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Tigers To Hire Scott Harris As President Of Baseball Operations

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The Tigers’ search for a new front office leader has reached its conclusion, as they’re set to hire Giants general manager Scott Harris as their new president of baseball operations, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan (Twitter link). Tigers owner Chris Ilitch fired Al Avila from his post as general manager back on Aug. 10.

Harris spent three seasons as the Giants’ general manager, working in that role under San Francisco president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi. He’d previously spent eight seasons with the Cubs (2012-19), rising from director of baseball operations to the title of assistant general manager. Prior to that, he worked for Major League Baseball as the league’s coordinator of Major League operations. Harris, who graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics in 2009 and got his MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management in 2015, has also spent time with the Nationals (2008) and Reds (2010).

A key lieutenant to baseball ops leaders Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer during the Cubs’ most recent run of prominence, Harris was hired away by San Francisco in Nov. 2019 and played an even larger role with the Giants as they authored an MLB-best 107-win season in 2021. The Giants nonetheless fell to the archrival Dodgers in the National League Division Series, however, and the 2022 season has been every bit as disappointing as the 2021 campaign was heartening in San Francisco. This year’s Giants have, to date, faceplanted with a 69-77 record and have been out of the postseason picture for the majority of the summer. They’ll look to reload for the 2023 season, but they may be in the market for a new general manager to work under Zaidi.

Harris will now step into the spotlight for an organization that’s had an even more disheartening 2022 season than the one he’s leaving behind. The Tigers, encouraged by a 69-66 post-April showing in 2021, expected 2022 to be a turning point at the end of a nearly half-decade rebuilding effort. Detroit had gone to great lengths to build out its research and analytics department, and the hiring of A.J. Hinch as manager prior to the 2021 season represented a clear “win-now” mindset. Heading into 2022, top prospects Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene were on the cusp of joining touted young pitchers Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Matt Manning on the big league roster, and Detroit had enjoyed strong 2021 showings from Jeimer Candelario, Rule 5 pickup Akil Baddoo and veteran second baseman Jonathan Schoop, among others.

An active offseason brought free agents Javier Baez, Eduardo Rodriguez and Andrew Chafin to Detroit, where they were joined by trade acquisitions Austin Meadows and Tucker Barnhart. Unfortunately, nearly every single one of those acquisitions (save for Chafin) has flopped to date, owing to a combination of poor health, off-the-field issues and simple poor performance. Their lack of production has been compounded by an overwhelming rash of injuries, most notably Mize requiring Tommy John surgery and Skubal undergoing flexor surgery. Manning is healthy now but missed most of the year due to shoulder trouble. Beyond that, key 2021 performers like Baddoo, Schoop and Candelario have struggled immensely.

It was a catastrophic season that cost Avila his job and now places Harris squarely in the midst of his own conundrum. The Tigers have Rodriguez signed for another four years and Baez for another five, pending future opt-out clauses that, at present, appear unlikely to be exercised. Meanwhile, Torkelson and Greene, expected to be key cogs that drive the engine of a more competitive lineup, have often looked overmatched in their debut efforts. Mize will miss a substantial portion of the 2023 season, and the same could be true of Skubal. The young core that served as such a source of optimism is at least temporarily in tatters.

Enough went wrong in 2022 that the Tigers reportedly at least pondered listening to offers on Skubal at the trade deadline, before his injury troubles flared up. A swap always seemed unlikely, but the very fact that such a possibility even merited consideration is emblematic of the stalled rebuilding efforts and the challenges that Harris will now face.

It seems unlikely that ownership will green-light yet another arduous rebuilding effort, but at the same time, there’s no easy fix in store. The Tigers appear further from contending than they did a year ago at this time — certainly more than just one or two acquisitions away from righting the ship. Meanwhile, last winter’s additions of Baez and Rodriguez have added some notable heft to future payrolls, and injuries have at least temporarily thinned out the promising young core.

There are some parallels between the current Tigers and the 2020-22 Giants that Harris helped to overhaul. No one pegged the Giants as anywhere close to the best team in baseball heading into the 2021 season, and even the 29-31 showing by the 2020 Giants exceeded some expectations after a run of three seasons that saw the club play at a 214-272 pace. Both play in cavernous home parks that could appeal to pitchers looking to rebuild their stock after tough seasons and/or injuries.

The Giants, under Harris and Zaidi, developed a reputation as one of the best teams in baseball (if not the best team) at revitalizing the careers of pitchers. Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood, Drew Smyly, Tyler Anderson and Jakob Junis are just some of the names who’ve gone to San Francisco in the past few years and significantly improved their stock. They also showed a knack for unearthing quality hitters in little-noticed moves (e.g. Mike Yastrzemski, Donovan Solano, Darin Ruf). Surely, Ilitch hopes that Harris can bring some of that success to his new home in Detroit.

Harris is jumping into a situation that’s less common — albeit certainly not unheard of — for newly hired baseball ops leaders. Many owners cut bait on a GM or president and bring in a new voice and perspective to help guide the club through a rebuild, but what was supposed to be the heavy lifting of the rebuild has already been performed in Detroit. It’ll now be incumbent upon Harris to find a way to further build out the organization’s infrastructure, add some new faces to the roster and get more out of current underperformers (e.g. Baez, Torkelson) without completely tearing things back down to the studs.

If there’s a small silver lining, it’s perhaps that the Tigers play in a fairly weak American League Central division. There’s no Dodgers-esque juggernaut looming atop the standings.  That bodes well for a return to contention sooner than some critics may expect, but a lot will need to go right for the Tigers to prevent their current eight-year playoff drought from ballooning to a decade.

NL Injury Notes: Peralta, Wood, Wheeler, Phillies

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Freddy Peralta hasn’t pitched since September 8 due to right shoulder fatigue, but the Brewers right-hander told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy and other reporters that he believes he’ll be back before the regular season is over, given how well Peralta has felt after preliminary throwing sessions.  The next step will be for Peralta to throw off of a mound, but it seems possible that he might not miss much time beyond the 15-day minimum stint on the injured list.

After an All-Star season in 2021, Peralta has pitched only 70 1/3 innings this year due to his current shoulder issue, as well as a posterior strain in that same right shoulder that cost him over two months of action.  Even with these health woes, Peralta has still posted a 3.45 ERA, and the Brewers can use all the help they can get as they fight for a playoff berth.

More updates on other injury situations from around the National League…

  • One pitcher who won’t be returning in 2022 in Alex Wood, as Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters (including Evan Webeck of the Bay Area News Group) that Wood has been shut down for the remainder of the season.  Wood went onto the 15-day injured list at the start of September due to a left shoulder impingement, and since he hasn’t yet been cleared to throw, the Giants opted to keep the veteran southpaw on the sidelines.  Wood will finish his second season in San Francisco with a disappointing 5.10 ERA over 130 2/3 innings, though that ERA was somewhat inflated by a poor finish — with his shoulder injury hampering his effectiveness, Wood had a 7.89 ERA over his final three outings and 12 1/3 innings.  Wood is owed $12.5MM in 2023, the final season of the two-year free agent he signed to rejoin the Giants last winter.
  • With Zack Wheeler tentatively slated to return to the Phillies rotation on Wednesday, interim manager Rob Thomson told reporters (including Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer) said that the Phils will stick with their same rotation order.  This means that rookie left-hander Bailey Falter will retain his starting job, and Noah Syndergaard will be used as a piggyback starter behind Wheeler.  Syndergaard’s next actual start is slated for October 1, when the Phillies have a doubleheader against the Nationals.

Giants Claim Jharel Cotton, Designate Willie Calhoun

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The Giants announced a series of roster moves, claiming right-handed pitcher Jharel Cotton off waivers from the Twins. In a corresponding move, outfielder Willie Calhoun was designated for assignment. Additionally, infielder Jose Rojas, who was designated for assignment on Friday, cleared waivers and elected free agency. Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com was among those who relayed the full slate of moves.

Cotton, 30, has been on and off the Twins’ roster all year long, having been designated for assignment for the fourth time this year just a few days ago. In the previous three instances, he cleared waivers and was outrighted, later getting re-selected to the roster. However, they couldn’t successfully pass him through waivers a fourth time, with the Giants sneaking in for an interception on this one.

In between all those transactions, Cotton has gotten strong results. In 35 big league innings this year, he has a 2.83 ERA, though there’s probably some good fortune in there. His 21.5% strikeout rate, 11.1% walk rate and 29.5% ground ball rate are all worse than league average, but a .182 batting average on balls in play and an 89.7% strand rate have kept him from allowing too many earned runs. His Triple-A work this season is actually much more impressive, as he has a 2.88 ERA in 25 innings with a 37.1% strikeout rate, 9.5% walk rate and 23.5% ground ball rate. The Giants will take a shot on him and see if he can bring some of those punchouts from the minors up to the majors. There’s just over two weeks remaining here in 2022 but Cotton could be retained for next year via arbitration if the Giants wish.

Calhoun, 27, was designated for assignment by the Rangers in June, clearing waivers and getting outrighted to the minors. A couple of weeks later, he was traded to the Giants, who selected him to the big league roster a week ago. Calhoun hit well for the Sacramento River Cats, slashing .299/.386/.465 for a wRC+ of 115 in 41 games. However, since coming up to join the Giants, he’s hit .125/.222/.125. That’s a tiny sample of just nine plate appearances in four games, but the club has decided to move on regardless. Calhoun will now head out onto the waiver wire a second time this year, though he’d be eligible to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency if he clears again, as is the right of any player who has previously been outrighted in his career.

As for Rojas, 29, he was just claimed off waivers from the Angels a couple of weeks ago and has been in Sacramento since then. In 22 big league games with the Halos before the claim, he hit just .125/.140/.161. He’s fared much better in the minors, hitting .274/.346/.569 between the two organizations this year. Since he was outrighted by the Angels earlier this year before being re-selected to the roster, he now is eligible to elect free agency instead of accepting an outright assignment.

NL West Notes: Gonsolin, Belt, Bryant

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Dodgers hurler Tony Gonsolin is continuing to work his way back from a right forearm strain, having been placed on the 15-day injured list on August 29. Gonsolin’s rehab hasn’t moved as quickly as the team had initially hoped, but Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times relays that he’s responded well to a bullpen session earlier this week. Gonsolin’s role with the Dodgers upon his return is not set in stone, with Gonsolin revealing that he and manager Dave Roberts have discussed “different routes” for his role when he returns.

In his first full season starting, Gonsolin has been nothing short of remarkable, pitching to a 2.49 ERA, 23.7 K%, 7.2 BB% in 128 1/3 innings (23 starts). These impressive numbers propelled him to his first All-Star game, but he has already surpassed his previous max innings pitched, 128, set in 2018. Additionally, after dealing with a forearm strain, it makes sense why the Dodgers may be hesitant in pushing their young, controllable starter before their upcoming playoff run.

Elsewhere around the division…

  • Giants stalwart Brandon Belt is entering free agency coming off his third surgery on his right knee, but he told Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic this week that his knee “feels great” roughly two weeks after surgery. Belt says that he feels “like a brand-new person,” while adding that he knows there is “a lot more left in me” and explaining he has already shed his crutches. Belt also added that he has roughly four weeks of rehab before he will be back to normal – plenty of time for a normal offseason preparation. Belt expressed interest in returning to San Francisco but indicated he’d be willing to play elsewhere if the team were “ready to move on.” The 34-year-old did not categorically rule out the idea of retiring, stating that “it needs to be the right situation for me to keep going” and that it doesn’t make sense to “go play for nothing” while stating he wouldn’t accept a minor league contract. Although Belt put forth a disappointing 2022 season, slashing .213/.326/.350 for a .676 OPS, he is less than a year removed from posting back-to-back .900+ OPS seasons and is a career .261/.356/.458 hitter.
  • The Rockies have still yet to officially shut down third baseman Kris Bryant for the season. However, there’s still no timetable for Bryant’s return to the field. In a chat with reporters (including The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney) this afternoon, Bryant stated that the Rockies want him “to feel really good going into the offseason” and that he wants an “offseason that’s as close to normal as possible.” With those sentiments, it appears likely that the 30-year-old will not take the field again this season with the Rockies destined to miss the playoffs for the fourth season in a row. Overall, Bryant is in the first year of a seven-year, $182MM contract, but has only appeared in 42 games with the Rockies while being placed on the injured list three times for a strained lower back and plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Nevertheless, when healthy he performed at a high standard, slashing .306/.376/.475 for a .851 OPS, albeit in a hitter-friendly environment.

Giants Claim Taylor Jones, Designate Jose Rojas

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The Giants have claimed first baseman/corner outfielder Taylor Jones off waivers from the Astros and optioned him to Triple-A Sacramento. Utilityman Jose Rojas has been designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. Houston had designated Jones for assignment earlier this week.

Jones changes organizations for the first time in his career. A 19th-round pick of the Astros in 2016, he’s spent the past six-plus years in the Houston system. The Gonzaga product has typically played well in the minor leagues, posting particularly strong numbers in the upper levels. Through parts of three seasons in Triple-A, Jones is a .279/.377/.487 hitter. That includes a quality .263/.370/.456 showing through 322 plate appearances this year. Jones has connected on 12 home runs and drawn walks at a quality 10.9% clip while striking out at a slightly higher than average rate (24.2%).

Despite the solid work in the minors, the 28-year-old hasn’t gotten much of a look in the big leagues. He’s appeared at the highest level in each of the past three years, but he’s picked up a cumulative 131 plate appearances in sporadic playing time. Jones hasn’t played well in that limited look, managing only a .234/.260/.395 line with a trio of longballs and an alarming 27.5% strikeout percentage.

The Giants are as active as any team at scouring the waiver wire, and they’ll take a shot on Jones’ upper minors productivity. He’s in his last minor league option year, meaning San Francisco can keep him in Triple-A for the final few weeks of the season. He’ll be out of options in 2023, though. If he holds his spot on the 40-man roster all winter, he’ll have to break camp on the MLB club or again be designated for assignment.

Rojas has been part of the Giants waiver wire churn. San Francisco snagged him from the Angels less than two weeks ago, and he’s spent his limited time in the organization with Sacramento. He’s appeared in seven games on optional assignment there and now loses his spot on the 40-man without having suited up in a big league contest.

A left-handed hitter, Rojas has appeared in the bigs with the Halos in each of the past two seasons. He’s not made much of an impact against MLB pitching, carrying a .188/.245/.339 slash with six homers through 241 trips to the plate. Like Jones, Rojas has been a very good hitter at the Triple-A level. Through parts of four seasons there, he sports a .277/.343/.525 line, including a .274/.346/.569 mark this season. The 29-year-old also offers a fair bit of defensive flexibility, suiting up at each of first, second and third base and in the corner outfield.

For the second time this month, Rojas will find himself on the waiver wire. He has an additional option remaining beyond this season and won’t reach arbitration for multiple years, so it’s possible another team will add him as an upper-level depth player. If he goes unclaimed, Rojas would have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.

Outrights: Mazeika, Davis, Arihara

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An update on a trio of players who’ll remain with their prior organizations after being designated for assignment and clearing waivers…

Latest updates

  • The Giants outrighted catcher Patrick Mazeika to Triple-A Sacramento, tweets Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. Mazeika, who’d been DFA this week, didn’t make a big league appearance with San Francisco. Claimed off waivers from the Mets last month, he’s spent the past couple weeks on optional assignment to Sacramento. Mazeika hasn’t hit well there, but he’d posted solid numbers with New York’s top affiliate earlier in the season. Mazeika has never previously been outrighted and doesn’t have three years of MLB service, so he’ll stick in the organization for this year’s final few weeks. He’d reach minor league free agency over the offseason if he’s not added back to the 40-man roster.

Earlier

  • Red Sox outfielder Jaylin Davis went unclaimed on outright waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Worcester, tweets Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. The 28-year-old Davis has spent time with the Twins, Giants and Red Sox organizations over the past five years but has never carried his stout Triple-A production over to the big league level. Granted, none of those clubs has given him much of a look in the Majors; Davis has just 95 plate appearances in the big leagues, during which time he’s posted a tepid .207/.274/.299 batting line. Davis turned in a colossal .306/.397/.590 slash with 35 homers in 541 plate appearances between the Triple-A affiliates for Minnesota and San Francisco in 2019, but even his Triple-A output has deteriorated since that standout showing. He’s had 353 turns at the plate in Triple-A this season and hit just .211/.317/.343 with a 30.9% strikeout rate.
  • Right-hander Kohei Arihara, designated for assignment by the Rangers this week, cleared outright waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Round Rock, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. That’s not particularly surprising, given Arihara’s struggles and the fact that he’s still owed the balance of this season’s $2.6MM salary. It’s “only” about $286K, but given that Arihara has yielded 21 earned runs in 20 innings this season and carries a 7.57 ERA in 60 2/3 frames dating back to 2021, he was never likely to be claimed. Texas signed the now-30-year-old righty on the heels of a solid six-year run in NPB (3.74 ERA, 18% strikeout rate, 5.6% walk rate), hoping that he could provide some innings at the back of the rotation. That two-year, $6.2MM contract hasn’t panned out, however, and this is now the second time Arihara has been outrighted by the Rangers.

Giants Notes: Zaidi, Rodón, Pederson, Wood

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The Giants won 107 games last season, earning the NL West crown and ending an eight-year streak of division titles for the Dodgers. Expectations were high for another strong season here in 2022, though the club has fallen short. They are currently 68-74, placing them 30 1/2 games behind the Dodgers in the division and 10 games out of a Wild Card spot. Although some changes will surely be coming to the roster, it seems like there will be continuity elsewhere.

“We are fully behind Farhan and (manager) Gabe (Kapler) and the coaching staff,” chairman Greg Johnson said, per Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. “We recognize that you have a team that did get older and that presents some challenges, and a farm system that I would say hasn’t progressed as quickly as we’d like to see. There’s been some injuries to key people and COVID has set back the timeline on development in some cases. But the general direction, the tone, the work ethic, the dedication that these guys put in every day, and the morale we see even in a tough year, we’re very much committed to Farhan and his team.” When Johnson was asked if he could see Zaidi sticking around beyond the end of his contract, which runs through 2023, he said that he could.

It would appear that Zaidi and his team will get at least 2023, but likely longer, to try and find better results. That will likely lead to an aggressive offseason, with Zaidi already expressing that “everything is on the table,” in comments earlier this month, “including going out and being aggressive at the top end of the free agent market.” Talking about it and doing it are different things, of course, though the club is reportedly considering Aaron Judge and some marquee shortstops this winter.

Those kinds of moves won’t come cheap, but the conditions are there for the Giants to pull the trigger. The club ran out an Opening Day payroll of $155MM this year, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts, though was in the $200MM range before Zaidi came aboard. When asked about whether the club would consider that of spending again, Johnson said, “If it was $175 (million) or $180 (million) or higher than that, we’re willing to do that. There’s going to be years when you have three or four (prospects) coming up ready to roll, and that may put some relief on payroll. Or you have years when you’ll have to fill some spots and pay extra. That’s the flexible approach that we’re taking. There’s no fixed line.”

The club currently has about $96MM committed to 2023, in the estimation of Jason Martinez of Roster Resource. That doesn’t include raises for arbitration-eligible players like Mike Yastrzemski and Logan Webb, but it does include the $22.5MM salary that Carlos Rodón is set to earn next year. However, he is almost certainly going to exercise the opt-out in his deal and return to free agency based on his excellent season. Through 162 2/3 innings, he has a 2.93 ERA, 32.5% strikeout rate, 7.4% walk rate and 35.1% ground ball rate (stats coming into today). Though there have been durability concerns around the southpaw, he’s stayed healthy this year and gone 30 innings longer than last year, when he seemingly ran out of gas.

With Rodón off the books, the Giants will have tremendous amounts of payroll space, though that will obviously make the team worse. It’s possible the club could look to bring him back with another contract, which is something that seems to be on the table. “I know he’s mentioned he’s been happy here and would have interest in coming back. That’s always a big part of the equation, whether players have an interest in coming back, and he does,” Zaidi told Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. “He’s certainly a guy that we’d love to see back. He’s done a great job for us.”

A pitcher of Rodón’s caliber will likely require a nine-figure deal of some kind, just like signing Judge or one of the top available shortstops. While fans of the club are surely excited about the possibility of those bold strikes, the team will also have to consider other moves, such as retaining Joc Pederson. The club signed him to a one-year, $6MM deal that has turned into one of the bright spots this year in San Fran. Pederson has hit 22 home runs so far this year and slashed .268/.349/.521, leading to a career-high wRC+ of 141. Zaidi tells Pavlovic that it’s possible they will work out an extension in the next few weeks, before Pederson returns to free agency. “We’ve expressed interest and there’s still some time until the end of the season and free agency hits, so we’ll just continue to see if there’s a match out there,” Zaidi says.

One Giant who will be back next year is lefty Alex Wood, as he still has one year left on the two-year deal signed just under a year ago. That came on the heels of a one-year deal for 2021 that saw Wood throw 138 2/3 innings with an ERA of 3.83. He hasn’t been able to replicate that here in 2022, however, registering a 5.10 ERA through 130 2/3 innings. Wood could theoretically finish strong over the season’s final weeks and improve the final tally, though it’s possible he may not get the chance. He’s been on the IL since early September due to a left shoulder impingement and will decide this weekend whether he can return, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. A return to form for Wood would be huge for the 2023 Giants, especially if they can’t convince Rodón to return.

Giants Sign Wilmer Flores To Extension

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The Giants are keeping around one of their impending free agents, announcing agreement with infielder Wilmer Flores on a multi-year deal. The contract reportedly pays Flores $6.5MM in each of the next two seasons and contains a player/club option for 2025. That season, Flores will first have to decide on a $3.5MM player option; if he declines, the team can keep him in the fold by triggering an $8.5MM club option. Between his salaries over the next two seasons and the value of the player option, Flores is technically guaranteed $16.5MM over three years.

Flores, 31, played six seasons with the Mets and one with the Diamondbacks to begin his career. Prior to the 2020 season, he signed with the Giants on a two-year deal with a $6.25MM guarantee. That came in the form of a $3MM salary in 2020 and 2021, with a $250K buyout $3.5MM club option for 2022.

Although he’s never been an All-Star, Flores has been steadily above-average at the plate for years and that’s been true of his time in San Fran as well. In 2020, he hit 12 home runs in the shortened season and produced a batting line of .268/.315/.515. That production was 19% above league average, as evidenced by his 119 wRC+. He followed that up with 18 homers in 2021 and a line of .262/.335/.447, 112 wRC+. The Giants made the easy call of exercising their option for 2022 and were rewarded with another solid Flores season. He’s added another 18 homers already this year, with an overall slash line of .235/.319/.414, wRC+ of 107. This is the seventh consecutive season in which Flores has registered a wRC+ between 102 and 119. Instead of returning to the open market, he will stick in San Francisco for another couple seasons.

He has produced that consistently solid work at the plate while also giving the Giants defensive versatility, something they clearly value highly in players. In all three of his seasons with the Giants, he has bounced between first base, second base and third base as needed. That’s been especially important for a club that features some older or injury-prone regulars like Evan Longoria, Brandon Belt and Tommy La Stella. Going forward, La Stella has one more year on his contract but he hasn’t played much defense this year, taking the field for just 66 innings so far. It’s also possible Longoria and Belt won’t be around next year. Belt is heading to free agency after this year and faces an uncertain road ahead, having just undergone surgery on his oft-injured knee. Longoria could be retained for next year via a $13MM club option with a $5MM buyout, though he told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he has at least given some thought to retirement.

Given the uncertainty surrounding those infielders, it makes sense to lock up a reliable and versatile contributor like Flores. He can now be penciled into an infield mix that includes La Stella, rookie David Villar, Thairo Estrada, Brandon Crawford, J.D. Davis, with LaMonte Wade Jr. perhaps playing some first base or returning to strictly outfield work. Crawford and La Stella are both slated to become free agents after 2023, which will further thin out this group for the second year of Flores’ deal.

The Giants ran an Opening Day payroll of $155MM here in 2022, according to Cot’s Contracts. Flores’ deal pushes the team’s 2023 payroll commitments to around $95MM, in the estimation of Jason Martinez of Roster Resource. That doesn’t include arbitration raises for players like Mike Yastrzemski or Logan Webb, but it does include Carlos Rodón’s $22.5MM. As long as Rodón finishes the season healthy, he will exercise the opt out on his deal and return to free agency in search of a larger payday.

It’s been a disappointing season for the Giants, as they followed up their 107-win campaign in 2021 with a 67-73 record so far in 2022. It figures to be a very interesting offseason, as the club will head into the winter with many holes that need to be filled but lots of payroll space available for addressing them. Anthony DeSclafani is the only player under contract for 2024 and the slate is completely clean beyond that, giving the Giants the ability to make a sizable commitment, or commitments, before Spring Training. But for now, they’ve retained one of their most stable and dependable guys to bolster their infield mix, giving them one less thing to worry about over the winter.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported the Giants and Flores were in agreement on a two-year deal with an option for 2025. Daniel Álvarez-Montes of ElExtrabase was first to report the matching $6.5MM salaries over the next two seasons.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Giants Make Five Roster Moves

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The Giants have made a series of roster moves prior to tonight’s game against the Braves.  The contracts of outfielder Willie Calhoun and right-hander Cole Waites were selected from Triple-A, and roster space was created by the placement of Tommy La Stella on the 10-day injured list, outfielder Austin Dean being optioned to Triple-A, and catcher Patrick Mazeika being designated for assignment.

La Stella is dealing with neck spasms, and given the calendar, it is possible La Stella might be shut down for the remainder of the 2022 season if he isn’t making progress by the time his 10-day minimum is up.  The IL has become an unfortunately familiar landing spot for La Stella over his two years in San Francisco, as he played in only 76 games in 2021 and 60 games this season due to a long list of health issues.  The infielder didn’t make his 2022 debut until mid-May due to recovery from offseason Achilles surgery.

All of these injuries have limited La Stella’s production, as he has hit only .239/.282/.350 over 195 plate appearances this year.  He has also mostly been limited to DH duty, which is a hit for a player valued for his ability to play third, second, and first base.  If this is indeed it for La Stella in 2022, the Giants can only hope that a full winter of rest can get him back to his usual defensive role(s) in what will be the final year of his contract.  La Stella signed a three-year, $18.75MM free agent deal in February 2021 that to date hasn’t panned out for the Giants.

Calhoun was acquired in a trade with the Rangers in June, and the slugger will now make his first Major League appearance outside of a Texas uniform.  A 21-homer season in 2019 seemingly served as a breakout for Calhoun, but several injuries and a lack of big league playing time stalled his career.  Calhoun was vocal about his desire for a trade after the Rangers optioned him to Triple-A earlier this season, as he’ll now get a fresh start with a late-season audition with the Giants.

Thus far, the change of organization seems to have helped, as Calhoun has hit .299/.386/.465 with five homers in 166 PA with Triple-A Sacramento.  Carrying that production from the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League to the majors will be a challenge, though if Calhoun can show some of his old form down the stretch, he could put himself into San Francisco’s plans for 2023.  Calhoun still has two years of arbitration control remaining, and he doesn’t turn 28 until November.

Waites was an 18th-round selection for the Giants in the 2019 draft, and the righty is getting his first call to the majors.  Due to both knee surgery and the canceled 2020 minor league season, Waites doesn’t have a lot of pro experience, with only 71 1/3 total innings in the minors (40 2/3 of them this year).  However, he has a stunning 45.12% strikeout rate and 2.78 ERA over those 71 1/3 frames, though his 13.8% walk rate indicates shaky command.

Baseball America (21st) and MLB Pipeline (29th) each rank Waites among the top 30 prospects in the Giants’ farm system, citing his plus fastball that can touch 100mph, as well as a slider that can be a dominant pitch when Waites can control it.  Waites has pitched exclusively as a reliever over the last two seasons, and projects as an intriguing bullpen arm if he can limit the free passes.

Mazeika was claimed off waivers from the Mets on August 21, and he’ll now return to DFA limbo after eight games with the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate and no appearances at the big league level.  A long-time member of the Mets farm system, Mazeika has played in 61 MLB games over the 2021-22 seasons and hit .190/.236/.279 over 159 PA.  With Joey Bart now back from the concussion-related IL, San Francisco has made some adjustments to its catching depth in recent days, including Mazeika’s DFA and Andrew Knapp’s outright assignment to Triple-A.

Giants Interested In Free Agent Shortstops This Offseason

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The Giants could be one of the most aggressive teams this offseason, given their limited payroll commitments and many areas of need. The club’s president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi recently spoke about how “everything is on the table” this winter, “including going out and being aggressive at the top end of the free agent market.” Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that they would “love” to go after one of the top shortstop free agents if they don’t sign Aaron Judge.

Judge will undoubtedly be the top free agent on the market, based on his career track record and incredible platform season. He’s already hit 55 home runs on the year and has produced an overall batting line of .307/.410/.679. That amounts to an unbelievable 202 wRC+, indicating Judge has somehow been 102% better than the league average hitter. When combined with solid outfield defense and 16 stolen bases, he’s already racked up 9.3 wins above replacement on the season in the estimation of FanGraphs and 8.7 at Baseball Reference.

Given that Judge grew up in the Bay Area, he’s often been speculatively connected to the Giants, though it would take a sizeable commitment on the team’s part for that to come to fruition. Back in April, Judge and the Yankees failed to reach an agreement on an extension, with the slugger reportedly turning down a seven-year, $213.5MM deal. Judge was apparently looking for $36MM over nine or ten years, a range of $324-360MM. Now that Judge is having his best season yet and will soon be able to court offers from the 29 other teams, it’s entirely possible that he will now try to do even better than that.

The Giants haven’t operated at anywhere near that level since Zaidi took over in November of 2018, having not yet given out a contract longer than three years in his tenure. However, that means that the team’s ledger is fairly clear, giving the club the opportunity to change course. There’s only about $89MM committed for next year’s team, in the estimation of Jason Martinez of Roster Resource. That doesn’t include raises for arbitration-eligible players like Mike Yastrzemski or Logan Webb, but it does include $22.5MM for Carlos Rodon, who is almost certainly going to opt out and return to free agency. They have just over $20MM committed to 2024 and nothing for 2025 and beyond. Given that they had an Opening Day payroll of $155MM this year, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts, and have been as high as $200MM in 2018, there’s room for a big splash if they want to make it.

If the club can’t successfully bring Judge back to the neighborhood, it seems that pursuing a shortstop will be another option they will consider. Of course, the club already has a shortstop in Brandon Crawford, who has been a mainstay there for over a decade, having made his debut in 2011. Last year was a revelation for Crawford, as he suddenly produced the best campaign of his career after a few rough seasons. He hit .298/.373/.522 in 2021, producing a 138 wRC+ that was 25 points better than his previous career high. When combined with his excellent defensive work, he produced 6.3 wins above replacement, in the estimation of FanGraphs, easily eclipsing his previous high of 4.4.

In the midst of that excellent showing, the Giants and Crawford agreed to a two-year, $32MM extension, though the first season has been a disappointment. Crawford has been battling a knee injury for most of the year, going on the IL twice because of it. When healthy enough to take the field, he hasn’t been able to produce at anywhere near his 2021 output. He’s hitting .226/.305/.346 on the season for a wRC+ of 85, with his defensive numbers also not as impressive as last year.

Crawford still has one year remaining on that extension but will be turning 36 in January. Given his age, knee issues and diminished performance, it seems the Giants are willing to consider a bold move to strengthen their infield. Since the field of available shortstops is going to be strong again this year, it might be prudent to strike early, even if it means Crawford and another shortstop sharing the roster for one season. Trea Turner and Dansby Swanson are both on the cusp of free agency, with Carlos Correa and Xander Bogaerts both expected to opt out of their respective contracts and join them.

The Giants have also been significantly held back by their defense this year, with a collective -30 Outs Above Average and -33 Defensive Runs Saved, both of those numbers placing them 28th in the majors. Ultimate Zone Rating gives them a -28.6, which is 29th. Second base has been a particularly rough area, with the team’s collective numbers at the keystone coming in at -5 OAA (25th), -15 DRS (29th) and -2.1 UZR (21st). Having a shortstop-quality defender take over at second base, either Crawford or an outside addition, might be a good way for the club to take a step forward next year, especially with the ban on extreme defensive shifts going into place next season.

Thairo Estrada and Wilmer Flores have taken the bulk of playing time at second base this season, though each is capable of playing other positions and arguably better utilized away from second. Estrada has a -10 DRS at second and Flores a -6 this year, with each of them putting up better numbers at the other positions they’ve played. Estrada has yet to reach arbitration and Flores is eschewing free agency after agreeing to a two-year extension, reported earlier today.

Each of the Turner/Swanson/Correa/Bogaerts group will likely command a lesser contract than Judge, though that doesn’t mean they will be cheap. All four of them are currently younger than 30 years old, with Xander crossing that threshold on October 1. That means each of them will likely be looking for lengthy contracts. This past offseason, Corey Seager got ten years, Marcus Semien got seven, with Trevor Story and Javier Baez each getting six. Correa ended up settling for a three-year deal, though with a high average annual value of $35.1MM and opt-outs after each season. Similar to any Judge contract, the Giants would likely have to break their pattern of sticking to short-term deals in order to make an impact in the shortstop market. Should they miss out on all of the upper tier options, there’s a significant drop to the next level, which will be occupied by players like Jose Iglesias and Elvis Andrus.

All told, it should be a fascinating winter for the Giants and their fans. The club has been keeping its books mostly clear for years and has stayed busy on the waiver wire, grabbing just about any role player they could find. That’s left the roster in a position where they have solid depth all around the roster but a lack of truly outstanding players. 10 different position players have produced at least 0.5 fWAR for the Giants on the season but none higher than 2.3 so far. Perhaps the conditions are right for them to raise the ceiling in the months to come.

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