It was a bit of a slow burn, but the Giants ended up being the main beneficiary of the tepid offseason, as they were able to sign three star players after February had already begun. Since they had also signed a significant deal with a Korean superstar and traded for a former Cy Young winner, it added up to the most significant winter the club has had in years.
Major League Signings
- OF Jung Hoo Lee: Six years, $113MM (plus $18.825MM posting fee; Lee can opt out after four years)
- LHP Blake Snell: Two years, $62MM (can opt out after 2024)
- 3B Matt Chapman: Three years, $54MM (including buyout of 2027 mutual option; Chapman can opt out after ’24 and ’25)
- RHP Jordan Hicks: Four years, $44MM
- OF/DH: Jorge Soler: Three years, $42MM
- C Tom Murphy: Two years, $8.25MM (including buyout of 2026 club option)
- RHP Austin Warren: One year, $755K
2024 spending: $73.755MM (not including Lee’s posting fee or Snell’s 2026 signing bonus)
Total spending: $324.005MM (not including Lee’s posting fee)
Option Decisions
- OF Michael Conforto exercises $18MM player option
- RHP Ross Stripling exercises $12.5MM player option
- Team exercises $10MM option on RHP Alex Cobb
- LHP Sean Manaea declines $12.5MM player option
Trades and Claims
- Claimed RHP Devin Sweet off waivers from Athletics (later lost on waivers to Tigers)
- Acquired OF TJ Hopkins from Reds for cash (later lost on waivers to Tigers)
- Acquired LHP Robbie Ray from Mariners for OF Mitch Haniger and RHP Anthony DeSclafani and cash
- Acquired C/OF Cooper Hummel from Mets for cash
- Traded RHP Ross Stripling and cash to Athletics for OF Jonah Cox
- Acquired LHP Ethan Small from Brewers for cash
- Acquired IF/OF Otto López from Blue Jays for cash
Notable Minor League Signings
- Yusniel Díaz, Cole Waites, Thomas Szapucki, Daulton Jefferies, Yoshi Tsutsugo, Donovan Walton, Tommy Romero, Cody Stashak, Pablo Sandoval, Nick Ahmed, Justin Garza
Extensions
- None
Notable Losses
- Manaea, Stripling, Jakob Junis, Scott Alexander, Joc Pederson, Brandon Crawford, John Brebbia, Alex Wood, AJ Pollock, Bryce Johnson, Mark Mathias, J.D. Davis,
Many recent offseasons for the Giants have been defined by who they didn’t acquire. They were in the mix for superstars like Bryce Harper and Aaron Judge but ultimately didn’t get those deals across the finish line. They had an agreement in place with Carlos Correa before the team got scared off by his physical and walked away.
The result has been that the clubs of the Farhan Zaidi era have mostly been middling, sputtering by while cobbling together some decent role players, compiling some passable platoon pairings and oscillating almost every pitcher between the rotation and bullpen. Since Zaidi took over as president of baseball operations in November of 2018, the Giants have mostly hovered below .500, apart from a 107-win campaign in 2021 that now looks like a clear outlier.
Gabe Kapler won manager of the year for that surge, but the club fell to 81-81 in 2022 and then 79-83 last year. Before last year’s campaign was even finished, the club decided to move on from Kapler, as he was shown the door at the end of September.
Thankfully, a solution to their managerial vacancy fell from the sky, which was perhaps an omen of how the rest of their offseason would play out. Across the division and the state of California, rumors started to percolate out of San Diego about discord within the Padres organization. That club’s manager Bob Melvin had reportedly been clashing with president of baseball operations A.J. Preller. They initially planned to put their differences aside and continue working together, but the Giants came calling and asked to talk to Melvin, which the Padres agreed to.
Melvin was the manager of the Athletics when Zaidi was working in that front office, prior to joining the Giants. Presumably, the two were at least passingly familiar with each other from then and Melvin decided to skipper his ship up the coast to the Bay Area. Melvin’s contract with the Padres ran through 2024, as did Zaidi’s with the Giants. But the Giants decided to give the two some extra job security by extending both through 2026.
With the decisions made about the decision makers, the focus could turn to the roster. Starting pitching was a clear target after a season in which the club was quite nonchalant about moving guys between the rotation and the bullpen. Logan Webb, Alex Cobb and rookie Kyle Harrison were the only pitchers to work exclusively as starters, as Sean Manaea, Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood, Ross Stripling, Jakob Junis and others were oscillated between starting and relieving gigs, with Wood later expressing some frustration with that inconsistency.
That hodgepodge rotation got even thinner this offseason, with Manaea opting out of his deal and returning to the open market. Wood and Junis also became free agents while Cobb required hip surgery at the end of October, with a recovery timeline that would keep him out of action into the 2024 season.
Zaidi acknowledged early on that starting pitching would be a priority, as well as outfield defense. At shortstop, Zaidi said in October that rookie Marco Luciano would have the chance to be the everyday guy, though the club’s commitment to that plan would later prove to be weak.
At first, the club set its sights high, seemingly looking for the superstar it had failed to land in previous offseasons. All eyes were on Shohei Ohtani in the early parts of the offseason and the Giants stayed involved in that market the whole way through. They were apparently willing to offer Ohtani the same heavily-deferred contract that he eventually signed with the Dodgers, but it nonetheless went down as another miss.
And it wasn’t the only big whiff of the winter, as the club was also connected to targets like Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Juan Soto, Cody Bellinger and others, but none of that group would be coming to San Francisco either.
In mid-December, they did make one notable strike. Jung Hoo Lee, a star in Korea, agreed to join the Giants on a six-year, $113MM deal. The 25-year-old outfielder is not a star in North America, at least not yet, but it was easily the biggest free agent deal of the Zaidi era. Previously, that was the $44MM over two years given to Carlos Rodón, who ended up opting out after just one year. It’s a bit of a gamble since there’s some uncertainty about whether Lee’s approach will translate to the majors, but his youth and athleticism could allow him to serve as a solid everyday center fielder and leadoff-hitting type.
As for the rotation, the club’s signing of Jordan Hicks sat as the most notable addition for a long time. In mid-January, he and the club agreed to a four-year, $44MM pact. That contract was roughly in line with expectations for Hicks as a reliever but it was a surprise to hear that the Giants were going to plug him into the rotation.
Hicks has youth on his side, still just 27 years old, but counting on him to provide bulk innings is no guarantee. He was a starter as a prospect but never logged more than 105 innings, which came back in 2017. Since reaching the majors, the Cardinals have mostly kept him in relief. They gave him a chance to try starting again in 2022 but he suffered a flexor strain in May and the club moved him back to the bullpen once he was healthy.
He has triple-digit heat but has been more passable than dominant, with a career ERA of 3.85 thus far. His 28.4% strikeout rate last year was strong but he still walked 11.2% of batters he faced. He compensates for those free passes with heaps of ground balls but it remains to be seen whether he can do that for multiple innings and for an extended stretch of time.
There was another significant rotation move that came in January, though one that wouldn’t be able to help in the short term. The Giants sent Mitch Haniger and Anthony DeSclafani to the Mariners in exchange for lefty Robbie Ray. The signing of Lee had given the Giants a bit of an outfield surplus, as Mike Yastrzemski would be pushed into the corner mix with Michael Conforto, Luis Matos and others. DeSclafani, meanwhile, had likely fallen out of the club’s plans as he had been injured for much of the previous two seasons and the younger Giants pitchers neared the majors.
Getting a former Cy Young winner for a couple of spare parts is a nice coup, in theory, but there are some asterisks. Ray underwent Tommy John and flexor tendon surgery in May of last year and won’t be available to them until the All-Star break, even in a best-case scenario. It’s also possible the Giants will remain on the hook for his contract, which runs through 2026. Ray can opt out after 2024 but he won’t be able to log many innings before making that decision, so he would likely have to be in great form for him to consider walking away from two years and $50MM.
In addition to the DeSclafani trade, the Giants further thinned out their rotation by sending Ross Stripling to the Athletics in early February. They got outfielder Jonah Cox in that deal but it was mostly a salary dump, as it saved them $9.25MM.
Just as Spring Training was about to begin, the Giants made a strong move to upgrade their lineup. Joc Pederson had been their primary designated hitter last year but he hit free agency and moved across the division to the Diamondbacks. The Giants replaced him by signing Jorge Soler to a three-year, $42MM deal. Soler is a streaky hitter but is one of the best power bats in the league when at his best.
He hit 48 home runs with the Royals back in 2019. That was the “juiced ball” season but that number led the American League and Kauffman Stadium is one of the hardest ballparks to hit it out of. He hit another 36 for the Marlins last year and opted out, eventually signing with the Giants. Oracle Park is also a tough venue for the long ball and no Giant has had a 30-homer season since Barry Bonds in 2004, a pretty stunning statistic. If Soler stays healthy and has one of his good years, he has a solid chance to break that streak.
As Spring Training ramped up, the Giants still hadn’t addressed their shortstop position. Though Zaidi initially said Luciano would get a chance to be the everyday guy there, the club was rumored to be looking around for other options throughout the winter. Franchise icon Brandon Crawford was out there in free agency but it seemed the Giants were ready to move on. In the last week of February, the Giants added Nick Ahmed on a minor league deal and Crawford joined the Cardinals.
He and Zaidi later spoke of the parting of ways, with Crawford expressing frustration at not coming back. A Bay Area native who grew up a Giants fan, Crawford has been synonymous with the franchise for his entire career. But Zaidi believed having such an iconic player on the bench wouldn’t be comfortable for the other players, so the club will proceed without Crawford for the first time since he was drafted in 2008.
Around the baseball world, a key storyline of the spring revolved around how many notable free agents remained unsigned in what turned out to be an incredibly slow offseason. The Giants were able to take advantage by signing third baseman Matt Chapman, who was pegged for a nine-figure deal at the start of the winter, for just three years and $54MM with opt-outs.
The Giants had J.D. Davis at the hot corner, but Chapman is a far superior defender and roughly comparable hitter. With an uncertain shortstop situation, it was a sensible swap for the club, especially at such a bargain rate.
The club then tried to shop Davis and his $6.9MM salary but found no takers. The free agent market had collapsed to such a point that solid infielders Gio Urshela and Amed Rosario each signed deals for just $1.5MM, which gave Davis little appeal at his price point. Arbitration salaries are not guaranteed if the sides go to a hearing, which Davis and the Giants had done, the player coming out victorious. But since it wasn’t guaranteed, the club was able to release him while only paying 30 days’ termination pay, which amounted to about $1.1MM.
This was obviously an unpleasant outcome for Davis, who eventually signed with the A’s for a guarantee of just $2.5MM. The unfair nature of the proceedings has seemingly been an inciting incident for the MLBPA, with players understandably upset by how things played out.
Despite all this activity surrounding the Giants, they arrived at the middle of March with the major target area of the rotation relatively unanswered. Cobb and Ray would be starting the season on the injured list, leaving the club with little certainty beyond ace Logan Webb. They had the converted reliever Hicks and then unproven young guys like Harrison, Triston Beck, Keaton Winn and Sean Hjelle. As Spring Training opened, Beck, Winn and Hjelle all battled injuries of varying degrees, highlighting the flimsiness of the group.
But they were able to take advantage of the weak free agent market once again, as they signed Blake Snell to a two-year, $62MM deal with an opt-out after the first season. Snell is the reigning National League Cy Young winner and was surely hoping for a massive nine-figure deal but was never able to land it.
There’s still plenty of uncertainty in the rotation picture but Snell makes it much stronger in the short term. And in the long term, it’s possible to imagine the season finishing with a San Francisco rotation consisting of Webb, Snell, Ray and Cobb, with one spot available for Hicks, Harrison or someone else. A lot has to go right for that to happen, but it’s wonderful to dream on for now.
In the end, the offseason could hardly have played out much better for Zaidi and the Giants. As mentioned, they have been incredibly averse to long-term free agent deals. Though they have made significant offers to players like Judge, Correa, Ohtani and others, they came into this winter having never given out more than the two-year, $44MM deal for Rodon. But they were able to add two Cy Young winners, one of the game’s best defenders, one of its best sluggers and a Korean star. And they did all of that without really breaking the bank in the present or in the future. The only guys who got more than three years, Lee and Hicks, are 25 and 27 years old, respectively. They are set to pay the competitive balance tax for the first time since 2017, but they are not far over the line and will face modest penalties as a “first-time” payor.
They still have some questions on the pitching staff and it seems as though the light-hitting Ahmed might end up as their everyday shortstop, but a lot of talent has been added to the roster this winter. They’re in for a battle since they share a division with the juggernaut Dodgers, the reigning N.L. champion Diamondbacks and the pesky Padres, but there’s more to be excited about than there was last year or even a six weeks ago.
No Ohtani headline. Weird.
MLB trade rumors did the Friday afternoon story dump move lol. MLB tell em too ??
They signed two of the top free agents to reasonable deals. That’s an A grade offseason.
I really think the only knock you can give them at all is they didn’t land a true superstar like Ohtani or Yamamoto (although I’d say Snell is relatively close at least as far as pitchers go).
Jung hoo looks like a possible superstar so far. Time will tell
Look on the bright side Snell isn’t pitching to a 45 era And didn’t cost over three quarters of a billion dollars nor is he under investigation Which could lead to harsh disciplinary action.
Yamamoto NOT a superstar.
Really just a prospect.
Ohtani soon to be suspended, so more like two dodged bullets !
Yamamoto hasn’t even had success for how much he’s getting paid lol. More than Cole but he did good in Japan. Meanwhile Snell won CY young in both leagues and is making less. Win win for the Giants
CY young is an irrelevant and arbitrary thing.
Sure, terrible pitchers win it all the time.
I don’t know how to put this politely, but this article was awfully written. It feels like it couldn’t be more obvious that the writer had a thesaurus in one hand while typing with the other hand. “Melvin decided to skipper his ship up the coast to the Bay Area.” Please. Stop.
Geeze, who whizzed in your cheerios? I thought the author did an excellent job of touching on all the major points of the offeseason. Awful non baseball take
Pfft, barrybonds1994 is spot on
That’s right. I come to read about baseball, not looking to read someone’s short story from creative writing class.
What do you expect? These writers are paid in bananas. Literally. Because they are monkeys.
Well said SFGLifer
SFGLifer, You’re confusing content, with writing style. Yes he touched on all the major points, but the style in doing that was poor.
As a Giants fan I really think this is their best offseason I’ve ever seen. They improved the defense (Lee and Chapman), offense (two aforementioned players and Soler) and their starting rotation (Snell and potentially Ray later) dramatically. Winning the offseason does not always translate to regular season success but I can say between that and their potentially exciting prospects Harrison, Matos and Luciano I find myself very excited for the 2024 season! Go Giants!
Heck yeah! Finally something to root for which is all I ask. Go Giants!
I was pretty critical of zaidi until a couple weeks ago. He did an awesome job letting the offseason play out and getting some bargains ! They should improve as the season goes on and compete for division
I won’t lie though at the start of spring training to now there’s a pretty big difference. If he didn’t end up with Soler, Chapman and Snell it would probably be like a C+ maybe B- at best
Gmen, without those 3 the Giants offseason would have been a solid D.
Big whiffa me too. I’m thinking now might be a good time to change my moniker and screen name from #FireFarhan, to ‘#SnellYeah’, or something classy like that:)
97 was pretty impressive we just didn’t realize it at the time. But yeah this one in the end came together pretty nice and I would have to say you may be right. My only gripe and it’s one they have to deal with to attract talent at this point is that if they have a superb season and end up wining their division they will see a mass exodus next year of these guys opting out. I would like to have more long term stability but I will take this over a bunch of AAAA guys controllable for half a decade.
Offseason in review:
Conservatives thought they would get no free agents, but they were wrong about the crime in the city.
I think the influence of Melvin was key. Chapman and Snell signed because they knew, at the very least, they were going to have someone fighting fiercely for them. Since probably the money was similar everywhere, they went with Melvin. Not sure Kapler causes free agents to sign equal money contracts.
Ultimately though they have a shaky lineup and a shaky rotation. It will be an adventure.
Fighting fiercely? Are you serious? The last 2 seasons Melvin was so uninvolved with the Padres that he didn’t have regular staff meetings and there were no mandatory practices for players. His self-proclaimed “hands-off approach to managing” the team meant that he was not involved in creating a cohesive team culture and he didn’t do any coaching himself. He couldn’t even be bothered to talk to FO and analytics staff in San Diego and even his former coaches said that he would make a pre-game plan and then pretty much disappear during the game in terms of making decisions.
It didn’t hurt that both players were familiar with Melvin, but it wasn’t a deciding factor in where they will play the 2024 season, and both will likely move on after 2024 unless they get hurt or their performance craters.
Snell wanted to stay close to home and his new baby in Seattle and San Francisco was as close as he could get. Chapman had no other offers. So the Giants got both on what is essentially 1-year deals.
And yet I’ve seen none of the issues with Melvin albeit in a small sample.I also followed Melvin with the Mariners and Dbacks and the above so called problems were never there either. Has to say something about his SD tenure. He’s just what the Giants needed. It’s a tough gig in SD with all the high paid egos. I sure do love Kim though. Consumate pro and a damn good ballplayer. They got rid of one of the egos to the Yankees. There’s still a couple lazy egos they’re stuck with now. Schildt has his hands full as Melvin did also. I think they’ll have a decent record but I see the Giants with a few more wins than SD & Arizona. I’m still of the opinion that DBacks are being overrated. Let the real games begin and good luck to everyone’s favorite team.
Chapman and Snell both said themselves that BoMel is a big reason they came to SF
Solid 80 win team
Your right all these moves will add one win over last year
Padres, Giants, and Diamondbacks are all an 83.5 Win O/U right now. The Dodgers are currently off the board at Caesars and Bally’s.
The NL West is going to be a dog fight with 3 teams fighting for a WC. All the more so if Ohtani is not able to play and the Dodger’s pitching continues to collapse with Yamamoto not piching up to expectation and the expected injury issues.
Ray Kings Thick Thighs: Nope. But we all have our opinions. Good luck to your favorite team this season.
Disco was not a part time starter. Dude had 19 appearances, 18 were starts
Whoever wrote this must have had a very bad day. Little understanding of anything, lots of talk, perhaps should look for a job with Saturday Evening Post
Why does every giants post create so many comments on here? Do that many of you hate them?
I’ll be honest this offseason I’ve seen more Giants fans bashing the Giants than other franchises
Yes. Lots of childlike mentalities.
Just laying the boot in non stop. Weird.
There’s a few Giants fans that if Zaidi signed Ohtani for 10 years $80M and a bag of chips they’d be angry we lost the bag of chips
I’ve never seen so many kids throwing themselves on the shop floor and chucking a tantrum. Good to see them up and about though. Eyes are all red and swollen but at least they have stopped wailing.
@foppert2 to be fair I think all fan bases have fans like this I just notice the Giants the most because they’re my team. Zaidi should have bought himself until the end of season before getting criticized from those fans (yet I’m sure there’s still a few who will).
Gmen, I think you are right about that. Padres have towinagain and Padswschamps2024. All fan bases have that type of woe is me commenters on this board.
I’m a hardcore Giants fan and I used to love to comment here but the vitriol towards Zaidi and SF here the last few years made me sick to my stomach. I love Zaidi and I live in SF, but most of these commenters do not and are clueless, so I have mostly given up reading MLBTR and commenting because of this.
Kleenex com
GiantJim Well said. I’m in a similar boat as agnesgooch, but for different reasons. I’m a hardcore Giants fan, but the way I saw it Zaidi was ruining the team. I haven’t been on here much lately. The vitriol towards anyone who said anything not flattering about Farhan was ridiculous. Anyway I’m glad Farhan got off his @$$ and improved the team. That’s all I wanted. I might change my screen name from #FireFarhan, to ‘#SnellYeah’, or something classy like that. Anyway hopefully we can be on the same page. Snell ya later fam.
Dude, “not flattering”? The crap you spewed was more than “vitriolic”. “nonflattering” ≠ derogatory, disgusting, and juvenilistic. Agnes? She responded to it but always was NON-vitriolic. Change your name to MrBandwagon. I’ve followed the Giants since 1968. I listened on a transistor radio to BOBBY Bonds’ Grand slam in his first game v Dodgers. I’ve stuck with them through some thick and a lot of thin. I’ve never considered spewing the vile that you have. Changing your name doesn’t change what we know you are. You’re MrBandwagon, forever and a day. But find a seat near the edge of the wagon so you can jump off when you want just as quickly as Snell moved you to jump on.
claude you’re full of $h*t. You’re just proving me right. Bandwagon? Far from it. Give it a rest with your uninformed assumptions and accusations. If you’re really such an adult, then act like it. Move on
agnes gooch I’m a hardcore Giants fan too. I haven’t been on here much lately either. Honestly your vitriol was one of the worst I experienced, consistently. Because you didn’t like my screen name, you assumed and accused me of a lot of untrue things. Anyway, that said, I’m not trying to argue. I’m trying to bury the hatchet. We are on the same side, after all.
I’m glad Farhan finally got off his @$$ and improved the team. That’s all I wanted. I might change my screen name from #FireFarhan, to ‘#SnellYeah’, or something.
Anyway I’m willing to let water be under the bridge, if you are. Here’s to a great Giants season, with an upgraded Oracle Park!!!
So in conclusion, you couldn’t deal with the online crap you would constantly dish out to someone else.
foppert2 that was probably exactly agnes gooches problem. Good call
You don’t have to be Einstein to work out Agnes is a beautiful person.
Good luck with the new identity. My guess is it lasts until the first 3 game skid.
#FireFarhan, “I’m glad Farhan finally got off his @$$…”
Seriously? You can’t simply admit you were wrong in prematurely launching your criticisms of Zaidi. You have to make it seem like Zaidi was doing nothing.
For you to have any credibility whatsoever, you should be telling everyone what Zaidi should have been doing. In truth he’s done everything he possibly could. The only people that don’t see that are the ones that look only at the bottom line, and employ their power of hindsight.
foppert2 thanks for proving my point about the vitriol. Your assumptions and guesses, although childish and uninformed, are amusing
Jean grow up. We’re on the same side. Act like it. Don’t act like you take it so personally if I have a different opinion than you about a MLB executive. News flash: Not everything is about you. I had good reason for my opinion, after being one of Farhan’s biggest supporters, for the first 4 years of his tenure. But I guess you don’t want to talk about that.
Snellzilla #7, Wait, let me get this straight. You can make a post trying to create a justification for your stance on Zaidi, which was obviously wrong; that he’s been sitting on his a$$. But no one is allowed to rebut that because of your history as a Giants’ fan who initially supported Zaidi. Got it.
We both might be Giants’ fans, but we have not been on the same side regarding Zaidi. Not everything is about you or your incorrect assessments of Zaidi either.
I’ll talk about your supposed “good reasons” for your criticisms of Zaidi. Why not post them instead of using the concept as a strawman.
And what’s with the “grow up”? That’s a very transparent attempt to make it seem like you’re the mature one. That’s a failure.
You’ve been exceptionally harsh, without taking into consideration any mitigating factors. You’ve also been impatient, basing your opinions on the bottom line with the gift of hindsight. And now that you like what he’s doing, you suggest he’s been lazy or uninvolved, and now he’s finally decided to do something.
That’s my opinion, and I have every right to express it as you have for yours.
I’m glad he finally got off his @$$, although it took nearly losing his job with Kapler. He’s feeling the pressure. If the Giants don’t do better, he’s out. Suddenly the team is much improved. Look, they even went into luxury tax territory! You can’t argue with the fact that they’re suddenly vastly improved, starting with the firing of Kapler. I don’t know why you took my old screename so personally. Not everything is about you. Sorry you took the grow up comment personally, but the fact that you did and are trying to argue about it proves my point. I’m focused on baseball today. It’s opening day. Stop harassing people on the Internet for having different opinions and go enjoy a game.
I used your old screen name because that’s what popped up when I clicked reply. I simply copy/paste what pops up. There was nothing personal about it. Are you embarrassed by having used it? Why so defensive?
My opinion is you’ve been wrong, and aren’t big enough to admit it. It’s my opinion you’re trying to reframe the issue by making the job Zaidi has done seem like he sat on his a$$ when he should have been working. It’s my opinion that you’re doing it to avoid any admission of being wrong.
I’ve never even suggested you shouldn’t offer your opinions. But you seem to want to be able to post your opinions without any pushback from anyone. And, you’re telling me to stop posting mine. I am entitled to my opinions. and you have no right to tell anyone that they don’t.
You’ve obviously missed my multiple comments where I said maybe I was wrong about Zaidi. Then again, maybe I’m right, that the pressure caused him to spring into action and change course. He’s obviously done that. The only reason he got an extension is that’s the only way BoMel signed in SF. So I think he realizes how close he was to getting fired, that he kinda owes BoMel a little bit and he’s trying desperately to not get fired before his extension is up. I don’t know why you’re so defensive of Farhan, as if anything said about him, is said about you, lol.
Wow, you live in your own fantasy world. Zaidi has not changed course. He did not suddenly spring into action. He was not close to being fired. And Melvin came to SF because Zaidi hired him. Your version of those things exist only in your mind.
I defend Zaidi, I’m not defensive of him. I defend him because I look at what he possibly could have done, and what he’s accomplished. He’s worked hard every year since he took over and has done everything he possibly could. Fangraphs even had an article on last year’s offseason and concluded that he did everything he possibly could.
I defend him because I take mitigating factors into account, and don’t do simplistic bottom-line analysis. I haven’t agreed with everything he’s done, but I also know he’s got far more information than I do, and consults with a large staff smarter about baseball than I am.
Zaidi completely changed course and sprung into action, starting with the Kapler firing. Everyone can see that, anyone who denies that is delusional.
My biggest complaint has been all the people completely bashing the city itself with an overwhelming amount who critisized, not even being residents and even more who’ve never been there. But they know more than the actual residents of the city. Doesn’t make sense to critisize something without ever laying their own two eyes there.
All the above and some anti-liberal pseudo political nonsense as well. Unfounded but there you have it.
Agreed.They were wrong about crime increasing
Candlestoked and Steve y’all are right about that narrative being complete bs. SF is a beautiful city, despite the political propaganda hyperbolic narrative. Politics shouldn’t be being discussed on sports threads imo.
Guess the Giants off-season took a positive turn last few weeks with signings of Chapman and Snell. Guess they waited market out and got some good value . Before that I thought they had become the team from across the bay
Let me get this straight. Over 600 mil spent between the Dodgers and the Giants. And yet neither have a shortstop. Not that, that is important or anything. Only the second most difficult position, and first in athletic ability. Fricking brilliant!!!
Ahmed has a golden glove on his mantle that disagrees with you.
Oh and Marco, the 7th rated shortstop prospect in the MLB says hello.
Very good off season. They are going to be more engaging. Eighty-eight wins, with good things to come.
Giants went complete “draw a line underneath it, change it up and go again”. New manager, new (old) coaching philosophies, new and younger players, new payroll position, new work vibe. Upgraded the stadium for a new fan experience.
Did well. Got a lot done. Go Giants.
Well said. Getting rid of Kapler was a great first step.
Giants fans have reason to be excited. This ended up being a great off season. Doesn’t mean anything once the season starts but there’s lots of hope.
But let’s be honest, this off season was tailor made for Farhan. SFG struck out on the 2 big free agents. Then other teams decided not to spend. Giants backed into many of their free agents because no one else came to the party. And because of circumstances, Zaidi comes out looking like a genius and probably secured his job for the next few years.
It’s all good and I for one am happy. But next off season will be interesting as many of the free agent signings will probably opt out (Snell, Chapman and Ray). Then the spot light will be back on Farhan unless Giants bring home the hardware.
I doubt Ray opts out considering the injury
davemlaw, I wouldn’t characterize it as the Giants backing into their FA deals. It’s doubtless that there were other teams willing to sign Snell and Chapman for what they agreed to.
Obviously, like the Giants, no team wanted them on there initial asks. But also obviously, when their price dropped the Giants weren’t the only team interested. They chose to go to SF, instead of other places.
Snell, in an in-game interview, said he chose SF because it was close to home, but also said a big reason was Alex Cobb. He said he learned a lot from him, and liked the idea of them being teammates.
So expect them to re-sign Cobb
I expect this to be Cobbs last season in SF, with the pitching prospects developing
He also said BoMel was a big reason why
I like how they turned things around. After a lot of time to think about what type of team they want. Early off-season moves to dump players. And a huge signing for them with Lee. The Off-season bore more fruit as it went on. Absolutely ripe conditions for Farhan’s style of pay for play. The Gs took full advantage and good for them. I will give Farhan credit because of his title. But my gut instinct tells me this is a total organization win. I have been watching for many years with this ownership group, and being an also-ran is Not what they like to be. Constantly churning players in and out with a sub .500 as a goal. And that’s what they had. Melvin is huge, borrowed from the Bochy playbook years ago. Without a doubt a carbon copy move. A great one at that for us. And having the opportunity to fill the holes in the roster piece by piece could not have gone any better. I won’t list them, but it’s quite amazing they got everything we needed as a team. Maybe a bullpen arm would be good. Swap Yaz and Slater for Different players. Hopefully Conforto can have a full offense season this year. These are a few things to hope. But I like it. 90-95 wins should be the goal. And a playoff run thru the Dodgers for sure. ! From there, it’s anybody’s game. !!!
Potential overpays aside, great off-season. Probably a C until Snell signed. Now an A.
It’s been awhile since the Giants looked this fun on paper. I’m really excited for this season in a way I haven’t been the past couple
jackoffman
Top of the rotation arm.
Young CF’er whose game should play perfectly in that ballpark and division.
Power in the middle of the lineup.
They nailed it. A.
And from a Giants fan’s perspective, a relatable manager with an exciting team. Every single issue has been addressed. Whether it’s a success remains to be seen but, fair play to the front office, they’ve gone all in.
What about Lee? He was a star just like Yamamoto lol. Chapman is one of the best defensive 3b in the league. Snell one of the best starters to play in both divisions. Seems like they did well
I’m glad Farhan got off his @$$ and improved the team. That’s all I wanted. I’m actually feeling excited to see my beloved Giants again. I might change my screen name from #FireFarhan, to ‘#SnellYeah’, or something classy like that
Great off-season! I’m glad Farhan finally got off his @$$ and improved the team. That’s all I wanted. LFG GIANTS!!!
Jack O, Chapman, Lee and Snell all were coveted star players, top of the list at their positions for this round of FA. Hope you get what you’re looking for!
Not bad but I give them a B. If you don’t have a Jesse Chavez or Edwin Jackson involved trade you can not have an A.
This season will be one of “only time will tell.” Only time will tell if we get good to great years out of Snell, Chapman, Soler, Conforto, Yaz, Bailey, Ray. A lot of question marks with these guys. They have All-Star potential but also track records of boom or bust years. I am more optimistic today than I was in December but that does not change my feeling that Farhan is over his head and must be replaced. This team either wins 70 or 90. I don’t see an in-between.
Actually Bailey doesn’t have much of a track record at all. Except for leading the league in errors, in only 3/4 of the season, while striking out at a higher rate than Bart last year. Bart’s earned the starting job this spring, if Melvin is fair and sticks to his word.
unless Bailey or Murphy get injured by Thursday, Bart will be gone by then. And trade targets will be tough to find cuz no one gives 2 farts about spring stats.
Bart’s earned the job much more than Bailey has this spring and it’s not even close. Bailey strikes out more than Bart, last year and this spring. I’m tired of watching Bailey allow passed balls, throw the ball into CF and striking out. I’d rather see the guy with power, who strikes out less, has a stronger arm and has the stamina to play the whole season.
BoMel cares about spring stats. Otherwise Ahmed wouldn’t be in the discussion about starting
Preferring Bart to Bailey is about the most tone-deaf take I’ve seen in awhile. The catcher position is about receiving, defense, and working with the pitching staff. Go to Fangraphs and find the article where they declared Bailey to be a framing unicorn. He’s one of the top two catchers in baseball, and might be the best.
You might also check out their article on their predicted booms and busts, where they put Bailey in the former group. Not that you had much credibility to begin with, but saying Bart should start over Bailey trashed what little you had.
The Giants didnt walk away from the Correia deal, Boras did. The Giants wanted to renegotiate but Boras tried to play Cohen instead.
And that is why the Giants got such good deals THIS year. MLB has decided they arent playing Boras’ game anymore. Correia himself essentially threw Boras under the bus after he landed back in MN last year.
Darragh- This is the most comprehensive SF Giants article I have ever read. You did a phenomenal job detailing this Giants off-season while also accurately referencing others during Zaidi’s tenure. I sent this to every family member to get them fully locked in for 2024 Giants baseball.
One mistake here was saying that the Giants were just slightly over the luxury tax as they are right now just 1 million below the second level with higher penalties. They could get rid of some of that thru trades. I would suggest trading catcher Tom Murphy and his 4 million dollar salary and using a combo of Bailey and Bart at the catcher position.
It’s my understanding that MLB teams cannot trade a newly signed free agent until June 15.
Or Conforto. I’m sure someone will bite on him.
Screenshot the following. Snell Chapman and Ray will all be back next year. Snell will regress as he has in the past following Cy Young season. Will not opt out. Chapman will have a great year BUT has ZERO desire to play elsewhere. He and Giants renegotiate. Ray won’t be very good until midAugust and will not opt out. Luciano will learn OF before next season and Kim will be SS in 25. And Jack Hoffman will continue to post the most imbecile-like posts that only a 12 year old can. I predict I will be correct on at least ONE of these calls.
I could see several of your predictions coming true, but the Jack Hoffman prediction is the most likely.
Good catch brother
A plus. Might be best rotation in baseball? Cobb will probably pitch in April
MLB.com guy has them at 5. Behind Mariners, Braves, Phillies and Dodgers.
“Meanwhile” has to come at the start of the sentence—it can’t come in the middle, separated by two commas.
” Zaidi said…Luciano would have the chance to be the everyday guy, though the club’s commitment to that plan would later prove to be weak.”
Luciano was slowed early in ST with a hamstring. He’s played in 17 games this spring, 15 at SS. I don’t see how saying Luciano would be given the chance to be the everyday guy was proven weak.
If that was in reference to the signing of Ahmed, Zaidi had said from the very beginning that they wanted Luciano to take the job, but still wanted to sign a veteran SS as insurance.