One of the Giants goals going into the Hot Stove League was to upgrade their outfield defense. Over the course of the winter they made some minor acquisitions of Justin Dean and Joey Wiemer who were definitely defensive upgrades but probably not upgrades of overall value due to terrible hitting numbers. Those guys are long gone and the Giants finally got their upgrade and at a reasonable price.
Harrison Bader OF. DOB: 6/3/1994. B-R, T-R. 5' 11", 210 lbs. 2 yr/$20.5 M(+ $500 K in incentives)
Bader is coming off the second best season of his career the best being all the way back to 2018. He had a comparable season in 2021 but a weak bat held him back in the intervening years. He is a plus defensive CF which the Giants desperately needed. I am sure they will take whatever he can give at the plate. The other part of this equation is Jung Hoo Lee. It makes no sense to sign Bader if moving Jung Hoo to RF is not part of the plan. I assume he was duly informed of this reality at the appropriate time. Lee has limited range but a strong throwing arm so RF should be a good fit for him. If he continues to make contact, use all fields and get on base as opposed to trying for Splash Hits, he can be a strong contributor and Bader will improve at least 2 OF positions by his mere presence. Nice pickup for a reasonable price by the Buster/Zach tandem.
My thoughts, good, good move. Now Lee can quit worrying about Ramos running into him and concentrate on his hitting. Bob in Dixon
ReplyDeletehaha, good one!
DeleteThis is unfortunately one of the reasons Lee’s defense was the worst in the league. Ramos was a circus in left and a danger to anyone next to him. Hopefully Tony V can get him right as this could be a nice outfield for this year
DeleteI agree with everything you said Doc. He does not need to replicate last years numbers to earn his salary imo. The improved defense will be welcomed by the pitching staff and the lineup now has one less glaring hole.
ReplyDeleteHopefully the change is a positive one for JHL also. Lesser outfield responsibility could save some wear n tear and allow JHL to maximize his hitting potential.
Bader strikes me as a scrappy player, and read he is a gold glove centerfielder. Having Bader in centerfield and Lee moving to rightfield improves their defense. Having 2 centerfielders patrolling the huge outfield much needed at Oracle.park. I like the signing, its a perfect fit.
ReplyDeleteJust read Bader said he always looks forward to visiting SF so contrary to popular opinion, the city was an added attraction for him.
DeleteIt now puts the pressure on Ramos to play better defense in left. If Drew Gilbert can get that average, he and Ramos could end up in a platoon at left with Ramos DHing. Can Matos fetch more than cash considerations in a trade?
ReplyDeleteThis is how Fangraphs projects the Giant's lineup now:
ReplyDeleteHeliot Ramos
Rafael Devers
Willy Adames
Matt Chapman
Jung Hoo Lee
Harrison Bader
Bryce Eldridge
Casey Schmitt
Patrick Bailey
Not sure if this is accurate or how Fangraphs puts this together. I would switch Heliot Ramos and either Lee or Bader for the leadoff position. If Bader then move Lee back a spot.
Now if they could swing a trade for Brendon Donovan the lineup would look solid. (there were rumors that the Giants were trying to get CJ Abrams from the Nats to play 2nd base, but the deal fell through). Then Casey Schmidt would be a super utility guy.
Basically, an admission that JHL was a mistake
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with this take.
Deletenot at all, just a realization that they'd be better with him in a corner.
DeleteIt’s not just the player they were after, they were also looking to gain a foothold in the South Korean market. He’s not Ohtani impact but he might be a conduit for future players and maybe for the Giants to play some games in SK in the future. The recent trip to South Korea is also indicative of that.
DeleteMike Yastremski signs for 2/$23M with the Braves. New Giant Harrison Bader signs for 2/$20.5M with the Giants. IMO slam dunk that the Giants got much better value.
ReplyDeleteNow, if SF can get Brendan Donovan for someone below their Top 3 (Eldridge, Gonzalez, Hernandez), they have a good l/u, better defense, & sufficient SPs (to start the season), so maybe a RP (or Closer) will give them a chance for a spot near the end of the 6 post season spots.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Fangraphs, SF is $22M below the luxury tax threshold (https://www.fangraphs.com/roster-resource/payroll/giants), enough for a closer – Aroldis Chapman signed with Boston for $13.3 million.
Shelby Miller, Luke Jackson, Tommy Kahnle, Danny Coulombe, Jalen Beeks, Andrew Chafin, Michael Kopech and Justin Wilson are (reportedly) all still free agents (https://www.si.com/fannation/mlb/fastball/news/future-hall-of-fame-reliever-signs-here-are-top-remaining-bullpen-options-justin3).
I remember before the 2014 season the Giants signed Morse and my thought was that it was exactly the same as with this signing. Not the biggest splash but much needed and could be the difference between having a chance this year and more of the same. I also really really didnt want them to trade our coveted prospects for a 2B that wasn’t going to make the difference. None of the 2B out there are worth it IMO. Schmidt needs to be given a chance to see who he is and I think people will be pleasantly surprised him if he gets that chance!
ReplyDeleteOops! I might have hit the wrong button on PH's comment. He had a novel analogy to moving JHL to RF to finding the battery cover on your computer mouse.
ReplyDeleteBader's BABIP was .359 last season and .415 when he was with the Phillies. He was hitting into some serious BABIP luck last year so regression is probable. We might see his BA drop to .240 to .250.
ReplyDeleteBader isn’t signed to be the franchise center fielder so we should be happy with strong defense and solid if unspectacular offense at a surprisingly reasonable contract. He’s just holding the position for the long term CF (Davidson? Transplanted international SS, 2026 draftee- Burress? Lombard?)
ReplyDeleteThe Giants will need to make a corresponding move on the 40 man roster when they ink Bader. Encarnacion, Matos, and McCray seem to be the most vulnerable or they may surprise and move one of the pitchers?
ReplyDelete