DECEMBER 16: The Giants have officially the signing of Manaea.
DECEMBER 12: Lefty Sean Manaea and the Giants have agreed to a two-year, $25MM deal with an opt-out after the 2023 season, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Manaea is represented by the Boras Corporation.
The deal marks a return to the Bay Area for the 30-year-old Manaea, who was traded from Kansas City to Oakland as a prospect at the 2015 trade deadline as part of the Ben Zobrist deal. Manaea debuted for the A’s the following year and was a steady presence in their rotation throughout his six seasons in Oakland, though he did miss most of the 2019 season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
Still, with both his career ERA (3.86) and FIP (3.96) under 4.00, Manaea was a fairly attractive arm to teams searching for rotation help after the lockout ended this spring, and so the A’s shipped him to San Diego along with relief prospect Aaron Holiday to acquire prospects Euribiel Angeles and Adrian Martinez. Things didn’t go so well for Manaea in San Diego, however, as he struggled in 2022, posting an unsightly 4.96 ERA (75 ERA+) in 158 innings that his 4.53 FIP only slightly improves upon.
That rough platform season is likely why Manaea was available to San Francisco, who showed interest in him during last week’s Winter Meetings, at such a low price compared to what we’ve seen from the rest of the mid-rotation market. It’s of course possible that Manaea eschewed a larger guarantee in order to secure a chance to test the market again next offseason, hoping to see his results improve in 2023.
In that regard, the deal is similar to the one the Giants signed Carlos Rodon to last offseason, albeit at a much lower AAV of just $12.5MM compared to Rodon’s $22MM. Manaea may prove to be Rodon’s replacement in a rotation that includes Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, Alex Wood, and Anthony DeSclafani, should Rodon ultimately sign elsewhere this offseason. Rodon is known to be seeking a seven-year deal this offseason, with the Cardinals and Yankees among those interested.
While it seems unlikely Manaea can imitate Rodon’s sterling 2022 production in 2023, there’s still reason to believe that Manaea can bounce back from his difficult 2022 in the coming season. His strikeout and walk rates of 23.2% and 7.5%, respectively, are roughly in line with his career norms and were actually slightly above league average last year according to Baseball Savant. And for the season’s first three months, Manaea’s numbers were right in line with his career marks. Through the end of June, he’d posted a 3.92 ERA and 3.76 FIP with a 25.8% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate. Over the final three months of the season, however, Manaea was rocked for an ERA just over 6.00, with a huge portion of the damage coming in a pair of eight-run drubbings at Dodger Stadium.
Manaea’s biggest problem in 2022 was the long ball, as he allowed a whopping 1.65 home runs per nine innings that doubtlessly contributed to his strand rate of just 67.5% — his lowest in any full season of his career. Moving his home games Oracle Park, one of the most difficult ballparks in the majors for home run hitters, should aid Manaea in his bid to return to form in 2023. If Manaea can post a season more in line with his 2021 performance, where he posted a 3.91 ERA/3.66 FIP in his 179 1/3 innings of work, he’ll justify the investment from San Francisco and be in line for a larger deal, more in line with the four-year, $52MM guarantee MLBTR predicted for him this offseason.
With their starting five for 2023 likely set barring another surprise addition, the Giants seem primed to turn their attention to the lineup, which largely struggled in 2022 with the exception of All-Star Joc Pederson, who returned to the Giants by accepting a qualifying offer early in the offseason. San Francisco already added Mitch Haniger but is rumored to be interested in adding a second outfielder, even after missing on pursuits of Aaron Judge, Brandon Nimmo, and Cody Bellinger.
The Giants are also are expected to address an infield that lost Brandon Belt and Evan Longoria to free agency this offseason, while suffering a considerable step back from shortstop Brandon Crawford after his resurgent 2021 season. The Giants reportedly have Carlos Correa as their top option in the free agent shortstop market, with the Twins and Cubs representing possible competition for Correa’s services. San Francisco also seems likely to look to upgrade their relief corps for next season. Earlier, they were rumored to have interest in pairing Kenley Jansen, who signed with the Red Sox, with Camilo Doval at the back of their bullpen, so a pursuit of another back-end bullpen option like Taylor Rogers seems feasible.
SMH….
Good the Dodgers destroy Manaea
In 3 starts vs the Dodgers last year, Manaea went 0-3 and gave up 22 earned runs while failing each time to reach the 5th inning.
But in his last two appearances against the Dodgers in relief (9/10 and 9/29), he went 5 IP allowing only 3 hits, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K.
Pretty sure SF signed Manaea to be a starter, not a reliever.
Yes because 2 relief appearances as mop up man in games the padres lost after the Dodgers had already clinched are much more important than 3 starts.
Giants have 2 pitchers that if they start against Giants will be walloped see Disco stats…he get bashed hard against LAD
Well let’s just hope the Giants pitching coaches can correct this dude and turn him into something. I believe that if they don’t sign Correa they won’t have fans. San Francisco has become the bounce back team for players. Sad.
not signing a cheater will lose fans???
no one cares about cheating in sports except children
That’s not true, lots of adults care about and dislike cheating in sports…
I know this isn’t what we’re talking about but if a guy tested positive for peds before I’d be hesitant. If I’m gonna sign a guy for 10 years or more I probably want a person who is upfront and honest about himself and his life to the team. Not a person who has proven to be capable of having a dark closet they try to keep hidden. It’s not even the PEDs particularly it’s just the fact they’ve proven they are not trustworthy (at least in the past). But as for the Astros thing…it’s true many clubs cheat in many ways. The thing is when you are in the middle of that it’s not like you are gonna tell on your own team (usually). People give in to bad behavior in groups much more commonly than by themselves. It’s understandable. Let’s move on from it.
Well, Altuvebuzzer….although I don’t like what the Astros did, even after that season he continues to be a solid player with the bat. Now if it were peds, I wouldn’t want to go anywhere near it.
AssumesFactNotInEvidence — Nevertheless, Giants fans want (pray for) Correa.
Pete’sView–not all Giants fans are praying for Correa, I am not, I’d rather have Dansby. If we do sign Correa and he goes through a press conference grilling similar to what Kapler went through when he became manager and he expresses remorse and growth about the scandal, then ok but if he is cocky then no thanks. Giants have a “no dicks” in the clubhouse policy and I like that.
interesting line you have drawn, As ped users may simply be trying to keep up, while using tech to steal signs leaves a much worse taste in my mouth. As far as moving on, all i can say is everythime the Astros win anything it makes the Manfred look worse and worse in my eyes, and many others. Either way, I wouldn’t want that kind of character on my team. Forgive, sure, forget, nope.
Altuvebuzzer…I think you’re the one who’s drawn the interesting line. I take it you must be ok with Selig in the hall then since he was the steroid era commissioner?
Actually, the moment Selig got in, I lost all concern for the hall. Since he is in, I say let all the roiders in. Is the hall a museum that tells baseball history both good and bad? or is it whitewashed so only the so called good guys and good times are celebrated? (i have never been so i don’t know) I would have made sure his plaque at the very least stated he knowingly turned a blind eye to the PEDS.
A lot of roiders ARE in. They just didn’t test. They wanted to draw the line later. So I agree on that stance. Bottom line is this, for me, I don’t like what the Stros did…I believe other teams did it, and they weren’t caught, doesn’t mean I give a pass, it’s just time to move forward. Unless you’re a Dodgers fan, then hold onto it. I would. Lol
I’ve moved on, I just have no interest in any player on that Houston roster being on my team. If i had a vote in the HOF Not one of them would ever get my vote, but again if the HOF is a museum of history their story needs to be in there. I laughed when Joe Morgan wrote that whiny letter to the voters about peds. Like his generation didn’t benefit also, but im way off topic.
In fact I refused to watch the world series the last 2 years. MY Loss? Maybe, but i’m ok with that.
agnes — I think for most fans, and certainly most journalists, the cheating scandal (which is what I assume you’re referring to) is past history. Most everybody (but the Dodgers) are ready to move on.
Swanson had a career year. There’s very little likelihood that he keeps performing at that level, but even if he did, he would not be the offensive player than Correa is. And defensively, I doubt there’s little difference—both have excellent gloves.
“Time to move forward…Unless you are a Dodger fan..Hold on to it I would” HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Altuve’s Buzzer Cheat Device — Given your posting name you obviously have not heard the various quotes from many Astros who WERE involved in the cheating scandal.
Do a little reading and you will find that three Astros—by their teammates own admission—refused to use the trash cans or any other cheating device. They were ALTUVE, REDDICK and TONY KEMP.
If you’re going to spew sh@t at least get it right.
And I should believe them why? They have no credibility in my eyes. And I do believe Altuve was hiding something under that jersey. They will never pass scrutiny with me. You’d have an easier time convincing a brick wall then myself.
Altuve’s Buzzer Cheat Device — Then brick wall yourself and enjoy.
yup, everyone is an extremist these days. “I disagree with you so here’s an insult and an F*** You”. Lovely this generation.
He doesn’t have that far to bounce back from, given it was only one bad year. He should do well in Giant’s ballpark with that marine layer, i’m not familiar with his time in San Diego but with the A’s he started having trouble with a lot of hard hit fly balls going for doubles and homeruns.
case — I’d say take a look at his career and tell me how formidable you think he’s ever been.
I’m thinking the Giants still try to land Carlos, and if they’re successful, they trade from their pitching assets
He was our ace for several playoff years, so pretty formidable?
“Our ace,” meaning Oakland? One team’s ace is another teams #5.
Manaea dose not have a career ERA of 3.86 (as stated in the post); it’s 4.06. He’s —at best—a #5. This is San Francisco throwing money away. Replacing Rodon with Manaea is like swapping a Tesla for a Mazda.
Pete, we are not replacing Rodon with Manaea. Manaea is just a piece of the puzzle, depth. The season is long and pitchers break down. We need 7 or 8 starters.. Harrison will replace Rodon and more.
I’m hyped about Harrison too, but let”s not get ahead of ourselves. Unless Harrison starts the season on the roster or soon after the start, Giants could already be buried.
What’s more, let’s give Kyle a little breathing room so he gets acclimated to MLB. He won’t need extra pressure.
Zaidi trying to save face. Manaea is not the answer. Manaea is not Rodon. Just another Zaidi dumpster dive.
Far from a dumpster dive, but okay..
@richards, I agree Manaea isn’t a “dumpster dive,” but once again, Farhan makes a very pitcher-friendly deal. Just like with Gausman and Rodon, he’ll probably have a good year for us, and, then opt-out, not re-sign, and we’re stuck again next year looking for a top-of-the-rotation arm. It’s exhausting. I get the hesitation, but in today’s game, you gotta pay to play. In both Rodon and Gausman’s case, we should have had an advantage in an effort to extend/resign them….but it seems like Farhan didn’t even try. He’s too afraid to commit to an expensive player (pitcher). I wonder if his marriage has an opt-out in it???
Either he goes superstar like Gausman or goes 3 innings and out every game.
He will pitch great the first 2 months of the season then once its close to all star break he will start getting shelled on a regular basis.
He’d make a great 18-out chucker for the Twins.
Opt out clauses are now more common on shorter term deals. If you noticed ,Rdndon and Manaea are both Boras clients. He has had several clients sign shorter term deals with an opt out or two in them. Boras has made it a habit.
I wouldn’t want to commit 7 or even 6 years to Rodon, either.
Josh Bell got two years with an opt out after the first season from the Guardians too and he’s another Boras client. So you’re right.
At the minimum it buys a year for Kyle Harrison to hopefully establish himself in the majors. If the Giants have been good at one thing it’s reclamation projects, particularly pitchers. So they grab another one who has #2 starter upside for a fraction of the cost of a bigger name. This obviously can turn out in a bunch of different ways, but if he’s the only starter they sign Zaidi could do much worse
collarboners — In no universe has Manaea ever been a #2 (or will ever be). He’s a #5, at best and doesn’t represent an upgrade over any of the pitchers the Giants currently have in their rotation. He certainly is no Rodon.
I don’t think Zaidi could have done much worse.
Try being a Pirates fan for a year. Then you’ll know what dumpster diving really is.
We will be there soon. The days of the the Giants spending real money to compete are over
Its a 1 year deal bruh! Calm down!
If he’s as bad as he was with the Padres, it’s a 2 year deal. The player can opt out, not the team.
What’s the problem with this deal? It’s no worse than giving 18 million a year for Taijuan, or Stroman getting 20 million from the Cubs last year. Not to mention Kyle Gibson, who has a far worse track record than Manaea, getting ten million.
So you’re comparing bad deals with the one for Manaea to make it sound like this was a sound move by the Giants. No, just no. If I had to chose, I’d much rather have Stroman or Tiajuan than Manaea.
What is the Giants Starting rotation as of date?
Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, Alex wood, Anthony desclafani and now maneae, with Junis moved to long relief and injury depth
You beat me !! Need a second cup of coffee lol
I’d honestly rather watch Junis than Manaea
Harrison is the key. If he keeps progressing at AAA he’s a lefty at top of rotation on minimum salary sooner than later.
Not worries about SF arms. They seem have the formula. Offense is the issue.
^^^this! Kyle Harrison will be up by May or sooner depending on who goes down first, considering most of this rotation is made out of paper mache
You are right Ernie. Harrison is going to be killer. And Zaidi has drafted almost nothing but arms the last two drafts. Some are already looking good. This is why he is only signing pitchers to short term deals, our kids are on the way. Any extra arms in a year or two, he can trade for bats/offense. Thanks for being a voice of reason amongst all this negativity.
There wasn’t another Alex they could sign?
google search….” giants 2022 depth chart”
Webb
A. Cobb
A. Wood
A. DeSclafani
S. Hjelle
Giants front webpage headline:
Help Wanted. Can you throw a ball? Apply within.
Cleon Jones —
Dear Mr. Jones,
I have been a party planner for many years, including throwing presidential balls, socialite fundraisers and even the famous Cinderella gala. I come with my own costume/uniform and have played with many a dish.
Of course, I will expect a 6-year contract with opt-outs every year.
Please replay immediately to my agent Scott Boras. But hurry, I am getting many calls.
“ Rodon’s replacement in a rotation that includes Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, Alex Wood, and Anthony DeSclafani, should he sign elsewhere this offseason.” It’s in the 3rd paragraph, second to last sentence in the article.
Fresh – you do know that sometimes someone will post a question in the thread before the article is fully completed right? Articles are updated several times and there is a good chance that when he asked what the giants rotation will be that part of the article hadn’t been posted. Perhaps in the future either ignore the question or try to answer it in a way less condescending ( my apologies if its not how you meant it but its how it came out)
I didn’t want it to sound mean, and yes I did see it get updated
It was the only way to describe it, I had no intentions of making myself sound annoyed.
Fresh’s comment did not seem condescending, however Riff yours came across as a bit condescending and a somewhat scolding parent mode IMO. My apologies if its not how meant it but its how it came out…
I see what you did there – well played
I would have been ok for a one year deal back in SD, due to the thinning SP market, but definitely not at that price. Good luck in SF.
With a sub 5.0 era. He should be worth about 5 million a season.
Almost 5.o I think he’s right now about 5 million-7 million.
The mediocre career journeyman Kyle Gibson is getting ten, so Manaea should be getting just about what Zaidi gave him, if not a little more.
Steve Phillips, Lead Off Spot said Manaea announcement was at 4:00 am. Middle of the night so Zaidi doesn’t have to answer questions.
How is Steve Phillips even employed? Two sex scandals at two employers, Mets and ESPN.
Because he’s so sexy?
I was hoping the Pirates signed Manaea or Kyle Gibson but obviously neither occurred. Not much left out there for them in their price range, maybe Wade Miley.
Why in the world would the Pirates sign Gibson or Manaea?
Flip em at the deadline
To flip them. BC said he wanted to sign a multi year pitcher manea made sense Gipson not so much
Gibson faded down the stretch for the Phillies. He was mentioned as a possible target for the Pirates because….you know the idea….get a few wins, eat some innings, keep the Bucs in the game….get traded for prospects at the deadline
Same old scenario here. Some towns have World Series celebrations. We have trade deadline, Bon Voyage parties.
Manaea doesn’t really fit the Pirates MO, to be truthful. Let him have a couple catastrophic seasons before he appears on our radar
@Tired: early in the Hot Stove season, I was hoping the Pirates would try to sign Manaea, mainly because he’s a LHP. The more I thought about it though, the more I realized I didn’t want him because I knew he’d be receiving an AAV of greater than any Pirates player in history. He’s a #5 starter on a good club. The Bucs were far better off signing Velasquez to the $3.15m contract, particularly given that Contreras, Keller, Brubaker, & Oviedo look pretty decent. Then there is the fact the Priester and Burrows are close. Wilson and Thompson are the organizational depth guys right now. Oh, and I almost forgot about Ortiz, He’s intriguing, too.
I didn’t see Manaea a great deal last year but I wasn’t overly thrilled in what I did see. But yeah, in today’s market that entails going just 5 innings, I guess I get why some are falling all over him
I agree with your assessment of Pirates pitching and would only wonder how far away Priester is at present. The team has even had him involved in Pirates caravan visits this fall
Don’t know why but it’s just so hard to trust the pitching here. The constant attempts to blow fastballs by batters down Main Street. The love of hanging breaking pitches dead red. I like to think Keller is progressing
And yes, Contreras and Oviedo show potential. I want to like Brubaker, Thompson and Wilson but dear God, can someone teach them how to pitch
Okay fresh that was condescending…
I did not mean it, it was the only I could describe it.
Must like the Bay Area lol
Underpaid. Was worth about Taillon money
Was he?? if thats what he signed for then thats his market value. Most likely the best offer he received too,
Then teams undervalued him
Do they after last years performance?
Yeah…. You also said Anthony Rizzo was washed up and you would rather the Yankees signed Trey Mancini over Rizzo hahaha
Not at all. Look at Manaea’s stats. He’s horrible.
If anyone offered him anything of value he wouldn’t be on the soon to be last place Giants
I think less because of how bad he fell apart in the 2nd half, but to your point,Giants still got him for a bargain.
Was Taillon coming off a near-5.00 ERA with mediocre Statcast numbers and negative bWAR like Manaea?
Jameson had a far better era
Neither of them are worth Taillon money
I know the market dictates things but truthfully, Taillon wasn’t worth Taillon money, either
Stolen lines. I prefer this one, stolen from a fellow Pirates fan of misery, but applicable to numerous teams: The Pirates are two years away from being two years away. Priceless
Genius. One of my faves, too.
After a 5 ERA last season? You are just trolling, right?
Another disappointing move from Zaidi.
Why are you disappointed?
He’s not good..
He’s good. He’s just not Rodon.
I agree. Thought last offseason was when to strike. They pretty much stayed pat. Then Crawford and belt were the complete opposite of 2021 and the team crashed. Rodan was Guasman’s replacement. Good signing but after the Cueto, Samardzija, and Cain contracts they’re adverse to 5 year pitcher deals. Guasman said the Giants never offered him a contract. Which is bizarre to me.
He has a 4.00+ ERA it says it in the article.
The Giants are a big market team, with a fan base that expects big transactions. Yankees, Dodgers, etc….make the moves each year, and they are at least talked about being contenders. It is a business, but it’s also entertainment. Fans don’t buy the tickets and jerseys to look at the accounting ledgers….
Noooo! I wanted him. Perhaps over Heaney or in addition to him – Texas could throw in some middle infield prospects and dump Pérez with his 20 mil salary (4.71 career ERA before 2022) if they signed him
Good move. They can possibly ship him off at the deadline after they get pulverized by everyone else in the NL West.
Finally turned the corner Scott? I can remember you vehemently defending Farhan and all his little moves with the lost hope that he would actually spend some money one offseason yet here he goes on the cheap like I have been saying for years. Giants fans deserve more than this!
@frugalfarhan: I’m definitely sobered by this offseason. I’m open to reevaluating (then and now), but then, I felt it made sense to bide his time and to spend big once lingering contracts came off the books. This was to be the offseason where he was to prove himself, and it’s been a pretty dismal failure so far.
Here’s the thing, though – I’m still trying to figure out what the heck is happening. Were you right all along that he is just a frugal, dabbling, analytical chess player…or did that perception gel across MLB and now no FA wants to sign in SF, even for top dollar?
I was weary of him from the start but gave him a year to see what would happen. After year one of not showing much I started to have concerns.
Then you had 2020 when things were crazy with covid but he still didn’t do much other than get Gausman. It was right around the point when he could have traded MadBum and Will Smith for prospects (who knows what the offers were) but chose not to and also chose not to get a closer after trading Melancon and they ended up blowing something like 17 saves in a 60 game season and missing the playoffs by one game.
Then came 2021 and everyone was convinced he was smarter than everyone else winning 107. I still wasn’t convinced but my opinion at that point was not well received yet here we are seemingly worse than we were 3 years ago.
Good players don’t want to play for him and other GM’s don’t care to deal with him either unless its for garbage. He has turned this team into the SF A’s and still charging top 5 revenue prices. I am fine paying the $$$ just want them to spend on players who will help this team long term and that don’t come over on a bus from River Cats Stadium every other day.
The park is paid off, bad contracts would have been gone if he hadn’t extended Wood, Desclafani, Belt, and even Craw but somehow he made those awful moves without the same criticism Evans got when he did it. I’m done with this guy and glad to see other Giants fans waking up as well albeit a few years later than I would have liked!
lol at comparing Zaidi’s contracts with Evans. Zaidi’s contracts haven’t reduced team flexibility one iota. Evans locked into long term disasters that meant the team couldn’t play in FA. I’d also argue that has Zaidi copped way more criticism than Evans ever did.
It’s a combination of those two things I think. Farhan truly is a cheap and ego driven dumpster diver but I think ownership told him to go sign some stars this year. And then the reputation bit him in the ass.
Ahem frugalfarhan! Happy to see at least some aren’t troll accounts to defend farhan and the Giants. We have been absolutely tricked by this whole regime. 21 was the luckiest season in probably the history of the modern mlb. Over performed by 20 games if not more. Last season they still overperformed with the cupcake sept schedule to get them to .500. The farm is nearly barren after Harrison, who will become only the 2nd good arm in the rotation if he ends up succeeding. Farhan has lied to us about spending and they are going to lose a lot of the fan base this year. The only people I’ve heard defend him are faceless online commentators, but every real life fan I know is done giving this team their money for the time being
Ha ha ha. And you aren’t a faceless online commentator ?
It just gets more ridiculous by the day.
Part of the reason “they’ll get pulverized” will be that they have Manaea in the rotation.
Classic Farhan!
Giant’s fans keep saying the Giants have money to spend but why do I keep feeling like the Giants have caviar taste but a grilled cheese budget? They need to get their heads out of the clouds and stop thinking about the big names and maybe start signing some players because that lineup as it currently sits is garbage. Signing Correa won’t help they need much more they need to take that money and spend it on a bunch of players not one.
Caviar taste but grille cheese budget.
That’s perfect. Mind if I steal it for future posts?
No they don’t, they already have a bunch of average players. We need some star power, not more of what we already have at home.
They just offered judge 360m and offered harper over 300m. Pitching is the area they seem to refuse to go big money.
either he pitches a gem or he’s done in 3 innings. He benefits from pitchers parks. decent number 3 good number 4 pitcher
Yup unfortunately he decided to pitch one terrible inning in the NLCS
This opt out basically just replaces saying “player option” but funny I just signed him to this same deal on the show last night
Think Rodon signs in the next 48 hours
Agree. Yankees. Bet on it.
I think it’s between Texas or the Yankees.
So many people complaining. It’s a good deal. At the numbers most of these deals are reaching it’s well worth it to gamble on a guy who has never reached his potential, Ks a lot of batters, and was more than serviceable just a year ago. Sometimes guys change teams and it doesn’t work out, especially when it’s the first time they’ve changed teams in the MLB. I’d cut him some slack. Even if he is bad it’s relative chump change for them.
Yeah, it’s a great deal to settle on mediocre players, and an obviously downgraded rotation. Lots to be thankful for. When they miss out on the shortstops, we’ll need to remain thankful when they sign someone else to a 1 year deal. That way they’ll have even less financial commitments next off-season to put towards more 1-2 year deals for mediocre players.
Your passion is nice but your reacting emotionally and not rationally IMO. Why did you want them to sign one of those two shortstops so badly? They were both paid so much. Spend the money more wisely. If I’m spending that much dough it’s gotta be for a beast of a hitter. The offseason is not over. Good organizations target players they like all around. They don’t jump at every big name. As bad as it sounds if you see no player you truly want long term then you sign short deals and wait another offseason until you find one you do. You can’t afford to mess up on 300m deals.
Look at the free agents for 2023. It’s a pretty weak pool of players. When they don’t sign Devers or Ohtani next year (and they won’t), the aim should be to try in 2024, when players will want even more money? What other single successful team operates like the Giants have been operating? Can anyone name one? Why is this Oakland A’s approach expected to be a success, and especially with a farm system as weak as the Giants have, and it’s not getting better despite what some believe. Look at guys like Ramos, Bishop, Wilson, etc. These guys aren’t looking anything close to being even average MLB everyday players.
They were 12th in payroll last year. How can you compare them to the As? I know they cut payroll but still they are basically in the top 1/3 of teams. Presumably, as I said, they will sooner or later sign a big contract. You don’t know if they will sign Ohtani/Devers or not. I would think it would be one of the main places Ohtani might end up. I watched ATL make the playoffs year after year with a payroll around 100m or so. I was upset a bit but imagine these other teams (Tampa!) and see how silly it looks to me that we are having this discussion.
Who cares how much they were paid, we’re acting like this would set back a big market team that likes to tout they will have no financial commitments two years from now. Are we saving all of this money for someone else? After you extend Logan Webb, who else is that money going to? Thairo Estrada? It’ll be more mediocre short term free agents, because there’s nobody else on this roster worth extending, at least not any position players. So this team will just never sign an impact free agent because they cost so much? If that’s the plan, they’ll be competing for 3rd place in this division for the foreseeable future, because their farm system is nothing special at all. In fact, LA, SD and ARI all clearly have better systems than we do, so what’s the plan to get back into contention?
I’m not saying they need to go crazy on free agents, but you’ve got to start righting the ship at some point, and moving forward that’s obviously going to become harder to do as their competition gets tougher, and they fail to react. These short term deals for players that won’t be here for any championship run are helpful in what way? They’re not building towards anything.
I would care how much they are gonna be paid…personally. When you may have to eat half of one (or both) of those contracts you would feel otherwise in say 2030 when they can’t sign the piece they need as opposed to now when they are choosing not to…and we are not even halfway through the offseason once again. You should be happy they have little committed long term.
They’re taking the A’s approach in terms of how they approach free agency. 12th in payroll, and where was all that money? Tied up in a bunch of players that wouldn’t be here in 1-2 years. How is that building any type of sustained success to build off of year to year? Look at the team now. Two years from now it will look completely different since most of these players will be free agents, and they’ll be filling spots once again.
For anyone that doesn’t agree (which is fine, it’s just my personal observation) Look at every single position on the Diamond. Bart will be in the lineup, and who else? No position is settled. After 4 years or Farhan being here, how is that not a massive failure?
Is that so? If they aren’t willing to sign an impact player now, because of the cost and potential risk, why would I be concerned with them not being able to sign someone down the road? Are players going to magically stop asking for more money and years than they are right now? The trend will get worse, not better. If this is their mindset now, why on Earth do you think in 2030 that free agency will for some reason work itself out to a place where teams aren’t forced to give out bad contracts?
It’s obvious after this off-season, if you’re not eating a bad tail end of a contract and going into an impact player’s late 30s or 40s, you’re not getting that player. Why would that trend go backwards now that we’ve crossed that line? Are we just resigned to the fact that the Giants will never sign an impact player moving forward, unless it’s one of their own?
Presumably that’s probably why they are dealing this way. Perhaps they think they are not in a position to win. Short contracts give you a chance to flip guys at deadline for prospects/etc, or if you compete keep em. I am not disagreeing with you on Farhan. It is certainly looking like a failure so far. The farm, as you said, is not great. Not bad tho.
That trend wasn’t obvious until it happened. Literally just within a week. I don’t think you understand my comment about 2030. I’m saying if your team sucks right now and your good down the road you don’t necessarily want to be working around a bunch of crap tail end of contracts.im not saying they shouldn’t spend money. Put the best product on the field possible, while taking into account the farm system and future commitments.
But they aren’t spending the money, more wisely or otherwise. They are pocketing it, and that’s now 4 years in a row of spitting on the fan base by not even pretending to improve the club or get any star players.
It’s a huge grift. Im done falling for it. I’ll never leave the Giants, but im done giving them any of my money until they prove they care about giving the fans a decent product.
Why would Ohtani come to a team without good players that has no reputation of spending to make him feel they will add around him. No star will. They have absolutely destroyed any reputation they had of trying to compete.
Wow I just don’t get how anyone can argue with what you are saying. You are churning out my thoughts exactly except better said and quicker lol.
Right on. Sucks to see the writing on the wall and know we just don’t get to watch competitive baseball from our team for the next several years. I get why some people just want to be optimistic, but turning a blind eye to a billionaire and his millionaire FO cronies taking the fans money and pocketing it while other teams are spending is pretty messed up.
History:
Giants offer Judge 9 years./$360M.
Judge chooses to stay in NY for the same money.
Fans:
Zaidi is cheap and won’t spend money.
SMH
All teams are pocketing a ton more than they are putting into the club (obviously) but I do sympathize with that problem and I don’t like it myself one bit either. They are in a tough division. They are not nearly as good as the top teams. They are several pieces away from contention probably. Many teams just go cheap on years like this. All you can do is complain and hope that when the team starts getting better they will put the money out there. In this case they are likely not very good next year but if you sign a guy for several years he will fit into a competitive window. They are likely to sign a couple pretty big free agents this year. Look at ATL. They went cheap when they weren’t very good but when they got good they started spending over twice as much. Obviously that, and a stadium bill passed through by deceit, alienates fans but fans are fans of the team, not the owners. It’s just the way it is.
Rishi — Carlos Correa is an elite defensive shortstop, with a career .279 BA (.291 last season), 22 Hrs, a .369 OBP. 7 out 0f 8 seasons he’s hit HRs in double digits (2020 the exception), the others twenty or more; a lifetime OPS of .836. By all accounts a great clubhouse guy.
Who wouldn’t want this player?
I know the Giants need him.
Why is it a good deal? To save money? Save money for what? Just so the billionaires stay a little richer? Pff no thanks. Go out and get us an ace, not a dude with a 5.00 ERA and a -.9 WAR.
They are gonna spend what they are gonna spend. Simple as that. Anything else is pointless to bring up.
Note…Giants fans are pissed.
They basically had an ace last year. He still hasn’t signed. (Premature complaining).Then again do you trust him to stay healthy for the contract? Do you really think this team was in a position to go out and win a WS with Verlander? So why sign him? Degrom was a MAJOR risk/reward contract.
This doesn’t preclude them from other big moves. Including next year’s FA class.
It doesn’t, but explain why a marquee free agent would trust the Giants to continue spending around them to make the team top notch every year? If Ohtani makes the plunge and signs, this FO has shown they refuse to sign star pitchers if said pitchers won’t take a 1-2 year deal. And they aren’t even in on the majority of FA hitters if they don’t fit some narrow, spreadsheet aligned version of a mix and match platoon lineup that farhan goes crazy for.
So why would a player who everyone wants sign with the Giants only to be the single person on the roster getting paid like an all star? The chances they waste away over 6-8 years, making the playoffs only once or twice is extreme. The Giants need to be spending a lot more to have a shot at the tournament every year, and until they show they are willing to do that, this thing will be a self perpetuating cycle. Judge wanted to be a yankee true, but he also saw the Giants and didn’t believe they’d be in the hunt every year. That matters. The Giants have failed miserably at this.
They’re still going after Rodon. They aren’t 1 player away from overtaking the Dodgers and Padres. It’s a waiting game.
I understand the perspective now on SP for SF fans but you still have to give some credit in that he brought in guys on short deals who budded into great pitchers recently. And the team still lost. Last year SF had an ace and they weren’t very good. They should have traded Rodon and replenished the system in retrospect.
Honestly players care about winning for sure, to varying degrees but still. But it seems to me that a lot of free agents just go where the most money is regardless. Whether they do this strictly for money or also for the PA/players who can say. Anyone can try to convince someone they are gonna spend money in the future but who knows who will even own teams in 5 years?
Have you seen next year’s free agent class? Outside of Ohtani and Devers, it’s garbage (seriously, go have a look). Giants should plan to spend on pitching alone next offseason, because they sure as heck aren’t getting Ohtani or Devers.
EastCoastGiant, Like it or not teams have budgets. It’s good to save money for the expensive FA you want to sign, as well as being able to add at the deadline. Teams that don’t save money wind up with regrettable contracts on the books.
Does Farhan get fired if the Giants don’t make the playoffs this upcoming season?
It probably depends on the record. With the NYMs, Phillies, and SDP moving all-in, he’s an underdog to make the playoffs.
And it depends on his budget. Right now, he is ~ $70M-100M-200M behind Philly, SD and the NYM. If he has a 70-win season, that’s kind of an under-performance. If he wins 90 games, and loses out to Philly-SD-NYM 92, 95 & 99 wins, then that’s an over-performance.
Should’ve traded Villar for Houser and would’ve been better off.
stubby66 — I think Villar is going to be pretty damn good. But so is Houser. Did you hear this trade rumor somewhere or is the you being a GM (which I’m not criticizing)?
They’re World Series bound for sure
This makes them favorites over the Dodgers.. I can see them winning it all this year.
Good deal for the value. Plenty of upside.
Plenty of downside too.
It is a great deal for the value. The problem is, the Giants next year are still going to start the season worse than last year, with no real prospects or hopes. They can have all the “upside” guys they want and farhan can stroke his ego over getting 1 whole WAR at the market rate for .5 WAR, but that still equals a boring, non-competitive team.
Manaea is better than a lot of people realize. He had a poor season in 2022, but was pretty solid for the A’s before that
He’s replacing an ace. He has a career era of 4.00. It’s another mediocre move from a team that has settled for mediocrity in an increasingly tough division.
If Manaea has a decent season and opts out, how does that get this team any closer to being competitive, because they definitely aren’t going to be in 2023. It’s a placeholder signing for a team that makes nothing but placeholder signings. All of these financial commitments coming to an end will amount to absolutely nothing. They’ll continue to fill this roster with short term deals for mediocre players that fans don’t care about, all the while hoping for their farm system to magically produce half of an entire major league roster, the other half consisting of waiver wire additions. They’ve produced ZERO position players in how many years now? Over a decade? Seriously, who is the last everyday player they’ve developed? Why should we believe that’s going to change anytime soon? Farhan has shown his eye for talent in the draft is no better than anyone else previously at the helm. Their farm is just as mediocre now as it was when he took over.
They’ve produced ZERO position players in how many years now? Over a decade?
============================
That should be the focus. If you cannot develop players, you cannot compete. Even on the pitching side, I think it is basically Webb & Doval. And Bart at catcher, but he’s not broken thru yet.
FA is good for filling spots you haven’t developed, not for filling the majority of your spots.
You’re exactly right. Unfortunately, the guy at the helm is proving he has a bad eye for talent. Everyone points to Luciano and Harrison. Evans signed Luciano, and Harrison was passed on obviously because he wanted first round pick money and the Giants were willing to give it to him. The talent was always there. It wasn’t some ‘Diamond in the rough’ draft pick by any means.
Read up on the new GMs background and relax. They are on it.
They drafted and developed Bryan Reynolds, He was close to MLB ready.
You are spot on. It’s all a grift. They is zero chance they are spending any money with this FO group. Fan engagement might reach an all time low since they moved into this park.
Not bad deal with all of this $$ going out, surprised that more teams haven’t been doing much like Boston , Dodgers and Baltimore if you keep waiting their won’t be much left lol
Will end up being a better deal than whatever Rodon signs for. He wants seven years pay but his arm and shoulder do not have a year left before being shut down.
Welcome Sean !! Glad to have you on board.
Get in tight with the boys and work hard.
Good things will happen.
Don’t mind the fans. A lot of them are butt hurt at the moment and only see opportunities to lay the boot in. They’ll come around when things get easy.
A positive attitude won’t make this team competitive or the ownership do right by fans, but you’re entitled to deal with it however you want. I’d say it’s pretty lame to take shots at other Giants fans who are rightly upset with how management has decided to be uncompetitive for the next decade. But then again, that’s the same holier than thou entitled attitude I always see from other Giants fans about all other current events so hey, keep it up.
I’m glad farhan and the Giants ownership has dedicated folks like you out here on the interwebs to defend their shady business practices and outright lies by calling other people butt hurt. Carry on sir! I just hope they are gifting you tickets for your trouble, because paying to watch this team would be torture!
What ? Don’t you like being criticised online ?
Funny that.
Don’t worry. I intend too. Reading you squeal about a little dose of your medicine is great for the soul.
Here’s a tip. Keep it real.
When things get easy? I’m not going to take another dig at this team replying how I’d like. In this division, easy is surely not to be expected. They’re playing for third place.
After this rough year, a $ 25m guarantee for Manea including an opt-out is a very good deal. If he regresses to his Bay Area performances, this union will be a happy one for the Giants as well, but once again starting pitching had its price.
Gruß,
BSHH
He’s never been very good. And that includes his time in Oakland. Way overrated.
You are right; Oakland often gets the best performances from their pitchers. But I still think Manea could pitch 180+ innings with a sub-4.00 ERA, which would be worth $ 12.5m easily.
Gruß,
BSHH
This will be OK if they sign Rodon still. Otherwise, rounding out their rotation with Manaea is not great.
NW Indiana product (like ‘Shark’!) could have been a nice add for either Chicago team’s rotation.
Why does Farhan keep adding opt outs after one year? Those are horrible for a team if the player has a breakout like Rodón and Gausman did
Sometimes teams have to put those into the contracts to entice players to sign in the first place. It’s kind of like a bribe. It tells me that San Francisco isn’t a marquee free agent destination right now.
Because it works. It’s awesome for the team if it helps in motivating a stellar year.
The team losses the player and has to replace their production next year. How is that awesome for the team? Don’t you think the Giants would’ve rather preferred to have Rodón or Gausman on multi-year deals rather than the way it’s played out in real time?
No i don’t. If they did, they would have stumped up the years and cash after the opt out. Pitchers on long contracts aren’t the MO. Hard to argue against that. There will other Manaea’s if he lights it up and goes looking for long term security.
You’re assuming that the players would’ve signed without getting the opt-out. You have to pay one way or another. You could sign a 7-year contract, but you risk more. You can sign a one-year contract, but then you pay more.
They are not giving long term deals to pitchers because of the risk. Probably a good idea. Agree with it on Rodon because of his history. Would have rolled dice on Gausman for 5 years personally.
They want to give the big $$$ to position players and have set the bar high. Have obviously fallen short. Need to give Correa 400 million and get someone here. They have the cash.
Just give them an opt out after the 2nd year on a 3 year contract, that way the player is there for 2 years rather than 1. Offering opt outs after 1 year leaves the team with little leverage.
This is exactly how Farhan operates. I was surprised they didn’t offer Guasman a contract last offseason. Not surprised this year. Rodan is gone and to be honest anyone who signs him to a 7 year deal will regret it.
It isn’t. You’re speaking to a Giants plant account lol
The player has to accept it. It’s a competitive business.
Besides that, give them the pot of gold to chase right from the get go.
@foppert
Yet, there are reports that the Giants still want Rodón on a long-term deal (likely 6 or 7 years). It would’ve been easier to sign a 3-4 year contract last year with Rodón, before jus breakout. Now they have to try to sign him again in this crazy market. An opt out only benefits a team when the player opting out isn’t good.
*before the breakout
I get the impression people think Gausman was a Giant for only one year. It was actually 2. They did initially sign him to a 0ne year deal, but tendered a QO for the 2nd.
People also forget all the criticism Zaidi got when he did sign him. Here are a few comments:
“Gausman is awful regardless of where he was drafted. He’s, at best, the Giants #5. Nine million for this bum.”
“Seems like Zaidi’s making every effort to prove he’ an idiot.”
“What in the blazes are the Giants doing?”
Look also at what the Giants got with Gausman, 2 seasons of 139 ERA+ pitching. The Jays last season got 116 ERA+ pitching from him, and will be paying him more than $22M a year for 4 more years. The deal might work out for the Jays, who knows, but it’s reasonable for Zaidi to not want that deal on the books.
Reports. I personally don’t believe it. I would suggest its Boras using a cashed up team to get interested teams to ante up. Could be to g though. They might have decided to change course on the pitching front.
I love an opt out. For me, the motivating factor is real. Let them be chasing what they covet the most.
So he can pay him cheap on a 1-year deal, basically.
I bet the first year is significantly lower than the second year, making it a 1 year, call it 7-8 million deal if he performs well enough to want to opt out of another 1 year 17 or 18 million dollar deal next year.
If you include an opt out the player will take less money. Offer more money and/or years and they will not insist on opt out typically.
Manaea is a good signing, very good chance he returns to the firm he has in Oakland when many teams were looking to trade for him. Would be a solid addition to any rotation.
I remember when this one team signed Charlie Freaking Morton to a very similar contract. It was called an overpay, and two years later a severe underpay once dude turned his career around. Of course, that was that one organization that is kinda known for that.
overated. .bad signing…SFG..eating leftover cold french fries
Either this doesn’t take Rodon out of the picture for the Giants, or Rodon is agreeing to a deal somewhere else today. Manaea and Rodon are both Boras clients. No way Boras gets the Manaea deal done if it were to block Rodon’s market (unless Rodon is about to sign somewhere).
Well, he won’t be #55 for the Giants. Time for a new number guy.
Chaim was soooo close to signing Manaea for the same $, but it was for 5 years.
Let’s just hope the “former Padre” effect doesn’t extend to him.
You can’t hate this signing for that price in this market. Lefty starter with upside. Not bad.
He’s no Rodon but I do think he’s better than his ERA indicates last year. His FB/HR% was higher than usual and as the article mentions the ballpark switch should help that in addition to just a reversal of bad luck. Also his strand rate was 6% higher than his average and that should come down as well. Overall he pitched about the same as his seasons with sub 4 ERAs he just got unlucky.
I love Sean 20 QS (mostly in 1st half) but man oh man 7++ ERA in the 2nd half is ooof.. and his velo took a big -3mph dump.. Love the Man.. hate to lose him BUT a lot of dudes left in FA at 2/3 the cost that would be better fits for SDP
I like it. Manaea has had only one injured season. He looks like a standard #3 pitcher. They needed another SP. And this in no way takes them out of the Correa chase. And they can still pursue another bat.
Hey Giants fans, I was just thinking what if you guys traded for Stanton to make up for not getting Judge? The last 5 years of his contract are pricey but he would bring that star power.
What do you think of the new rules and schedule?
Opening day is in Yankees stadium i hope you cream those bozos!
Not gonna happen.
As a casual observer it appears that no one wants to go to SF. Why is that? Is it because no one trusts the system there? They’ve been bridesmaids a lot this off-season.
Correlation is not causation. Fans said the same thing about the Padres when both Judge and Turner accepted less money to play elsewhere. That all changed when they signed Bogaerts. Every player has their own reasons for where they sign.
Eh.
Wow that’s a lot of money for someone to go out every five days and get shelled. He’s a good dude, but his good pitching days are long gone.
Where will Rodon go now? Maybe the Padres?
the yankees seem to really want him
All the complaining about Zaidi is funny. Dont you guys have anything important to pay attention to? The Giants are significantly better, even at .500, than they were before.
The Judge contract is a joke and will be worse for the Yankees than the A-Rod deal in just a couple years. Watch Steinbrenner try to weasle out of it by ’26. Starfucking is just bad baseball management. It’s great marketing, but bad baseball.
But winning is better marketing, and Zaidi has turned this organization into winners.
The Giants aren’t willing winning anything, although I prefer Farhan’s approach compared to Preller’s.
As long as they skip his starts against Dodgers, he will be an ok number four starter.
This is it? This is the Giant’s “jump out there” during the off
season? Their salary level is still BELOW the 135 million the club gets from major league baseball every year.
It looks like another thrilling 80 to 85 win season is coming., wth the announces declaring in July “looks like (you fill in the name) is starting to put it together”. the Giants are really going to need him to get hot. Other announcer… “that’s right, even an infield hit is the start of a hot streak.”….
there is more coming – really this offseason isn’t highlighting the front office’s shortcomings as how impossibly hard especially in a depleted market it is to convince position players to sign in SF. Position players have legendarily outside of bonds who had vested interest in playing for his dad and godfather’s team have been either developed or acquired in trades and this is just showing (after the same happened with harper, stanton) that it is continuing on.
He wrecked two of my fantasy teams in 2022….
It’s my fault for hanging onto to him for too long.
Having said all of that, if anybody can fix him, it’s the Giants.
Giants loading up on #5 type pitchers….this is bad choice outside Webb the rotation is filled with 4’s and 5’s — they need 1-3’s type
Manaea is a great clubhouse guy and still will have some good starts for the giants. This is a good, not great signing. Plus he is fun to watch when he’s off the mound. Fun in the dugout. With Kruk/Kuip calling games, they will have fun pointing out Sean’s hijinx during games. Won’t save giants from third or worse place, though.
Great, let’s sign Steve Martin. That oughta keep the chuckles going in the dugout.
$25 mill over 2 years is quite a bit of cash for 4.96 ERA and a FB that doesn’t move. I wish Maneae well without Machado and Kim playing defense behind him to snag those IF line drives.
It’s not like Oracle Park is that much more of a pitcher friendly stadium than Petco Park. Plus the Dodgers absolutely crush him.
San Francisco was 3rd hardest to hit a home run in 2022. San Diego was in the middle of the pack, 15th hardest to hit a home run in 2022.
Expensive reclamation project but in this market it’s fair. Giants have a fantastic track record with this.
Not much of a reclamation project IMO. His xERA at Baseball Savant has been very steady the past 3 seasons 3.96 in 2020, 4.12 in 2021, 4.05 in 2022. Hopefully just some tweaking and he will get his actual ERA back down around 4 for 2023.
For the money he needs to get under 4. Giants need to contend and have been able to find 4 era guys cheaper than this.
My goodness, the complaining about Farhan is ridiculous. Judge went to the Yankees on the same deal, the Giants even thought they had a deal in place but it seems Judge’s agent was always using them to leverage more money out of the Yankees. They were never going to get him. The giants offered Harper a higher AAV than the Phillies did. They’re not cheap when players just choose to go elsewhere. Look at San Diego. The Padres have had to grossly overpay and they’ve been good not great.
Farhan has done a great job finding valuable players who make really good pieces. They’re often guys who can play different positions and in different spots in the lineup. They don’t trust pitchers to stay healthy so they minimize the risk and offer pillow contracts to guys, usually getting well more value than they spend, without the long-term risk.
While it’s nice to have an MVP-caliber player, the most important aspect of winning baseball games is to have lineup depth. During much of Bonds’s time with the team they had near-automatic outs at SS and C, which meant that the 7-9 holes in the lineup gave the other team three free innings of outs. It’s a little different now with the DH but not THAT much different.
Yes, Aaron Judge or Bryce Harper would be a huge piece to the team but they’ve been throwing money at those guys. They just have gone elsewhere. Is it fair to be frustrated about that? Absolutely. But is it fair to be frustrated with the front office? I don’t think so.
Does this team need pieces to be a contender? Of course they do. But so do a lot of teams.
Let’s engage a hypothetical. They sign Correa and Benintendi. Now the lineup looks like this:
1. Benintendi LF
2. Estrada/Crawford 2B
3. Correa SS
4. Pederson DH
5. Haniger RF
6. Flores/Crawford 3B
7. Wade/Slater 1B
8. Yaz/Slater CF
9. Bart/? C
There’s good lineup depth there even before you account for other platoon options (guys like Villar, Davis, La Stella). That doesn’t account for people who might come up and be effective (sure Ramos may not be the middle of the lineup masher we hoped but he might be a nice 8-hitter). Is it as heavy of a lineup as the Dodgers or Padres? No.
But let’s not get wild and overreact. Two years ago the top contracts went to Springer, Realmuto, Ozuna, Bauer, and LeMahieu. One year out and Realmuto looks like the best deal of the bunch (he had a great year but is a 31 year old catcher. LeMahieu is probably playing to his value, maybe Springer too. Ozuna and Bauer’s contracts are debacles. Last year they were Seager, Kris Bryant, Semien, Freeman, and Story. Semien and Freeman seem to be about the right value, Seager is somewhat overpaid, and the Bryant and Story contracts seem misguided.
You think, “My team’s gotta make a statement!” But then you end up paying Anthony Rendon $30+M a year through 2026. Let’s keep things in perspective.
Correa isnt signed…not 1 all start in that line-up! 4th place!
Are opt outs required now for every Boras Corp client?
An opt out after the first year of a two year contract on a guy like Manaea is more evidence that the Giants are struggling mightily to attract talent to San Francisco. The luster of the three World Series wins in recent years has all but faded and SF is an unattractive place to be. They couldn’t even overpay Judge to come “home”.
sf101214, I’d say you’re wrong. Your assumption is FZ wants these guys on longer contracts when it’s just the opposite. Pitchers on short term deals is exactly what FZ wants. He’s been able to reload each season without a Zito-like contract on the books, relying more on guys like Webb, while waiting for Harrison.
I see your point, but I still think Zaidi has to sweeten the pot by including an opt out. The “fly by analytics” MO that he insists on is killing the team’s allure, so players are likely seeing the Giants as a spring board to greener pastures.
He doesn’t need to sweeten the pot. SF is still a reasonably good park to pitch in. That’s what pitcher’s want. But they also want 5, 6, and 7 year deals, and it’s obvious that FZ wants no part of pitcher’s contracts on deals of that length. So, it’s a trade of giving the opt-out in exchange for less years.
The Giants are a big market team, but Zaidi keeps making Oakland type moves. Yankees and Dodgers make big moves each year; doesn’t work every year, but at least they’re talked about being in contention. We don’t buy tickets, hats, and jerseys to look at the accountants ledgers.
Anyone, off the top of your heads, name the president of the Mets. tic toc tic toc. Now name their owner. Cohen Cohen Cohen. He’s all we hear about. “man, Cohen is spending like crazy! Their way over tax penalty line”. Cmon, without using Google name their president. Give up? Sandy Alderson. Have any of you mentioned how many free agents Alderson has signed? Do any writers? Nope. All we hear is “Cohen this, Cohen that…” Remember Alderson is the president. OKAY, now when the Giants don’t make splash signings, all we read from posters, AD NAUSEUM, is nothing but Zaidi bashing. Of course he deserves it because after all he is the owner…no wait.. he’s the president. He’s their Alderson. He’s not the owner. he’s not their Cohen. So who is the owner responsible for not spending $ on splash signings? Here’s a hint, his initials are not FZ.
I saw he’s getting a 5 million dollar signing bonus and a 7.5 mill base pay for 2022. Does this help the Giants stay under the luxury tax. They did the same with Haniger…
They’re way under the tax threshold, so that’s probably not the reason. Players like the bonus, and if it helps sign a guy, they can easily afford it.
So, who did the Giants trade or DFA to make room for Manaea on the 40-man roster?