt AL East team play nearly as many games in pitchers-friendly parks.
Good call, 16% of games against Dodger pitching closer to 11% should help negate much/all of the Coors factor I’m picturing.
The margin from top 10 to mid-pack isn’t massive, the Giants could certainly hold ground. I still find it tough to see.
Between Yaz, Belt, Posey, Solano, Flores, Longoria, Crawford, La Stella, Dickerson, Dubon, Bart there could be enough to build some solid lineups most nights, not impossible to see.
I think the AL East pitchers should benefit from facing teams outside the East, if we are lucky enough for a full 162 to actually play out.
Obviously a lot of moving parts so it’s really meaningless fun with numbers. Appreciate the counterpoint tad2b13
filthyrich:
Yeah, I’ve wondered about how good pitchers that pitch in hitter’s park, would do in a pitcher-friendly home park. But as with most things, it’s hard to make generalizations. I thought Tyler Chatwood would pitch much better on leaving Coors, but such was not the case. His best years seem to have been while pitching at Coors. But then there’s also other factors involved. It would be interesting to see a study done based on large samples instead of anecdotal examples like Chatwood.
How many players have played for all 5 teams in California before?
this guy RAKES! the fact he didnt get 30 offers is beyond me. I’d kill for him on the angels! good luck tommy boy, so fun to watch!!
Agreed, solid player and great piece for the Giants rebuild
He getting $18-mil too?
Kid needs to be on a contender as a bench piece, not a starter on the weak teams. Good player, don’t get me wrong at all.
Well he won’t be a solid starter for the Giants..just a left handed hitting INF off the bench/platoon piece
I am not sure why A’s fans are freaking out over this. He’s entering his age 32 season and at best he’s a 2 WAR player who probably is getting a 2-3 year deal near $18 million. Stick Sheldon Neuse at 2nd base and save $5 million a season.
Why you think zaidi is passing out a 2 or 3 year contract here? Been nothing but 1 year deals on everyone signed so far…
Saw a report that the contract will likely be a multi year deal when finalized. Still, La Stella type players tend to do well into their 30’s given theyre contact guys and not swing for the fences guys i.e. Scutaro
Where at? All reports only showing the 2 sides are close. If you have inside reports I want in on that. Lol
Well done sir!
Pavlovic mentioned it in his article. Also Jeff Passan just reported it’s a 3 year deal, which seems a lot. I would have been good with 2 years. Hoping they made it 3 years to lower the AAV and spread the $$ evenly over 3 years. Not that money is an issue for us with all the contracts coming off, just dont want to committ significant $$ to La Stella given his age.
@zacharydmanprin Maybe because a few of them like to cheer for people rather than contracts?
Congratulations. This is the dumbest thing on the internet today.
This is a great signing! Doubt he costs more than $8M per.
Big blow for Oakland. A’s upper ownership – Billy Beane is just a minor owner – should sell the team to someone like Joe Lacob, Warriors owner. Joe has no hesitation spending resources where and when necessary, COVID or or not COVID. It’s just a joke what they are doing in Oakland.
Great signing but I think he’s even too good to platoon
I agree. He’s earned an everyday spot so I’m curious to see how we’ll use him
La Stella will start over Solano.
So much of what Solano did over the past 2 seasons (realistically, it was 130-some games, so the equivalent of one season) is 100% unsustainable. He’s not going to continue hitting the ball at a .400+ BABIP.
La Stella should, and will start.
He’ll start at 3B against righties and in other spots. I don’t think you can dismiss Solano’s bat after the past two years.
Yes, you can. Because he won’t repeat a .400 BABIP.
People have to realize, as fun as Solano was over the past 2 seasons (he played about a season’s worth of PAs), it was entirely held up by a ridiculous BABIP.
Once that normalizes (it will), he’ll lose most of his value.
Anybody who hits .328 over a couple of years will have a ~.400 BABIP over that time. Unless you absolutely never strike out, it’s impossible not to. You might as well just be asserting that a .328 AVG isn’t sustainable period, instead of pretending that the BABIP is evidence for that.
It’s not as if Solano has a long career in which he established a different baseline BABIP either.
La Stella! You coulda been on a contender!
…now he commutes via streetcar on the waterfront.
…the horror…the horror!
…it must have been an offer he could not refuse.
He’s tryna speedrun playing for all the California teams. Two to go
I would loved him on white Sox ….. we have a heavy RH lineup
Good bat off bench end of game
Super utility player for SF? What says you, Giants fans?
We’re collecting them all! Dubon, Flores, Solano, Ruf, Posey all can play more than 1 position
I was excited about Rosario, this is a disappointment.
This isn’t an outfielder…giants have said all off-season that they wanted a left handed infielder. They still have work to do so will be interesting to see who they address outfield with.
if the DH sticks around then i can see Giants still looking into Rosario to fill that. They still need a left-handed bat off the bench. Rosario/Dickerson can platoon between LF/DH and pinch hit.
What about rosario now even without DH and adding ozuna if there is a DH…
Rosario gets killed for his defense but he’s really not a bad defensive OF at all. The main problem with Rosario is his OBP. He cannot draw a walk to save his life. If he bats .280 for a season, there’s a good chance his OBP will barely be above .300, that’s how bad it is. With that said, Rosario can straight up mash the ball. If the rest of the Giants have high OBP rates then Rosario is a great fit as he’ll hit 30 HRs and drive in close to 100 runs. If OBP is a team wide problem then the Giants should look elsewhere for OF help.
Great analysis comment, Dorothy. I also agree on a team that can get on base ahead of him, he can bring them home..
And the giants have a pulse afterall
they’ve been one of the more active teams this offseason and have made some of the smartest moves but OK.
Had he not suffered a broken leg with the Angels he would be our starting 2nd baseman this year with Fletch at SS instead of Iglesias. We’d be stronger for it but crap happens. Good luck, dude, with the Jints.
Where does Solano fit for the Giants if LaStella plays second? Solano played really well for the Giants last season. The Giants could play LaStella or Solano at 3rd instead of Longoria, but with Longoria’s contract, he’d be an expensive bench player.
my guess is LaStella rotates to spell both Solano and Longoria. Plays maybe 3-4 times a week.
I’d wager Solano won’t finish the 2021 season on the Giants roster. If he’s decent, they’ll trade him. But my best guess is he’s DFA’d by mid-season.
If he can’t sustain a .400+ BABIP (which he won’t), he’s not going to carry the value he had.
I agree with AndyWarPath above, the article suggests that the Giants will move Solano to utility role while fixing La Stella at 2nd, I think the situation will unfold where both players, but especially Solano, get consistent starts.
I’ll be happy to be wrong about Solano, but frankly, there’s no data anywhere that suggests he continues his ridiculous surge. If he stops hitting, then what else does he offer? He doesn’t walk, at all (20 BB over his last 431 PAs). His defense is not great, and he doesn’t hit for power.
His .400+ BABIP is literally the thing that’s making him playable. Once that goes away, he offers little for his team.
Solano’s days of being an above-average hitter are behind him.
@ JJJ-HS: The Giants need a bat, and as long as Solano gives them that he’ll play. Of course he won’t maintain 400+ BABIP but there’s a long list of hitters who figure it out late in their careers. Doent hit HRs but his 28 doubles and OPS of about .820 over 405 ABs isn’t weak for a middle IF. He’s hit 325-330 over last two years and teams don’t easily bench guys doing that.. I’m not saying La Stella won’t also play, I think it’s a good signing. They both will play.
His .320 average is propped up by a .400 BABIP, which is 100% unsustainable over his next 130 games.
I’m telling you, if you’re expecting Solano to be an average hitter in 2021, you’ll be disappointed.
I was hoping the tigers would sign him to play second. I feel he deserves a shot to play everyday, we need a 2B and lefty bats, seemed to make sense. But for 3 years, I’m rather happy they didn’t.
So, every good or decent SS is now signed and predictably, the A’s have signed no one. Also, Tommy LaStella played great for the A’s last year. They could have used him at 2B and his consistent bat in their lineup. The Oakland A’s are a sad excuse for a professional baseball organization that should care for their team and players!
He’ll be traded back to Oakland by the deadline
Yeah right. He just signed a 3-yr deal. He’ll be around for minimum 3 years
La Stella is a great pickup. He’ll do great things in SF.
Silver Slugger winner Donovan Solano and a Minor Leaguer to Boston for Benintendi and Ottavino. La Stella platoons with Wilmer Flores at 2nd. Benintendi platoons with Flores/Ruf/Slater at DH/outfield. Ottavino is a potential closer. Boston who has no 2nd baseman, now has a pretty good one.
Except Kike is going to be our second baseman and Ottavino is going to stay with us for now.
Flores is a liability in the field, pinch hitter/DH
Same with Solano !!
I say no, because I don’t want Ottavino or Benintendi. Benintendi can’t survive at the plate and Ottavino is inconsistent
I really enjoyed watching La Stella’s at bats when he played against the Giants. He’s a pretty intense guy and a player I admired. So I’m pretty happy about this pickup. Don’t know what this means for the Vosler kid but perhaps the Giants flip him somewhere.
Before posting I read most of the comments. Most was just senseless back and forth. Be better.
Vosler is going to be like the Darin Ruf pickup. You stash him in the minors and see what he does. Only difference is he’s already on the 40-man roster, so a DFA isn’t necessary to put him on the roster.
If Vosler plays well in AAA or shines in the spring, they’ll put him in on the roster, or call him up for an injury replacement.
I don’t recall Darin Ruf being in the minors since signing with us…
He was a minor league deal.
Yes I know that, but he played in the majors the whole season…
Zaidi strikes again. Surprised it’s a three year deal, but love a high on base, high contact LH hitter with some defensive versatility.
Zaidi continues to rebuild the Giants 40 man roster and minor league system while waiting patiently for bloated, untradeable contracts to expire.
Does this signing have anything to do with not reaching arbitration with Solano?
I think there’s something to be said about that. Also, the data-centered FO that Zaidi has built probably knows that Solano can’t sustain his .400+ BABIP for much longer. I think 2B will be more centered around La Stella, Flores, and Dubon, with Solano probably off the roster by May or June.
I think Farhan and the FO have always viewed Solano in a backup role and so most likely he goes back to that role. The babip numbers are high, but they were also high the year before. He’s best when hitting against lefties and playing 2B and LaStella is best hitting against righties, win win! Of course there will be days when Longo needs a break and LaStella plays 3B and Solano 2B against righties.
LaStella will get most ABs against RHP at 3B. Longo will sit.
Poor man’s Ichiro
No
Rich man’s Mark DeRosa?
Hopefully, without the injuries.
I have been critical of Zaidi and his minor transactions. Although LaStella is another minor transaction I actually like this one.
Seems like every time I watched Giants-Athletics games LaStella destroyed Giants pitching. At least now LaStella is a member of the Giants.
LaStella can hit RH pitching, but he’s a very limited player.
He’s a terrible baserunner, a terrible fielder, and can’t hit LH pitching. If you platoon him, you can live with his defense.
Halo Fan, your beyond dumb !!
Love it when someone writes “your dumb.” Even better when two homers upvote him just because he’s insulting someone who criticized the acquisition their team just made. Can’t dispute the claim, just goes for the lame insult. Brilliant. So typical of a Giants fan..
Those days when your dumb brain can’t remember that apostrophe lesson from grade 5!
Why is that? Because he knows this player better than you.
What a waste of time this GM is. Where the hell is Sabaen when you need him.
This clown is focusing on an infielder we don’t need. Hasn’t signed a decent starting pitcher all winter, and now sits and says oh do I have to do something. I mean seriously. We are going to suck this year because this guy plays analytics.
Definitely no season tickets this year. Next
Found Bobby Evans’ burner account.
Farhan has done a remarkable job in a short time. Smart Giants fans don’t whine.
Farhan took on one of the worst situations of any team in the majors: a bloated payroll, aging veterans, and a putrid farm system and has done a stellar job in uniquely approaching the problems and addressing them.
People are certainly welcome to their own opinion, but it’s a bizarre thing that fans dislike what Zaidi is doing, as these were the same nitwits who complained that Evans went and got past-their-prime veterans a few years ago.
“People are certainly welcome to their own opinion…nitwits…”
You are entitled to you own opinion, even if that opinion makes you a complete nitwit.
I didn’t think this was a difficult thing to understand, but then again, we are dealing with a Yankee fan, so….
I mean his first interaction with baseball was when he was in college and read Moneyball and now he is running a prestigious baseball organization lol. People wonder why baseball fans are losing interest. Maybe because we actually liked the game of baseball. Maybe that’s why it became our national pastime. Maybe the game grew all those years bc people liked that product. Maybe the game is disintegrating bc instead of telling us what we should like, they should be focusing in on getting back to the things fans enjoyed. Crazy ground breaking thoughts I know I know.
You are not a Giants fan. Zaidi has proven he can make low-cost acquisitions work. He’s signed a few low-cost arms and this signing is amazing. Mark my words: LaStella is a good pickup and will impress
Let’s not get crazy now, a good player and pickup for sure, but be “impressed”? Let’s go with “appreciate” him for what he is.
Farhad could have signed a number of good players this winter. Just let’s them keep passing by.
I do recall LaStella being one of the hitters with the best contact and being a LH bat that we need.
Farhan inherited a tough situation. A few bad contracts and a not so good farm system, and now we have a top 15 farm system in the MLB. He has acquired guys like Mike Yastrzemski(All-MLB 2nd team in 2020) and has picked up other guys (after Yaz) who make huge contributions like Donovan Solano. He has also picked up a young Donovan Solano who is very versatile. I’d say he has done a pretty good job. How about you know what you’re talking about when you try to talk trash, and don’t lie about being a Giants fan
Solano was one of the Giants two best offensive players last season. I know it was a short season, but he played very well. He deserves more than being a part time player. Honestly, he deserves to play ahead of Longoria.
And he didn’t do too bad in 2019 either. I hope he keeps his hitting hot and picks up his defense
Good for him on getting a 3 yr deal. He’s a solid player.
I can’t see anyone complaining about this deal. Lastella can play multiple positions and can hit. What I have seen of him he plays the game right and really gets after it. Tha Angles and Athletics lost out on him.
That depends on how much money he’s getting, which I don’t think has been reported yet. If the AAV or total value is too high, people could complain about it being an overpay.
I would guess he’s probably getting a bit more than Profar though since LaStella is a better hitter, but we really need the financial terms to evaluate it though.
Tommy La Stella would have been an ideal player for the Cubs to bring back in 2021 just as DJ LeMahieu was two offseasons ago as a free agent. The Cubs screwed up big time then and are now acting like the Pittsburgh Pirates this winter. They are in a division that is there for the taking and looking like a team that would rather be tanking.
Anyone that thinks Farhan isn’t doing a great job is crazy. He started with a complete mess, and has now traded off some prayers for good young talent that is currently on our team, along with young players rebuilding our farm system that was a joke. It’s now a Top Ten farm system.
This offseason, he rebuilt our starting pitching and relief corps. Yes, no all star caliber players, but solid. He picked up a dependable backup catcher…. which gives Bart more time because he wasn’t ready last year. The La Stella signing gives us the left handed bat that can play multiple positions. Farhan isn’t breaking the bank and getting into bad contract situation like our past GM. If Solano, Crawford, Belt, Posey, or Cueto have good seasons… you know that Farhan will trade them for assets that will help in 2022 and beyond. 2022 will be the year where we bring up our young studs and Farhan will have the money to land a couple stud free agents that fit what he’s trying to build.
If we can stay competitive like last year, I will be really happy. I am pumped for our future and any true Giants fan should be to.
So he stripped the team and signed young talent, what exactly about this is ground breaking? If he was staying competitive while rebuilding the team then I’d be impressed. It’s not hard to tank and stock your system with talent. PlayStation franchise mode has been around a long time so this strategy is nothing new and can be performed by pretty much everyone if you treat the game of baseball like the industrial revolution. Let me guess he is concentrating on stocking the system with young, cheap, power arms and looking for that HR/OBP combo. Yawn.
There are CEO’s in every line of business who know little to nothing about the product they sell. It’s now becoming standard in the MLB.
If he was staying competitive while rebuilding the team then I’d be impressed.
=======================================================
Since the Giants missed the playoffs by one game, should I presume you are impressed?
9th place? Yes, absolutely impressive.
They missed the playoffs by one game. How are you not impressed with what Farhan has done with the mess he was dealt. Some of you fans need to understand patience. He has had to rebuild this organization from the ground up. The contracts of our “forever” Giants are so bad that no one wants to take these guys off our hands. The beauty this year is that all of them are on their last year so if they start off hot we could get something of value for them.
In a shortened pandemic season where half of baseball made the playoffs?
They were competitive. They missed the playoffs by one game. And he did so without giving up a single top prospect, without signing a single player beyond 2 years (Flores), and by finding reclamation projects.
So, Zaidi is stocking his organization with talent and NOT tanking all at the same time. Every top prospect the Giants had prior to his arrival suddenly took massive steps forward in their development, as did several of the MLB players.
You don’t have to like Farhan Zaidi. But pretending that he hasn’t done anything ground-breaking with an undesirable situation he inherited is the adult equivalent of covering your ears and shouting “I can’t hear you!”
Missed 8th place by 1 game.
As much as the extra playoff slots helped the Giants stay competitive, you can also argue that the shorter season hurt the Giants in that they had the 6th best run differential in the league but still finished 9th. Over the course of a full season, the W-L record catches up to teams like the Marlins, Brewers, and Reds. So yes, the Giants missed the playoffs even in their expanded format. but they were also penalized by the shortened season.
The Giants were respectable and should get better. Diamondbacks too. Pound for pound the NL West might be toughest division in baseball, though AL East and NL East look good too.
My how the cubs trade from la stella worked out. Theo couldnt trade himself out of a stock market pick.
Gotta agree. It was a great trade by Theo to acquire him. Vizcaino was a pretty decent RP, when healthy, but LaStella gave the Cubs four years of pretty good production.
Yeah that Theo, completely unsuccessful everywhere he has been!
Insert eyeroll
Unfortunately, this signing and commitment would have been unnecessary had Joe Panik not tanked. What ever happened to him? Is he still playing for somebody?
He played for the Blue Jays briefly last year but I want to say they moved him off the 40 man roster this offseason (or somehow released him) so he’s a FA now.
If I had to guess I’d say some rebuilding team will sign him to a minor league deal and see if he can recoup some value.
“Whatever happened to him?”, they typed on the internet.
He’ll be traded by next winter. Guaranteed
What? He’s signed for 3 years
So its happened. Maybe deadline ’22. I can’t see him being on the giants the entire 3 length of the contract. I think he’s traded to the Yankees for cash.
I can see him going the distance of the contract, unless it’s at the deadline of his final year.
IF they add a starter (Odorizzi) and a LH OF (Pederson or Rosario), I’ll believe Farhan is seriously trying this year. Other wise, it’s the old “wait til next year” BS.
They were above average when facing RH pitchers last year, so I’m not sure we necessarily need a LH OF. As to adding a starter, I think we might be ok if the season were starting today, although I do think that we could use another starter. I think if we resign Cahill we could make do with what we have. I think the bullpen still needs upgrading before we can seriously contend, so I will save you from having to wonder if you will hear it:
“Wait til next year”
WOAH, that’s a steal SF!
I like LaStella. I wish the Angels would have brought him back. He will do well for any team. Hopefully he gets the All Star votes again and actually gets to play this time.
Why a long contract for a player over thirty…… We need to rebuild our organization…..
Because he is a LH infielder who has proven he can hit MLB hitting. He is a good hitter, and has one of the best strikeout rates in baseball
A soon to be 32-year-old player that has never been a MLB regular and has played over 100 games only once in his career getting a 3-year deal while ownership is crying poor…. baseball is funny sometimes.
Giants ownership has never “cried poor.” Understand the soft rebuild or comment on things you DO understand.
I meant ownership in MLB in the general sense. Again even looks worse for the Giants who were probably bidding against themselves for a player that has never been a regular.
Actually, Zaidi said that they were in a decent spot financially. Also, they have no big contract on the books(other than Longo) after 2021
I was sort of hoping more teams would go this route this winter-
Make a call on a player -/offer him multi years to get a discount on the AAV
As always payroll flexibility is nice but bird in hand man bird in hand
As for the age 32-34 in the contract- Thats often when players of this ilk are at their best
With these next tier players I think theres going to be a nice opportunity to spring some longer term deals that end up being bargains all the way thru- Kolten Wong strikes me as a player that could use a new scene like KC on a 3/4 yr deal. Would be nice to see some upstart teams take some medium swings in the coming weeks
Yes. Didn’t think LaStella and San Fran would be a good fit, but I could also see the Giants dealing LaStella at the deadline. Giants are a 3rd place team in that division, and with the two top teams in the NL in that division that isn’t bad. I look at this acquisition more of a trade chip than a push for postseason type signing.
Yea I saw a lot of teams (A’s!) that probably had a bigger need/time arc fit but this is how Z operates to a T –
Hes a bargain hunter trying to climb the hill inch by inch-
Im a La Stella fan tho, and thought he’d be a bargain from the onset of free agency, best to get that for 3 years rather than 1 so Im in line with Z’s thinking
I think its a long term keep but if Z likens the package enough; well then its another easy profit at the deadline
Their hope (beyond hope) is probably Longo has a hot first half and they can trade him only having to eat 25% of the money remaining after TB’s kick in while getting a couple lottery tickets as well-
La Stella will play at least 2 years before being traded I would imagine. He is a solid player who is a left handed bat, which is a need, and plays 2B and 3B, which is where we need LH bats
I’m glad Angela allowed him to play full time. That was nice of her.
Professional hitter. Never understood why the Cubs let him go–the guy can rake. Good on the Giants.
Sf fans are funny, your 3 ws are in the rear view, yet you keep on gloating. As for Kershaws wheels falling off, like Cain? Or lincecum?
I’m not even 30 and I’ve seen my Giants win more World Series than most Dodgers fans who are over 30-40 years old can say they’ve seen. You’ve seen one World Series in the last 30 years that has an asterisk next to it, may I mention, and yet here you are on a Giants article gloating.
As to Kershaw, he still is humming. I would say he still has a few years left. I would not compare him to Lincecum. Lincecum had some good years and then disappeared.
A little surprised by this. I would have thought La Stella could get just a little more and could have gone to a better team. He was on pace for a 4-WAR season in 2019 and 2.4 last year. $6M/yr for that seems very affordable.
agreed. One 3 WAR season practically pays off this contract.
LaStella will quickly become a fan favorite. I wish the Angels would have snatched him up again.
I loved him as a cubs. He didn’t find his power or use it until they traded him. One spring training. The cubs ribbed him saying he was released and put half his phone number on the scoreboard.
This was in 2016 I think.
I’m not sure what the plan is for Posey. Maybe he retires after the season, maybe Zaidi brings him back for one more year, should be interesting. As for Belt, Crawford, and Longoria – gotta resist all temptation and let them walk. Belt is the only one who has any trade value, so maybe they find a taker by the deadline.
Posey isn’t retiring. He will return, guaranteed
When Posey has a similar resurgence this year to what Belt and Crawford had last year these clueless commenters will disappear from Posey discussions and reappear to comment on something else they know little about. And the next knucklehead to say let Longoria walk this year??? His contract expires NEXT year. Posey, top 5 defensive catcher in MLB. He ain’t retiring anytime soon just as you said SFGF9. This analytics based coaching staff is a HUGE reason so many Giants performed so well last year. Expect similar performances this year
I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get a couple of years, not at what he made before of course – but time to usher in bart/bailey and to retire a giant. If he turns it around it will be a no brainer to retain him in the transition.
I suspect Crawford will play out his contract and call it a career; he’s made his money and had a good one. They may find a taker for Longo during the season for his last contract year. I would not be surprised if Zaidi moves Belt at the deadline as you suggest.
With Bart’s trajectory now uncertain, a good start by Posey would guarantee an extension of some sort. There won’t be solid FA catching options to throw money at next offseason, and they have internal development options to look at besides Bart over the coming year or two. But having Buster around for another season while Farhan buys his pitching rotation for 2022 would not be the worst plan.