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Giants Notes: Lincecum, Heston

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Free-agent right-hander Tim Lincecum has built up his endurance to the point where he’s throwing 70 pitches on the time frame of a five-man rotation, reports MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (links to Twitter). Lincecum recently threw at the Giants’ Spring Training complex in Arizona, Heyman notes, adding that Lincecum has also pitched “a few other places.” That bit of into shouldn’t necessarily be construed as a workout for the Giants, as Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that Lincecum has been granted use of the Giants’ facility more as a courtesy than anything else. Heyman notes that a Lincecum showcase is “expected soon,” though it should be noted that that’s been the steady refrain out of the Lincecum camp for the better part of three months. Lincecum is one of the more intriguing unsigned names in baseball, but there’s no way of truly classifying a front-runner to sign him and no way of knowing when he’s likely to get back onto a big league mound until he auditions for teams. For now, Schulman notes, Lincecum’s representatives are going out of their way to keep scouts away from his throwing sessions until he’s ready for that showcase.

  • The Giants optioned right-hander Chris Heston to Triple-A yesterday, and Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News spoke to manager Bruce Bochy about the difficulty of the move for Heston, who of course tossed a no-hitter for the Giants last season. Heston went from the 2015 rotation to a long relief role with San Francisco this season, and the Giants will hope that stint in the Triple-A rotation can help get his mechanics back on track. “It’s never easy, making a move like this,” said Bochy. “The best thing is for Chris to get his groove back.” Baggarly notes that part of the reason for stretching Heston out is also to shield the Giants in case of a sudden need in the rotation. It’s worth noting that Matt Cain and Jake Peavy have each struggled tremendously in their first three starts of the season.

George Kontos Headed To DL With Flexor Strain

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7:20pm: Tests have revealed that there’s no damage to Kontos’ ulnar collateral ligament, tweets Shea’s colleague, Hank Schulman. Furthermore, Kontos tells Schulman (link) that he’s hopeful of returning in just two weeks, calling his injury “mild tendinitis” as opposed to Bochy’s previousy stated flexor strain. Kontos was officially placed on the disabled list this afternoon.

8:04am: Giants righty George Kontos is destined for a trip to the DL after suffering a flexor strain in his right elbow, as John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. He’ll join pen mate Sergio Romo in rehabbing from the same injury.

Kontos, 30, has quietly delivered excellent results in a middle relief role for San Francisco. He was leaned on heavily early in 2016, leading all MLB relievers with eight appearances. Over his 5 2/3 innings, Kontos has allowed just one earned run on five hits and two walks while striking out four opposing batters.

Skipper Bruce Bochy says that the roots of the injury trace to the spring, when Kontos experienced some elbow discomfort. He was obviously able to battle through, but now is set for at least a 15-day absence. Indications are that Kontos will not be able to throw for at least a week, but it remains unclear precisely how long he’ll be out. Generally, flexor strains require fairly lengthy absences.

Even after dipping into their pitching depth to account for Romo’s absence — Derek Law received the call-up — the Giants have a host of available arms. 40-man relievers at the Triple-A level include righty Mike Broadway and lefty Steven Okert. The club could conceivably turn to a young starter as well, with Clayton Blackburn, Ty Blach, and Chris Stratton all on optional assignment to the Giants’ top affiliate.

Giants Could Make 40-Man Move For Shortstop

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  • With Mac Williamson not getting regular at-bats while sitting on the Giants bench, Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle thinks the team could make another roster move this week to recall a shortstop and more directly fill the spot of injured infielder Ehire Adrianza.  The Giants didn’t want to be “hasty” with a 40-man roster spot to address Adrianza’s loss, though if Ian Gardeck is shifted to the 60-man DL, the team could add an experienced shortstop like Hak-Ju Lee and send Williamson back to everyday duty at Triple-A.

Giants Place Ehire Adrianza On DL, Recall Mac Williamson

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7:15pm: Williamson will get the call, Pavlovic tweets. The well-regarded 25-year-old corner outfielder struggled in a late-season call-up last year but is off to a strong start at Triple-A.

6:14pm: Giants infielder Ehire Adrianza has been diagnosed with a fractured left foot, Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area reports on Twitter. He’s expected to miss at least six weeks of action and will obviously require a DL stint.

San Francisco has dealt with a few injury issues in the early going, and Adrianza will join reliever Sergio Romo on the shelf for reasonably significant stretches of time. The 26-year-old reserve was off to a nice start in limited action, though obviously he functions as a utilityman behind a highly-talented starting infield unit. Over parts of four seasons of MLB action, Adrianza owns a .214/.293/.311 slash in just 272 plate appearances, but obviously he’s valued more for his glove than his bat.

Up-the-middle Giants regulars Brandon Crawford and Joe Panik are both dealing with seemingly-minor hip issues, and there doesn’t appear to be much cause for concern so long as they can manage those matters with a bit of rest. The loss of Adrianza certainly complicates things, but Kelby Tomlinson remains on hand and is capable of playing short, second, or third.

Fill-in possibilities include minor league free agents Grant Green, Conor Gillaspie, Ramiro Pena, and Hak-Ju Lee, with the latter two representing more versatile defensive options, but each of those players would require a 40-man roster spot. Top prospect Christian Arroyo is a theoretical candidate as well, but calling him up would mean putting him on the 40-man and starting his service clock, and the 20-year-old has only just reached the Double-A level for the first time this season. Alternatively, the Giants could add another arm or go with a 40-man outfielder such as Mac Williamson or Jarrett Parker, which Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle suggests is the likelier outcome. (Twitter link.)

Sergio Romo Headed To DL With Flexor Strain

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Giants reliever Sergio Romo will be placed on the 15-day DL after being diagnosed with a flexor strain in his right elbow, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle was among those to report on Twitter. Romo will not even resume throwing for two weeks, at which time he’ll be reevaluated before being cleared, so he’ll almost certainly be out longer than the minimum.

Romo had been generating typically strong results in his first several outings, but there were some warnings signs. His swinging strike rate is down quite a bit, and Romo has only recorded one strikeout in four appearances. Of greater concern, he has lost around 1.5 to 2 miles per hour on all of his offerings as against his 2015 average velocities.

It’s not clear at this point how long of an absence is to be expected, but as Alex Pavlovic of CSNBayArea.com notes, a similar malady cost righty Matt Cain a full three months last season. Of course, Cain had to rebuild his pitch count in a way that Romo won’t need to, but that experience shows the potential that this kind of injury has. Fellow reliever Carson Smith of the Red Sox is still working back from his own version of the impairment suffered over three weeks ago.

San Francisco will surely also try to avoid risking further injury by rushing a return. Certainly, it’s far from uncharted territory, and there are clear risks. Doug Fister suffered a velocity decline after his return from a flexor strain last year, while Cliff Lee was shelved for the year in 2014 after he suffered a flexor tear upon his return from a two-month DL stint for a strain.

It appears that Cory Gearrin will move up the depth charts into a more prominent set-up role in Romo’s stead. Of course, the club can also turn to high-powered righty Hunter Strickland in front of closer Santiago Casilla, so there’s sufficient depth on hand for the time being. It’s not yet clear which minor leaguer will be summoned to occupy Romo’s active roster spot, but San Francisco appears to be weighing a variety of options.

Giants, Alex Torres Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Giants have agreed to a deal with left-handed reliever Alex Torres, reports Michael Mayer of Metsmerized Online (Twitter link). It’s a minor league contract, MLBTR has learned.

Torres, 28, spent the 2015 campaign with the Mets after coming over from the Padres in a Spring Training trade. He worked to a 3.15 ERA and struck out 35 batters in 34 1/3 innings of work, but he also averaged 6.8 walks per nine innings and was largely ineffective against left-handed batters, who hit .268/.406/.393 against Torres in 69 plate appearances. Despite a strong ERA, Torres was designated for assignment on Aug. 7 when the Mets acquired Eric O’Flaherty and subsequently outrighted to Triple-A Las Vegas. This offseason, he signed a minor league deal with the Braves, but he didn’t make the club after allowing four earned runs on six hits and five walks with seven strikeouts in eight spring innings.

The 2015 campaign marked the second straight season in which Torres had struggled considerably more against left-handed opponents than against righties, but he was outstanding against both in 2013 with the Rays. The Giants will hope that Torres can rediscover that form, though for the time being he’ll serve as a depth piece in the upper minors. Javier Lopez and Josh Osich are the club’s primary left-handed relievers. Those are the only two left-handed relievers on the club’s 40-man roster, though lefty Ty Blach is in the Triple-A rotation and could conceivably be an option as well.

Analyzing Brandon Belt's Extension

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  • Brandon Belt’s five-year, $72.8MM extension with the Giants is “a reasonable common ground” between the two sides, Fangraphs’ Craig Edwards writes in an analysis of the contract.  Belt may have sacrificed some extra money by not hitting free agency after the 2017 season, though since he’s had a bit of inconsistency in his career, landing a big nine-figure deal wasn’t a guarantee.  (Edwards doesn’t mention Belt’s concussion history, which may have also played a factor in his taking a big payday now.)  Edwards also notes that Belt is just the third player in the last three years to sign an extension two years away from free agency, along with teammate Brandon Crawford and the Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton.

Giants Extend Brandon Belt

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The Giants announced Saturday that they’ve signed first baseman Brandon Belt to an extension through the 2021 season.  The deal will pay Belt $8.8MM in 2017, and then $16MM in each of the next four years for a total of $72.8MM.  There aren’t any options included in the contract, though Belt receives a partial no-trade clause that allows him to block trades to 10 teams, beginning next season. Belt is represented by Excel Sports Management.

Belt’s deal just tops the the six-year, $75MM extension Brandon Crawford signed with San Francisco in November.  Belt’s $6.2MM contract for 2016 allowed him and the Giants to avoid an arbitration hearing, and Belt would have been arb-eligible for the third and final time next offseason before hitting the open market after 2017.  Instead, this new extension will cover that last arbitration year and Belt’s first four free agent seasons.

Brandon BeltBelt becomes the latest Giant signed to a major multi-year contract into the 2020s, joining Crawford, Buster Posey, Jeff Samardzija and (if he doesn’t exercise his opt-out clause) Johnny Cueto.  While the Giants have the financial might to afford a large payroll, the club has some extra financial breathing room thanks to Matt Duffy and Joe Panik still being on pre-arbitration contracts, as well as Madison Bumgarner controlled through 2019 on what has become a very team-friendly extension signed between the ace’s first and second seasons in the bigs.

Belt, who turns 28 later this month, has a .272/.349/.456 slash line and 63 homers over 2061 career plate appearances.  The advanced defensive metrics are very impressed by his glove, as Belt has +23 Defensive Runs Saved and a +6.1 UZR/150 over his career at first.  Belt also has relatively even career splits against both left-handed (.784 OPS) and right-handed (.813 OPS) pitchers, though the Giants were prone to sit him against southpaws early in his career.

Despite these strong numbers, however, there is still a sense that the best could be yet to come.  It took a while for Belt to firmly establish himself as the Giants’ regular first baseman, and he has also had a couple of notable injury concerns — he played in only 61 games in 2014 due to a broken thumb and a concussion, and he also missed time last season due to another concussion.

Perhaps with these injuries in mind and the fact that Posey may need more time at first base as the years go on, there were rumors earlier this winter that the Giants could be looking to trade Belt.  As the offseason went on, however, trade speculation gave way to talk of an extension between the two sides, particularly after Crawford’s deal was finalized.

Alex Pavlovic of CSNBayArea.com was first to report that Belt and the Giants had agreed to terms. Shea was first to tweet that the deal was complete. John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reported the year-to-year breakdown. Pavlovic, Jon Heyman, Shea and FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal all reported details of the contract’s structure.

Photo courtesy of Dennis Wierzbicki/USA Today Sports Images

Giants Interested In Tim Lincecum As Reliever

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  • The Giants remain interested in bringing back Tim Lincecum, but as a reliever, not as a starter, Jon Heyman writes (Twitter links). Lincecum, though, would like to start. Lincecum has been the subject of an incredibly long series of updates about a mysterious showcase that has yet to come to fruition, but he’s reportedly doing well while working out at a variety of locations in Arizona. (Last month, the Royals found out about one of those locations and were kicked out, via Heyman.) Lincecum, who posted a 4.13 ERA, 7.1 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 15 starts with the Giants in 2015, is attempting to return after having hip surgery in September.

Madison Bumgarner Hires Excel Sports Management

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Giants ace Madison Bumgarner recently changed representation, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes reports on Twitter. The outstanding southpaw has hired Excel Sports Management as his agency.

Bumgarner, 26, has gone from being a quality young pitcher to a bona fide top-of-the-rotation star. He’s ended each of the last three seasons with a sub-3.00 ERA, and has increased his innings output and K:BB ratio in each successive campaign. Last year, he spun a career-high 218 1/3 frames and struck out 9.6 while walking only 1.6 opposing batters per nine.

Of course, the Giants were able to lock MadBum into an early-career extension just prior to the 2012 season. That pact largely lined up with the guarantees given to other impressive young starters, but did set a record for 1+ service-time pitchers when it was signed.

Now, of course, the contract is an unquestionable steal for San Francisco, which controls Bumgarner through 2019 via a pair of $12MM options. That would take Bumgarner through his age-29 season, meaning he could still hit the open market at a reasonably young age — or, of course, consider an additional extension.

Bumgarner joins an already-impressive stable of pitchers with Excel, including Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, and Masahiro Tanaka. As always, you can find information on player representation in MLBTR’s Agency Database.

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