The Giants, mired in a slump over the past three-plus weeks, have fallen to 45-42 on the season and now sit a whopping 11 1/2 games behind the first-place Dodgers in the National League West. Even if their hopes for a repeat division title are largely dashed by this point, however, San Francisco remains just 1 1/2 games out of the newly created third National League Wild Card spot. With that proximity in mind, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told reporters last night that his team has not yet considered selling and probably won’t make any large trade-related decisions until closer to the Aug. 2 deadline itself (links via John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle and Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area).
“…I think until we get into the last week of July, it’s a little bit of wheel spinning because so much of it is the context and the situation at that point,” Zaidi said when discussing the possibility of selling. He also emphasized that if the Giants are either in possession of a playoff spot or in their current position just outside a potential Wild Card berth, the team is “definitely going to look to improve.”
Zaidi outwardly lamented the poor defensive performance of a team he feels has not played up to its true level of talent with the glove, and he pushed back against the idea of making an immediate trade to replace injured righty Anthony DeSclafani, who won’t pitch again this season after undergoing surgery to repair a tendon in his ankle. Righty Jakob Junis, the latest reclamation success story from the Giants’ pitching factory, is expected to take DeSclafani’s spot in the rotation when he returns from the injured list next week.
The majority of teams in today’s game wait until closer to the deadline before making a clear choice on how to approach the summer trade market, typically leading to a quiet few weeks followed by a frenetic few days of chaos and relentless transactions. In that sense, the Giants are hardly an exception; we could see several others — the Guardians, Rangers, Mariners, Phillies and even the Orioles — take a similar tack.
That doesn’t mean that San Francisco isn’t at least performing diligence on what the deadline might look like should they indeed look to improve. The Giants are among the teams interested in Reds utilityman Brandon Drury, and they’re surely pondering other means of bolstering their lineup, defense and likely their relief corps. Giants relievers rank 21st in the Majors with a collective 4.22 ERA, and their 19.9% strikeout rate is the second-lowest in all of baseball.
For a team that has had its share of defensive issues, that lack of strikeouts from the relief corps is particularly glaring. The Giants have the third-worst Defensive Runs Saved mark in baseball (-25), and they’re dead last with -34 Outs Above Average. Darin Ruf and Joc Pederson are among the most poorly rated outfielders in MLB this season, and Thairo Estrada’s glovework at second base has been similarly panned. Longtime defensive stalwart Brandon Crawford hasn’t fared well this year at shortstop, while Evan Longoria and Jason Vosler have mixed reviews at third base.
With the Giants just a year removed from leading the majors with 107 wins, Zaidi and his staff are certainly hoping to be in position to add to the roster. Along with possible bullpen and infield moves, San Francisco looks like an on-paper fit for star Cubs catcher Willson Contreras. They’d need to remain right in the thick of the playoff race to top the market for a player who’s headed for free agency after the season, but San Francisco has split time between Austin Wynns and Joey Bart of late given the latter’s lofty strikeout totals.
If San Francisco did fall far enough out they considered selling, they’d have some notable players to market. Carlos Rodon is soon to reach the 110-inning threshold that’ll vest his opt-out clause after this season. With how well he’s performing, he’s certain to test free agency barring a collapse or serious injury. The Giants would have to view Rodon as more or less an impending free agent, and he’d draw plenty of calls as the top “rental” arm who’d be available.
The southpaw would be the club’s primary trade chip, but San Francisco has a few other impending free agents who’d attract interest. Pederson had an All-Star first half at the dish and is a strong left-handed platoon bat. Wilmer Flores is a quality hitter from the right side, and he’s capable of covering the three infield spots besides shortstop. This summer’s market figures to be light on infield help, so Flores would certainly have some appeal. Brandon Belt has full no-trade protection but is a perennially productive hitter; Dominic Leone is a solid middle reliever.
Other teams will surely be monitoring the Giants’ progress over the next few weeks, but Zaidi made clear his club will have an opportunity to play themselves out of any possibility of a sell-off. Given the quality of the roster and their proximity to the postseason picture, the likelier scenario still seems they’ll hang around enough for the front office to add and make a push for 2022. Their next eight games are against the division-leading Brewers and Dodgers, but they’ll have softer series versus the Cubs and Diamondbacks to close out July.
Thanks to Zaidi for seeing the club through, and vowing to help them out if they can stay in contention. I believe they’re turning things around, knowing that. They look good, and they need infield help, relief help, power right handed bat and a premier catcher. Spend the $$$ and “let’s go!!!”
Aside from those four to seven players they’re a lock for the World Series.
BAHAHAHAHAA
Tony – I agree. And where are all the “Kapler is God” fans?
Is it possible he’s NOT the greatest manager in baseball history?
As a giants fan I see no reason to spend big on this busted season, I’m not saying throw in the towel by any means us SF fans know what can happen when your team gets into that tournament. But with as dismal as our rotation has been, and the bad defense all season long, I would hate to mortgage any of the future, for contention in this climate. Is this team really gonna beat the mets,dodgers,yankees,astros?
5TUNT1N:
I wouldn’t describe the Giants rotation as anywhere close to dismal. The staff as a whole has a 105 ERA+, tied with the Padres, 1 behind the Mets, and 2 behind the Phillies.. League average is 101. The starters are currently ranked 8th with a 3.70 ERA.
If only they had something to sell to a contending team
RoastGobot — I think they have a few players who would generate interest, not the least of whom would be Carlos Rodon. But Joc, LaStella and Belt (despite their injuries) would elicit offers. Probably Flores and Slater, too.
I doubt the Giants let go of Slater or Flores, but the others (especially if they think Carlos is gone next season) should be open to offers.
I hope Carlos stays and that they extend him now. With two aces like Rodon and Webb and a pretty good 5-man rotation already, I think work on he infield and relief core is where they need to focus attention.
Looking for Willy C, Lopez and Matt Duffy but Farman gonna get Pedro Severenio off waiver once he’s cut post deadline, Chris Martin, and Johnathan villar.
I’m sure zaidi was just doing this out of the goodness of his heart and the 7 figure annual salary had nothing to do with it haha
The San Francisco Giants. LOL
It’s barely July and they’ve already become IRRELEVANT .
The Giants are one game out of the Wild Card. The Padres are 8.5 games behind the Dodgers. The Giants are closer to overtaking the Padres in the Wild Card than the Padres are to overtaking the Dodgers in the division.
The Giants have a better run differential than the Padres, a higher team OPS, a higher wRC+, 23 more runs, their pitching staff has an 11.1 fWAR to the Padres’ 11.2 fWAR and they’ve spent $61,840,314 less on payroll than the Padres.
I’m not seeing a huge gap in relevance between the two teams.
The San Diego PLodRes… LOL
What a joke you are @TonyGwen…you sit here and troll the Giants, while they only trail your so called team by a couple games even after all the games they lost! What are you truly doing on this site?
The Madres have never won anything
Zaidi needs that money for Rogaine.
What is the deal with comment notifications on this site? It sends notifications for comments to any and all follow up comments that occur rather than solely to replies of one’s own comment even if the box is selected for notifications for replies to your own comment rather than follow-up notifications.
Yeah, it’s a flaw.
Zaidi said a lot without tipping his hand. If he decides Giants are buyers don’t settle for scraps. Go big!
Lol when has zaidi ever spent big? They literally hired him to build WITHOUT spending big. Giants have one of the largest gaps between revenue and payroll in the majors. Zaidi wasn’t JUST hired to win “at any cost”. Far from it
@semut
He’s saving up all those dollars to throw a big contract at Aaron Judge.
semut:
Just because FZ decided the recent crop of FAs wasn’t worth a big contract, doesn’t mean he won’t spend for the right guy. He was a finalist for Harper. And the rumor was Harper turned down more money in the Giant’s offer to go to Philly.
He also had a trade agreement in place with the Marlins for Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton exercised his NTC to nix the deal, but it stands that FZ was willing to take on a huge contract, and would have, had Stanton agreed.
Looking at the FAs of the past 2 years, I can understand why he didn’t spend big on guys like Gausman, and Bryant. The fact that he’s selective doesn’t mean he’s cheap.
Zaidi wasn’t yet with the Giants when the Marlins traded Stanton to New York. Your point still stands and I happen to agree, though.
Oops, you’re right. Thanks for the correction.
They won’t. If they are in position to buy in a couple weeks you will hear about them “being in on” the best names available but they will end up with a non difference maker on a cheap deal.
Cheap Asss Zaidi. LOL
You do realize that the GM doesn’t pay the players’ salaries, don’t you? The owners do that.
When Zaidi was the Dodgers’ GM, they were tops in payroll in four of his five years at the helm.
He won’t
I sure hope we don’t lose Carlos Rodon. Dude has that “It” factor. Rodon and Webb are a solid 1,2. The Giants have a ton of $ to spend if they wish, I hope they go get a few absolute studs.
The fans have been patiently waiting…
Rodons hitting the 115 inning contract buyout where he’ll then get a mega contract in free agency. Might as well get some prospects and then try and resign him.
Hopefully he’s learned his lesson with Gausman.
Imagine a Giants rotation this year with Gauz, Rodon & Webb as your 1 2 3, they would be right in the WS hunt instead of holding on for a 3rd Wild Card spot.
I would like to see him back but my only concern is that as a guy that relies on the fastball, we are seeing prime rodon so giving him any more than 3 years kinda scares me as there will be decline in his dominant pitch. That said, the giants have a lot of financial flexibility this year so giving him a 3 year with a high AAV is possible if he is willing to accept that
Fantasizing daily about the haul Rodon could get the giants
The Giants aren’t getting a haul for Rodon. When was the last time a rental, as a single player brought back a haul? Those days are over.
Fair enough, but honestly when was the last time a top tier pitcher was available at the deadline?
Last season. Scherzer to the Dodgers. But the Nats basically traded Trea Turner for Keibert Ruiz, and threw in Scherzer. The Giants would have to add a player comparable to Trea Turner to get anyone really good in return. Rodon on his own isn’t bringing back a haul.
The jays got JoJo gray too…
Nats*
They also got Josiah Gray. So there were 2 top 50 overall prospects in that deal, plus Carrillo who immediately slotted into DC’s top 10 plus another prospect. Hard to split that up and say what was for what.
SF sent out like a top 10 and a top 30 to rent Bryant last year, so it’s not like rentals are worthless.
If Rodon is available he would be the top rental arm so he might fetch something decent.
Scherzer, and Trea Turner who was not a rental, had a lot more trade value than Rodon alone. Not saying the Giants wouldn’t get something interesting, but they can’t expect a haul from Rodon, who is nothing but a rental.
Scherzer also had to waive a no trade clause that Rodon does not.
Saying they tossed in scherzer for a trea Turner deal is a stretch though. They got two top 100 prospects plus another good enough to be a nationals top 10 in carillo and a fourth interesting piece.
Scherzer having a NT clause made him more valuable than Rodon.
You can talk about what the Nat’s got all you want, but the two of Scherzer and Turner, and Rodon, do not have anywhere near the same trade value. If FZ could get a haul for Rodon, he probably would take it.
But the point is moot. FZ will probably not be trading Rodon, no matter what direction the Giants go, because getting a haul for him is not realistic. At best something interesting, but not anything close to either Ruiz, or Gray. I almost wish FZ would trade him so we could see what that return would be.
I don’t know how much of an issue the NTC will be. The only teams that trade for him are going to be contenders, where you’d think he’d want to be. Nothing boots a FA case like a WS ring.
that is a little misleading – really they had to trade the top 10 so it was a matter of where was he going. Canario was in AA and had to be protected on the 4o man so even though he was very talented it was a timing issue where they couldn’t keep protecting him without hamstringing themselves roster wise. He needed to go to a team that is looking to rebuild with roster flexibility that could keep him protected from the rule 5
If the Giants sell, who needs Rodon the most? I honestly don’t see him signing here long term. I hope I’m wrong…..
The problem is that the answer to your question is the Dodgers
He would
Look GREAT in blue
Giants depth in minors has not come to the task outside Harrison and Brown, but they have no help coming from there anytime soon. Giants need more reliable depth in to trade for so it can progress as a much younger team.
Time to deal the over 30 and get what you can maximize those like rodon would comeback. Luckily Webb is young and can be part of a new build. I wonder if Bart or even Bailey were high draft busts
The Giants aren’t getting anything for their over 30 guys other than maybe Yaz. LaStella, Crawford, Belt, and Longo, have marginal or negative trade value. They might as well just release them for what they’d get in trade. But then who is going to fill their positions? It’s a bad idea to fill their spots with minor leaguers that aren’t ready.
I think parting with yaz right now though will bring back significantly less than hanging on for a rebound
I agree. but that doesn’t invalidate Tad’s point.
I wasn’t suggesting they trade Yaz, nor anyone else. I hope they’re buyers. The Giants are closer this year than the Braves were on this date last season.
Yaz…..LOL the career minor leaguer low information Frisco fans have propped up as some sort of pseudo impact bat.
Dude is just another pedestrian 1.5 WAR guy
I would think they could get something for Yaz, LaStella, Wood, and Definitely Rodon. Note Disco being injured and completely fell off the cliff they might as well keep him until things change.
They would have to “convince” Belt because of that no-trade stip. I figure Crawford too, so right there puts a big blockade to swing a good deal.
Longo, I just don’t see what they will get for him.
As far as replacements go…it might be time to see what the older AAA players can do.
@Datashark
No one wanted Belt when he was a free agent. No one will want him in a trade, either.
trading longo could make sense for a lottery pick even if you take n the full salary because right now with villar, estrada, vosler you can probably match his production while also freeing up some roster flexibility
Longo has negative trade value. They aren’t getting anything for him. He’s currently on the IL, and over this season and last he’s played in less than half the games. Only a contender with a need at 3B would be interested, and I can’t think of any team like that where Longo would be an upgrade.
Could you pick a more oft injured infield than la Stella Flores longoria and belt? These guys don’t have what they had last year
Flores is red hot and definitely NOT oft injured, never has been.
Agree, with the exception of Flores – that guy is durable and would be attractive to many teams. The problem is the Giants need him as much as anyone else. That would be a huge hole if they didn’t have him on the roster
I still don’t see the Giants having interest in Contreras no matter how many times MLBTR suggests it. With FZ being concerned with team defense, the last thing they need is a poor defensive catcher. Plus, even if he were better behind the plate, it’s still a problem for catchers to have to begin working with a new, unknown staff, and vice versa for the staff. And, not sure adding his bat to a team with an over-abundance of 1B/DH types is the way to go, no matter how good the bat.
I could not agree more. Adding a poor defensive (and relatively slow) catcher just isn’t a “zaidi move”
They have MASSIVE needs at other positions… I’d bet the farm they’re not interested in Contreras unless the Cubs virtually give him away.
yeah bart has looked a lot better since his AAA trip and even if he is league average for a catcher, he still provides enough value defensively in in the game calling to warrant being on the field
Either go for it, or trade everything that has value.
The Dodgers, Mets, Padres, etc. are not taking their foot off the gas anytime soon.
Padres are not a top tier team
Padres are definitely NOT a top tier team.
Think the Giants had a rough stretch? The Padres have just lost 13 of their last 20. Their pitching, which has carried them most of the first half, is faltering and their offense has been below average all season. They have had their foot off the gas for a minute now.
Not married to the idea, but what about a homecoming for Flores to help shore up third base and DH in New York until Baty and Vientos are ready? Can’t imagine the cost would be that high.
I bet you enjoyed writing about softer schedules and Cubs very much, didn’t you Steve? Mr. Cardinals…
Huh? Bitter much?
wow that’s a long article to say….. we don’t really know anything right now.
yaz should take notes from luplow on how to play RF at oracle..
sign rodon to high $$ 3 year deal if he’ll take it!
I feel that most of the minor league talent the Giants have are I A and A+ so the major league team needs to tread water until some talent comes through, then they’ll spend on key FA, wouldn’t be upset if they sold at the deadline, more upside pitching would be nice. Dodgers are too good and Padres are competitive, probably not the year to jump in and go for it
actually most are in A+ and AA right now – a lot of guys have been moving fast. Most people expect to see harrison in AAA this year and possibly luciano if he is still on track after suffering a minor injury. there aren’t too many guys left in A right now because most of them have moved up. McCray probably should mive up but there is a little bit of a logjam right now to get him to the emeralds since brown was called up and guys are expected to be back shortly from various pulls and strains
This final pre-ASG 4 game home series against Milwaukee could very well determine SFG’s future. Love good baseball.
this is definitely an article written by someone who hasn’t watched the giants or paid attention to the advanced metrics. to assume that the pen is as big of an issue “Giants relievers rank 21st in the Majors with a collective 4.22 ERA, and their 19.9% strikeout rate is the second-lowest in all of baseball.” is a really bad way of analyzing this. The issue isn’t the pitching – it is the fact that the giants have had an elite groundball rate and some of the worst defensive metrics in the game creating a chasm between FIP and ERA.. improving the defense changes the outlook on the pitching as a whole.
WTH? The bottom line is they are 45-42. Take all that garbage and throw it out the window. No matter how you spin it they are barely above .500.
boy you really resemble your name dude.
Geez, more Homer frisco fan gibberish about how ‘B,B….But we’re really not that bad”
LOL
did I say that? I said he is misdiagnosing the problem, that is how you get better
Ignore him, he’s a troll.
The giants aren’t going to win 107 games this year. I guess they forgot how to use sabermetrics.
This core had a great run. Without Posey they’re mere mortals again. I expect Zaidi to finally open the purse strings this offseason
This team needs star power. Right now every guy is in a platoon. Shohei is leaving the Angels, and he doesn’t have a no trade clause. Offer the top 4 or 5 prospects we have for him and sign him to a 6 year $264 million deal. You get the guy who can lead your franchise into the future as both a pitcher and hitter. Then throw a money truck at Judge. From that point Farhan can dumpster dive to fill out the roster, which is something he’s very good at.
The Angels have stars, and how much good does that do them? They aren’t trading Ohtani for 4 or 5 prospects. The Giants won 107 games last season with this same platoon-heavy approach.
That team could play defense and had a leader. They also didn’t scare anyone in the playoffs with that lineup. Platooning everyone works during the season (the A’s are a prime example) but absolutely sucks in the playoffs. The Angels are a terrible example because their pitching sucks and there’s nobody else to help the stars. Farhan is great at acquiring complimentary pieces. Meanwhile prospects lose value the longer you hold them, unless their names are Julio Rodriguez, Mike Trout, Juan Soto, Ronald Acuna, etc. It would be surprising if one of the Giants top 5 ended up anywhere near those guys, so why not try to use them to get the guy who is already a star? And then pay Judge too.
“That team could play defense…”
And yet the 2022 squad is essentially the same team as 2021.
“They also didn’t scare anyone in the playoffs with that lineup.”
Maybe try making your point with facts, instead of just making things up. They took the Dodgers the distance in the NLDS and were robbed by an erroneous call on a checked swing.
And what point are you making by listing the top players of the decade and saying Giants prospects won’t get close. That’s true for the vast majority of all the other clubs. What are the odds that the Angels land another Mike Trout? Or the Nat’s another Soto? What you’re talking about is luck.
That list includes Acuna, and as big a fan of him as I am, it’s worth pointing out he was not a part of the Braves WS winning team. The point is to win, not have stars.
I don’t think stars are needed but everyday players will be. I don’t know that belt will be back since he has been so spotty and injured, crawford is going to be in his last contract year and possibly last year overall next year, longo will be gone… you are going to have a lot of opportunity next year to promote or to sign guys that can be everyday players. The Judge thing though is definitely something to kick the tires on for sure – any guy that only costs money is going to be worth it.
TBH there is no way I would give up the top 4 or 5 prospects for ohtani – you are talking 2 of what are likely to be considered the top prospects in baseball with luciano and harrison and they both figure big into the future. You blow all thise guys and you are going to look like the angels with ohtani and nothing to surround him
No Judge, the guy has half a great year and your drooling all over him.
If he came to the Giants he’d probably pull a muscle and miss half the season. We do need a Right handed outfield bat, a catcher, a backup shortstop, 2 relievers and a real closer.
Last season on this date the WS winning Braves were in 3rd in their division, 1 game under .500, and 7 games back of the last WC spot. The Giants giving up on this season, and becoming sellers, would be disappointing, and IMO stupid.
LOL you forgot to mention that the 2021 Braves were STACKED w/ Talent
While the 2022 Giants are a group of old, slow , past their prime 35 year olds mixed in w/ a bunch of waiver wire cast offs
Old teams get worse ……never better
@TonyGwynnSD19
Let’s not forget that “group of old, slow , past their prime 35 year olds mixed in w/ a bunch of waiver wire cast offs” swept the Dodgers a few weeks back.
Anything can happen in the post-season. Other than the 2020 bogus 1/3rd season championship, the Dodgers recent history is proof of that.
Jake McGee was DFA’d so FYI, the padres actually have an older roster right now than the giants.
They’re not sellers (yet), and that’s the point of the article, that they are waiting to see where the team is closer to the deadline. But say they continue to go about .500 right into that deadline. It will be interesting to see what they do then.
Scott:
I think we already know from the article. Look at what Zaidi said:
…if the Giants are either in possession of a playoff spot or in their current position just outside a potential Wild Card berth, the team is “definitely going to look to improve.”
They aren’t the team that they looked like in May, on pace to win 100+ games, but they also aren’t the team they looked to be over the last 3 1/2 weeks either. This team, as it is right now, can get a WC spot without improvement.
But, whether they improve or not, the one thing we can count on is they won’t be sellers. Anyone they might want to let go, like LaStella, and Longo, isn’t going bring back anything of value, and not worth trading them.
yes but if you look at the recent games – they have been playing better and have won 5 of their last 6 and played much cleaner baseball. we will see what happens but to assume because they played bad once that they will continue to play bad again is about as misguided as assuming because they played well earlier in the year that they are going to run the table.
mister guy:
Not sure who you were responding to. So I’m not sure if you misunderstood my post. I was trying to say the same thing you were, but not doing it in as concise a way. In my rambling, unfocused post, I was trying to say exactly what you did.
Zaidi needs to listen and do what Laurie said. He can’t continue dumpster diving.
Marty Lurie discusses disconnect between Giants’ philosophy and fan base
By Jake Montero July 13, 2022
© Orlando Ramirez | 2022 Jul 7
You might think that a 107-win season would be enough of a proof of concept for Farhan Zaidi and Gabe Kapler’s baseball philosophy, but not everyone has bought in.
The fans seem frustrated, and not just because the team is hovering around .500 before the All-Star break. San Francisco’s desire to platoon consistently is only popular when the team wins. When they don’t you hear loud complaints asking why All-Star Joc Pederson isn’t in the starting lineup or why Brandon Belt is being pinch hit in a three-hit game.
Though there are other variables, fan frustration seems to be affecting butts in the seats, with the Giants currently sitting at 13th in overall attendance after the greatest regular season in franchise history.
KNBR’s Marty Lurie sees a disconnect between the fanbase and the organization’s philosophy.
“You don’t sit around saying ‘Boy I can’t wait ’till the fifth inning so Slater can have an at bat! And Yastrzemski will sit down,’” Lurie said on KNBR Wednesday. “You know, you sit there saying ‘I can’t wait until Bonds comes up in the fifth inning to see if he’ll knock one out. I can’t wait ’till Jason Schmidt gets the seventh inning to see if he’s going to strike out 14.’
“Yeah there is a disconnect in that way and the way they play the game, because not everyone is playing Strat-O-Matic when they come to the ballpark. You like to see some consistency. And now the games are exciting, but you like to know if your guy is gonna be up or if your guy is gonna pitch six or seven innings.
“Look, the TV ratings and the radio ratings are great, but it’s a time that they have to take a hard look at it, because the attendance is down a little bit. It’s a little like Candlestick now. You get a great weekend crowd but during the week it’s not so good.”
Lurie believes another big reason for the attendance issues is a lack of marketable stars on the roster.
“Now, the marketing of the team is starting to take a hit a little bit right now and now the team has hit a lull and I think they’ve got to realize that they’ve got to get some stars. They’ve got to get some people that have been there before. Some people that have been in the World Series before, that have been in a pennant race before. You just can’t always bring in — you talk about lightning in a bottle — you can’t always do that. But they like to do it and they’ve gotten away with it.”
With all that said Lurie believes the Giants are still a playoff team, and will be able to generate more excitement in the second half if they make a couple moves at the trade deadline.
“But now with this trade deadline coming up, you’ve got to give me a hitter. Give me one guy, a DH, someone that I can count on, that I know is going to be in there. They’re not going to change the way they do it, they’re going to platoon, they’re not going to bring in a new outfielder and sit three people down. And you need a bullpen guy, some bullpen guys who have been there before. And you’ve got to have a closer, you’ve got to name a closer.
“So, they’ve got a lot to do, and the trade deadline is huge for me. I’d like to see a couple of guys who have been there before added to the team.”
I mean to tell you the truth lurie I am not usually a huge fan of as far as advice goes (I mean for years he beat the drum of emptying the farm for jose reyes and cespedes) – and I feel like he is half right. The big thing is that what fans need to realize is that we need to be patient a little longer because zaidi is still piecing together from parts the last organizational philosophy and the new one. I think that this next year you are finally going to see farhan doing what he wants to with the guys he wants to and the flexibility to do it since the last of the old guard is going to start moving on. Crawford will be the only guy left and in his last year can likely be moved out of his everyday role and there can be some more standard level contracts that can be issued without fear of guys blocking guys, or having to grant playing time