This morning, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi addressed the club’s priorities ahead of what’s sure to be a busy offseason (via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area and Andrew Baggarly of the Athletic). Zaidi made clear the team regards its starting rotation as its “number one priority.” The Giants’ president also effectively confirmed they intend to bring back Buster Posey (by at least exercising his $22MM club option) and hope to re-sign Brandon Belt for what would be his twelfth season in San Francisco.
That the Giants intend to focus their offseason attention on addressing their needs in the rotation comes as no surprise. Presuming they pay Johnny Cueto’s $5MM buyout rather than pick up his $22MM option, four of the five members of a group that led the club to a 3.44 rotation ERA (Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood, and Cueto) are set to hit free agency. Only breakout star Logan Webb, who won’t reach free agency until at least 2026, remains under team control.
Zaidi made clear he hopes to bring back at least some of this year’s rotation, stating that “we want to keep as much of this group together as we can,” but he’ll face stiff competition for several of the arms in question. Gausman figures to be among the top starters on the market (alongside Max Scherzer, Robbie Ray, and Marcus Stroman) and won’t be eligible for the qualifying offer that might have scared off some suitors after he accepted the Giants’ QO last winter. DeSclafani (who made $6MM in 2021) and Wood ($3MM) are each in line to land much bigger salaries moving forward after each posted a bounceback year in his first season in the Golden City.
Zaidi’s confirmation that the club plans to keep Posey in the mix for 2022 is similarly unsurprising after the longtime Giants backstop put up a .304/.390/.499 line in 2021 after sitting out the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The club’s intention to either pick up Posey’s 2022 option or sign him to an extension had also already been reported in August by MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, but Zaidi’s comments reiterate the commitment of Giants’ brass to their franchise catcher. Still, as Posey will be entering his age-35 season, any extension is likely to be on the shorter side, perhaps similar to the two-year pact reached with shortstop Brandon Crawford in June.
Belt put up a similarly excellent .274/.378/.597 line in 2021 (albeit in only 381 plate appearances), so the club will likely face some competition in re-signing the first baseman from two of its three 2010’s title teams. Zaidi told reporters today he’d already been in dialogue with Belt’s representation before the season’s end and they still hope to re-sign him.
After a 107-win season that ended in heartbreaking fashion, the Giants’ desire to run it back with a similar squad is certainly understandable. The Giants have largely bucked the youth wave sweeping the game, and whether or not manager Gabe Kapler can deliver the mix-and-match lineup magic of 2021 for another year remains to be seen. Crucially, so does their ability to bring back the bulk of a rotation that put them in position to lead the big leagues in wins.
Glad some of these Giant lifers found a 2nd wind under new management. Bringing Posey back makes me wonder about Bart. If the NL brings in the DH, it would make them uniquely suited to carry 3 catchers and use Posey more often at DH if Bart shows he can be a good MLB hitter.
Are either of DeSclafani or Wood eligible to receive a qualifying offer?
i believe so, but there’s almost zero chance they offer them one imo. i think they’d both take it in a heartbeat, especially wood.
They spent the whole season with SF and I believe neither has received one previously so they answer would be yes.
Those 2 things alone don’t allow them to qualify
Yes they do.
No, because that would mean every FA that has those 2 things would be able to receive a QO. They have to be a top 150 player I believe?
Sorry, never mind you are right @jimthegoat
Why would you give those two a qualifying offer?
Giants seem to have a lot of payroll space, but it’s a bit deceptive. If they resign Posey and Bryant, and then three new SP’s (they really need four, as they don’t have an obvious prospect ready to go, but out of a few names maybe one pans out as a back of rotation guy) there goes basically all that room and then some.
I liked the Giants & applaud their 2021 season, but please, please keep the DH out of the NL. Give the wash ups over to the AL. Keep the NL pure baseball
Lol those ‘wash ups’ can actually hit, compared to Pitchers who can barely sac bunt anymore.
Check out the Braves pitchers, they can hit, if your teams pitchers can’t hit, too bad. Take your stone gloves over to the AL
OPS of .350 is ‘they can hit’ to you. Interesting point of view.
Even Webb probably did better lol
Actually, I think Sammy Long could be that 5th guy. His stint in the ML was admittedly underwhelming, but That’s not unusual for rookies. He had really good numbers in AAA. The PCL is often misleading for hitters as it’s noted as an extreme hitters league. So when a guy posts a 2.05 ERA in the PCL, even in a small sample (26.1 IP), it’s encouraging. And it doesn’t seem that was an outlier, since he posted a 2.82 ERA over 4 seasons in the minors. Logan Webb was looking kind of clueless last season, and look at how he’s progressed.
And how much you want to bet hjelle is in ST and gets a spot somewhere in the rotation or pen if he performs. The giants will sign pitchers but I wouldn’t be surprised if you get wood back, maybe gausman and if not you are looking at 2 signings for the rotation.
So you are saying they basically need to do the same thing to the starting rotation as they did last offseason, but with $17 Million more to spend because Cueto will go away? Not the worst spot to be in
Webb and Doval weren’t even in the Giants top 30 prospects at the beginning of the season. Doval’s eta isn’t for another couple of seasons. Look how they turned out. I think the Giants probably have a thing or two up their sleeve.
The baseball media that ranks prospects – primarily by looking at spreadsheets – has been so wrong for so long that it’s a wonder people still give them cred and quote them. Pre-season projections on teams and individual players are abysmal. Yet sites such as Fangraphs are quoted each offseason as if they know something.
It’s something to talk about, then forget about by late May.
I’ve long thought of starting a audit type website, in the same way that Mark Halperin started doing that comparing stock pickers results in the 90’s. Most of them were wrong most of the time. His findings were eye-opening.
@Samuel wtf does Mark Halpern have to do with Baseball. When I say Logan Webb was not considered a Giants top 30 prospect, it was based on MLB scouts using the 20-80 scale.
Well, webb exhausted his prospect status before the year started, so that makes sense. But he wasn’t ever a top hundred prospect so I’ll give you that
Three SPs and Posey, maybe Belt, probably not KB.
Where do you suspect KB goes? He was very happy in SF and grew up a Giants fan. He also has versatility that Farhan and Co look for and like to bring in
@PutPete By KB I think you mean Kris Bryant. His versatility is limited to LF, 3rd, and 1st. Luciano is slated for 3rd. Bart is going to spend a lot at 1st. Belt has spent a lot of time in left. The biggest question is how they feel about Longoria. Longoria sat a lot after they acquired Bryant.
I could see him going to Philly. He and Harper are pals and they could use the help.
Belt will never play left field again, Luciano is still two years away and Bart won’t be playing first base for many years; he’s a catcher, that’s what makes him valuable. Are you watching the same team I am?
@Giants74
Yes KB is Kris Bryant. He plays the entire OF as well as corner IF. Luciano isn’t shut off from SS yet, but it does seem like he would make a better 3B. Longoria isn’t likely to stay past next season, especially
if/when KB resigns.
I thought ownership fired the previous GM because he gave too much money to aging players specifically Crawford, Posey, and Belt! Now 3 years later this is the plan? Wasn’t everyone here saying that once these “bad contracts” are off the books that Zaidi would spend some money on some star free agents?
This year was amazing and Zaidi sure knows how to put lipstick on a pig but these teams he builds don’t work come playoffs. It’s like Cinderella at the ball, October is the clock striking midnight. Happened to the Rays again, happens to the A’s when they make it, it happened to LA when Zaidi was there, and now we get to have the pleasure of making the playoffs with no chance of actually winning them.
Great season Giants look forward to seeing 8-9 of you back with the team next year!
Give Zaidi a little more time for the farm to simmer jeesh. From barren to near stacked in 3 years, his farm will start producing big-league talent this upcoming season. He’ll figure out a nice starting staff after Webb because that’s what elite POBO’s do.
Matos is star for OF
And so Pomares
@bud selig fan You must think Donald Trump is brilliant. Why do you xenophobic racists bother posting. Luciano signed with 6 years ago. 75% of Giants top 30 prospects were signed by Bobby Evans. Don’t try and tell me that Luciano became good when Zaidi became PBO. Just because he played in Dominican Republic, didn’t make him a terrible player. Your obvious racist beliefs can’t allow for great players from other countries. You Donald Trump Racist beliefs will ruin America.
Whoa! Whoa! Relax.
There aren’t many bad two-year contracts, and that’s all he gave Crawford, and likely all he will give Posey if they don’t just pick up the option. 5-7 year contracts are what did in the previous regime
They need to move away from Belt unless they can QO him and get a draft pick or get 1 more year that is it out of him.
While a bit dramatic, I tend to agree. The sun, the moon and the stars aligned for this Giants team this season. A lot of the veterans they couldn’t wait to get free from had career seasons (which was great for the franchise) but that doesn’t mean you re-sign them to expensive, multi-year deals. You thank them for their service and move on. Is Longoria still signed for next year or is he a FA too? They need to let Longo go, and possibly Belt as well depending on the AAV and length of contract he is looking for. When it comes to Posey, they should rip up his existing contract and sign him to a 2/$30M deal. Anything more than that would be detrimental to the team. Zaidi really should spend his money on one of Robbie Ray or Scherzer, re-sign Gausman and then fill in the staff with more reclamation projects like he did this year. I’d love to see Scherzer leave LA to go to their arch rivals; it would be great for baseball!
Lastly, let’s not pretend the Giants weren’t good enough to make it to the World Series. One more clutch hit or a couple of fortunate bounces of the ball and it would the Giants vs. Braves right now. That 5 game series with LA was as close as it gets. They had the horses to get it done; they just faltered down the home stretch.
Longoria is signed through 2022. I think Belt has to be the man out, because they’ll toss Buster’s option and sign him through 2023, at which time he’ll retire a lifetime Giant (like Crawford.) Belt, unfortunately, found his groove too late in his career to throw a huge contract his way. Plus, he’s too oft injured. His glove will be missed along with his streaky pop.
They need Bryant’s versatility, they need Gausman back and probably Desclafani or Wood, and they need another everyday bat (Marcus Semien, please!)
That’s a lot of money and, unfortunately, Belt will be too expensive given the innings he’ll be able to play.
@Dorothy_Mantooth
Perfectly said. Everything aligned this season after most of their veterans were DFA candidates just last season.
All of their signings worked out too. This won’t happen again. This was 100% an anomaly.
It’s time they get younger and move on from a few aging vets. Longoria is easily let go. The bargain shopping Zaidi did was great but it will not happen again.
You said everything perfectly.
I was happy to see Dodgers beat Giants but I see nothing wrong with how they assembled their roster. They may not be able to duplicate but plenty of teams would like just one season like that.
@giants4life Maybe you thought wrong.
Or maybe I am right since that’s exactly what happened?? Why is it happening again is the question! Why is the new regime repeating the mistakes that got the old regime fired? Where are the great draft picks and international signings over the last 3 years? Where are the trades for anything other than long shot players? Where are the $$$ spent on superstar free agent talent?? Can Farhan do any of these things or is he just good at polishing turds and finding brilliant coaches to get the most out of them? Imagine how good these coaches would look if they had actual Major League talent to develop!
No pining for a big star signing here. Im a firm believer in the sum of the whole thing they have going on. Absolutely worth giving that approach another year. My guess is the new additions will be humble, hard working guys with a team first ethos.
I’m with you on age – we need more young players and not keeping guys in their 30s. Pass on Belt (he’s going to be 34 next year). Pass on Bryant (he’ll want way too much money for what he’s worth and he’s going to be 30).
I’m not with you on ‘this team doesn’t work in the playoffs.” The Giants took the Dodgers all the way to the end and they had to toss in Max to finish the job. The Dodgers have by far the best team in baseball and the Giants were thisclose to getting to the next level.
The pre 2021 plan was to let most of the veteran contracts expire and the team would bring a couple back at reduced rates and let a couple go. But the veterans, by and large, blew up somehow and the team is now facing having to give expensive contracts to those players. If their production somehow reverts to 2017-2019 levels, well that’s likely to be problematic. Both Crawford and Belt increased their SLG by an amazing 50% and Posey had, by far, his best year in a decade….
tonyinsingapore:
Who’s plan was that? Just because a lot of fans thought that was the plan doesn’t make it so. First of all, this roster is very different from 2017. It has evolved from 2019. Belt, Crawford, and Posey were always candidates to be re-signed.
Belt has been very good over his entire career (125 OPS+). His problem is he’s completely underrated, and unappreciated by fans that can’t recognize value. Who would you replace Belt with anyway?
Crawford supplies superb defense, at a position where defense is the priority. His 2-year deal is perfect, forming a bridge to Luciano. Like with Belt, who would you replace Crawford with?
Likewise with Posey. He plays also plays position where the bat comes second. And if, like in the case of Posey, a team has a good catcher, that can also hit, it’s a major bonus. Bridging to Bart, and having Posey mentor him, will pay dividends down the road.
Lastly, we’re talking about 3 players on roster that will probably have 13 position players. Some guys, will not be back. Dickerson maybe
Longoria is a guy that will not be retained, when his deal is up, and I could even see the Giants eating the $14.6M and him released before his contract is up.
They won’t—and shouldn’t—release Longoria. His glove is still terrific, his bat was awesome until the last injury and he’s signed through 2022 at $19.5M.
Kris Bryant most definitely will be on a team not named the giants ! Thunk Mets or Phillies and giants and the one of those two who don’t sign him will both be better off for not getting the solid but far from a star kB for way to much money’
No to Brandon Belt*
$5mm to Cueto
*QO Belt (if possible)
NO QO on Wood OR DeScalini
No on Stroman or Ray
Resign Gausman, Bryant, Flores, Wood
Go after S.Marte, C.Taylor, Pineda SP, Jon Gray
Attempt to lure Scherzer
For fun go after Kershaw
Diamond in Rough (cheapies): José Marmolejos
wow you got it all figured out….NOT
At least am putting something out there for conversation
Its a good post, so it probably doesn’t belong on MLBTR anymore
Agree with a ton of what ya said shark
I’d QO DeSclafani. It’s an overpay but at least it helps set a foundation so they’re not filling 4 spots in the rotation. After he accepts maybe they renegotiate a year or two extension.
If you look at DeScafalini’s overall numbers….look past ERA – go deeper, it will scream he is not quite the pitcher you think. He got alot of the results from a GREAT defense.
I think of all the SP’s he is the one the giants can go on without.
I would take Cueto over him but in reality Giants should take neither.
At the same time, he also was pretty much brilliant against everyone except the dodgers, so his numbers are skewed that way too
Giants have a $3.5M 2022 option on Flores and will absolutely pick it up Agree, adios Belt and Cueto. Agree, resign Gausman, Bryant and Wood OR DeSclafani. (No QOs) and pay Semien whatever he wants.
No on Ray, but maybe on Stroman.
Scherzer will re-sign with LA, as will Kershaw.
There’s a limited number of available starting pitchers and a lot of teams competing for them. The Giants would be in a better position if they can limit their needs before free agency. Yes, a QO for Wood or DeSclafani is an overpay but at least it puts them in a less desperate negotiating position.
Well, not necessarily. I think DeSclafani (for instance) might get a multi-year offer from another team that gives him more dollars than the QO.
I assume Farhan will be looking for trades that bring in young arms that are major-league ready, and it will have to be from a team deep in that talent and weak in position players. For instance, Solano and Bart for Cal Quantril (Cleveland). Or drop Bart and add another slightly less valuable piece for Tristan McKenzie (also Cleveland). Mami is another likely trade partner.
I disagree with you in a few spots. First, Stroman. I think he might be a good addition to a pretty thin rotation. Next, I’m not totally sold on Pineda or Gray. DO NOT go after Scherzer unless you can get him for VERY cheap. He’s 37 and had pretty bad soreness in his arm after pitching the other night. Also, I think they need to resign Desclafani
His first priority should be fixin that yee yee haircut he got. Maybe he’d get some free agents in his DMs if he ever stop messin with that giraffe with the broken thumb or Slothful Brandon
You have to take into account tho most GM’s aren’t into other dudes looks as much as you are
Crawford “slothful?” You’re not watching the same shortstop I am. Maybe Fletcher got in your eye.
As usual Belt detractors have come out. Nobody seemed to be upset that Crawford was extended, or that Posey’s option would probably be picked up, but as soon as a Belt re-signing gets mentioned, the fans are up in arms.
Belt had a 160 OPS+ this season, and a 177 OPS+ in 2020. He hit more HRs than any other Giant, because of changes to the park. So now that the fences are in, and the arcade is closed off, and Belt isn’t punished nearly as much by Oracle Park as in the past, the fans now want to let him walk?
Who are you going to replace him with that’s better? Name one guy that’s available that will hit better than Belt, not to mention provide superb defense.
I’m not sure any of what you say isn’t so. I think the issue is (a) the many CRITICAL needs the Giants have, which will cost a lot of money; (b) there are players who can step successfully onto first base that are already on the roster; and (c) Belt’s age and injuries should be a significant concern. If the Giants can sign him to a reasonable 2-year pact (say, $35M), great. But I think he’ll get more on the open market and he should go for it.
I don’t understand the hype on gausman at all. He had a good year most def but putting him with the likes of scherzer makes zero sense. Any team that gives gausman big money is going to regret it quickly. I’m not buying it.
He was pretty darn good last year, too. He had some rough patches, where he couldn’t command his splitter, but when it was on, it was lights-out.
No one is saying Gausman is at the same level as Scherzer. Most people recognize Max as a future HoFer. I’ve never seen anyone refer to Gausman as that.
But that said, Gausman will be 31, and Max will turn 38 in July. Plus, as it seems to be every year, there are more teams looking for starters than there are available. Given the FA class, Gausman is definitely near the top. He did fade somewhat this season, but that could be from playing a 162 game season on the heels of one only 60 games.
My point is while he had a good year and a decent abbreviated year he was never really anything more then average previous years. So IMO just me me I wouldn’t throw a big contract at him. Same as Braves we’re smart to not meet Detroit’s asking price for Boyd over one great year of work bc well he dropped back to earth.
Pitching is a learned skill. Some guys have overpowering stuff and can contribute right away. But most pitchers evolve over time. To say that Gausman was never more than average is a superficial take. A closer look shows he was not consistent, but there were times when he showed promise.
Plus. he was never really bad, excluding his small sample rookie year and his 2019 stint in Atl, when his lack of innings suggests he might have been injured.
But he’s been above average for most of his career.
And again, look at his 1st, and 2nd half splits this year. Over his first 18 games he had an ERA of 1.73. He faded to a 4.42 ERA over his last 15 games, but that may be because of the long season after a short one.
With the dearth of good starting pitching, a team in need will have to overpay. Gausman is one of the best SPs available. He may not be Max Scherzer, but a team could do a lot worse.
I could see Gausman regressing, but given the Giant’s needs, he fits—as long as he isn’t given anything over 4 years at an AAV more than $19M.
One thing is for sure- the current regime has my total faith that they can pick guys from the scrap heap and help them realize their potential. I’d start looking at guys who were good three years ago who hit a tough patch, find their footing and become all stars at China basin.
I’m glad they are seeking to bring back Belt. As long as it’s a 1 or 2 year deal, he earned it with a career year. As others have said, there isn’t a better known commodity to replace him with. Had he been healthy, he might just have been the X-factor to get the Giants past the Dodgers.
Was Zaidi mum on Kris Bryant? There’s no mention of him in this article. I think that bodes for the Giants moving on. He played reasonably well for them, but is probably viewed as a luxury rather than priority.
Read the article on At Bat today. He mentions KB there.
nobody calls SF the “golden city”
Okay, “Frisco” then. LOL
Boo!
As a Dodger fan I’m fully aware that I may be engaging in some wishful thinking here, but I really don’t see the Giants repeating anything close to what they did this year.
They hit big on just about every signing, and got career years from all of their older players. They were also very, very lucky, parlaying a record number of pinch hit home runs and unlikely victories into one of the more magical seasons I have ever seen. That’s just not likely to happen again. I’d say 90 victories is a good target for 2022, which is still very strong.
All that said, the Dodgers have big questions too, and may be more vulnerable than they have been since they started their current run of success in 2013. And who knows what you’re going to get from the Padres.
My bold, biased prediction is nevertheless a much easier road for the Dodgers in 2022, that’s probably the least certain thing I’ve said in this post.
Why would they even think about bringing Belt back the dude is always hurt. He averages just over 100 games played a season let him go it’s okay. I could see if his production was off the charts when healthy but he’s up and down so it’s time to go. I don’t understand Giant’s fans that are wanting him back. Strive for better.
if on QO Belt does well in contract years.
He was better. That’s the thing. I get the injury concern though.
Also seems to be a lot of internal respect for what he brings to the clubhouse.
I’m hoping they can swing something not long term.
So many fans are praising Zaidi for the team he built and the farm system that he inherited. The farm hasn’t improved since he has been here other than players that Bobby Evans acquired have gotten older and better which happens by itself and had nothing to do with Farhan. The players he acquired to put together this team are all below average players who wouldn’t be in the major leagues if not for Zaidi. Yes they played out of their minds all season long but when it counted they turned back into pumpkins. How much more money would it have taken for Zaidi to sign actual major leaguers like Schwarber, Pederson, and Kike instead of relying on Yaz, Solano, Flores, Ruf, Lamont, Tauchman, Estrada, Dubon, La Stella, Vosler, Dickerson, Dugger, and Slater? How much better would those guys have been playing under these Giants coaches? We may never know because Zaidi seems content to scrape the bottom of the barrel for the cheapest options available exclusively. I have been saying this for years but this off-season will be the tell all. If he doesn’t spend this off-season he never will.
Truth right there @ giantforlife.
Zaidi went dumpster diving in the garbage bin hoping it would work and got lucky on nearly every signing and/or trade.
That won’t happen again. They will fall back to earth and finish with 83-88 wins at best next season.
The Giants need some speed and much more youth. I don’t see them winning 100 games with this aging team next season.
If the Giants had August/Sept Belt before the broken thump I think they would’ve advanced (probably been at-bat in place of Flores in game 5 too). His bat and glove are some of the best in the league. The solution there is to offer him a lucrative short(er) term deal. If he can get a bigger longer term deal somewhere else, good for him. He is still an excellent player and a historically great Giant. Make no mistake his presence will be difficult to near impossible replace next season. Plus, as a Giants fan, getting two more good years from Posey, Craw, and Belt would wrap up this era perfectly.
Bryant is star, and a rare mid-season trade for the Giants, it would be so disappointing to see him walk. Both Belt and Bryant will likely be playing in the postseason next year, but will it be in SF?
The biggest loss of all would potentially be Gausman, Giants need to anchor the rotation, and yes Webb has us all excited for what’s to come, but Gausman provides the foundation for a strong rotation moving forward. The Giants usually don’t give massive contracts to free agents, and so I think it is highly unlikely they land the big name free agent SPs. Keeping Gaus would be their best chance at building a competitive rotation for 2022.
Who am I to question Zaidi, he’s proven he knows what he’s doing, but if you read between the lines, Bryant won’t be back. I’m just a fan, but I love what KB brought to SF. Can play multiple positions, great character guy, track record of great post-season performer, & seems to really like playing in SF. Zaidi said he’s not going to get in a bidding war for Bryant, why? In order to get, ya gotta give. SF has the money, go to war for your guy. Lock him down
What’s between the lines saying he won’t be back? As you stated, Bryant really liked SF. He grew up a Giants fan and was thrilled with his time there. He’s from Vegas, too, so he’s fairly close to where he grew up. He, on several occasions, said he was very happy in SF and he loved that there were no egos in the clubhouse. Odds are, there won’t be egos again next season and his feelings haven’t changed for the worse
Between the lines is when Zaidi was asked about Posey & Belt, he said we’re already in contact with their agents. When asked about Bryant he says Bryant was brought in to help this current team (meaning 2021). He goes on to say a lot of teams will be after Bryant & we’d love to have him, but we’re not going to get into a bidding war. Can he make it in clearer for you? As much as it sucks, Bryant will not be back.