Don't have time for a regular post this morning so I'll offer my thoughts on the outcome of the World Series. Whew! With the entire world seeming on its way to hell in a handbasket as they say, the Dodgers were threatening once again to finish it off for good. I'm happy to report the world as we know it is safe for at least 1 more year and I won't have to spend it listening to Dodger fans brag about their championship.
Carry on. Regular programming will hopefully return tonight.
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Once again the dodgers and Kershaw prove their worth in the World Series-- they just don't play well when they reach the big stage. This year they were lucky (an error)from being swept. The home run bug seems to cause the downfall of Kershaw when he gets on the big stage. If the dodgers could only have Kershaw for the regular season and then transform him into Madison Bumgarner during the playoffs, they might have a chance of winning a World Series championship in the next 10 years.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to the Red Sox who were clearly the best team in major league baseball during the 2018 regular and post season. The cream came to the top.
Vintage62
This was the first even year the National League has lost the World Series since 2004 (when a "superior" Cardinal team failed to show up), but 2018 was foredoomed with the best 4 teams all being in the AL.
ReplyDeleteNo question the best team won. They were the best pitching, offense, and even defense although Martinez in the OF was always an adventure.
With 2 consecutive NL championships and Seager coming back, are the Dodgers favorites for next year even with notable pitching, catching, and IF Free Agents?
Will Kershaw leave? Will Ryu spurn a QO? Is Grandal important? Will they compete for Machado? Does Dozier matter?
So many questions!
Ha ha, the Giants only have one: will they try?
Nunie gets a ring!! Love it! and Machado and Puig get nothing!
ReplyDeleteSobering thoughts: LAD is still a superior team to SFG which is years away from contending - not until Bart & Co. appear on the scene.
SFG may contend when Belt can stay healthy and hit 35 bombs like Muncey.
Dodgers hit 235 HR's last year, including:
Bellinger, a 4th round pick, 25 Bombs.
Taylor, a dumpster dive, 17 Bombs.
Matt Kemp (age 33 no less) 21 Bombs as a 6th Rounder.
Enrique Hernandez, 6th Rounder, 21 Bombs.
Joc Pederson, 11th Rounder, 25 Bombs.
When the Giants can draft, develop, and call up mid round picks that can hit HR's then they can compete
on the Big Stage.
i don't get too excited at seeing the Dodgers fail because right now our cupboard is bare and the team can not
core any runs and the FO desperation led them to trade for an aging Cutch and Longoria, led them to sign an aging AJAX.
Over-optimism led them to sign an aging Pence to a 4 year mega-contract.
Sober reflection tells me it will be years before this Giants team can compete.
Perhaps a little harsh on Hunter.
DeleteWould the Giants have won the 2014 WS without Pence? Or even gotten there? Did they need him to get to the playoffs in 2016?
His $18MM per year contract was for 5 years after the 2013 season. Did they need to go that high for that long?
He led the team in 2013 in HRs, RBIs, SBs, and SLG while playing all 162 games (!) -- at 30 yo was it really excessive?
Quoting from DrB Saturday, December 21, 2013:
... "look at the contracts for the top 3 FA OF's this offseason:
"All 3 players had very similar production over the course of their careers and in their most recent season. The Giants signed Hunter Pence for 2 years/$50 M less than Ellsbury and for 2 years/$40 M less than Choo."
OGC:
"Nice rundown of what a great deal the Giants got with Pence. I did not know exactly how good until I saw this post. Go Giants!"
Shankbone:
"Giants are looking mighty good in the OF musical chairs. That platoon split of Choo's is a huge worry, and the defensive metrics, confused by CF play, ain't good either. We'll have to see it play out but I have to like where the Greybeards put their chips. And wow, the OBP crowd refuses to look under the hood much."
Ellsbury, injured, didn't play in 2018 and still collecting $21MM per year for 2 more years.
Choo has done better (at $20MM/year) and will play 2 more years at $21MM each while being a poor corner OFer -- but he's mostly a DH now.
Pence’s contract was widely assumed to be market value at the time. The Giants even felt need to address that at the time, saying that they were not going to penalize Pence for stating a preference to play in SF. But they didn’t overpay him either.
DeleteConsidering what Pence meant to the Giants in ‘12 (showing up right before Melky got suspended & inspiring the Giants through the World Series is run, not to mention his post-signing Underpants/ YES YES YES run in in 2014) this contract was extremely solid.
This signing took place in the midst of the Giants’ famineplague of Giants simultaneously being both unable to develop or FA sign any solid outfielders.
MLBTR:
ReplyDeleteAgent Scott Boras told Michael Kay and Don La Greca of 98.7 FM ESPN New York earlier this week that Nationals outfielder and pending free agent Bryce Harper has already picked his team for 2019, which drew plenty of attention on social media Sunday. “We know who the team is. It’s already completed and done, but Bryce has told me that he wanted to tell you personally,” Boras said...
Apparently facetious, unless he's resigning with Nationals.
And McCutchen won't be back with NYY.
Can you believe anything on MLBTR?
The World Has Not Ended!
ReplyDeleteOct. 29: Commencement of a five-day, exclusive negotiation window that teams have with their own free agents
Oct. 31: Deadline for players with opt-out clauses (most notably, Clayton Kershaw) to exercise those provisions.
Nov. 3: The deadline for MLB clubs to formally issue one-year qualifying offers (valued at $17.9MM this offseason) to free agents is 5:00pm ET. Those players will have 10 days to weigh the offers and can negotiate with other clubs during that 10-day window. After that 5pm deadline, all free agents are eligible to begin negotiating with other teams.
Nov. 6-8: General Managers’ meetings in Carlsbad, CA
Nov. 13: Deadline for players to accept or reject qualifying offers.
Nov. 20: Deadline for teams to set their 40-man rosters in advance of the Rule 5 Draft.
Nov. 30: Deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players.
Dec. 9-13: Winter Meetings in Las Vegas.
Dec. 13: Rule 5 draft takes place on the final day of the Winter Meetings.
Jan. 11: Arbitration exchange day — the date on which teams and players must exchange filing numbers for arbitration. Hearings, if necessary, typically begin in early February.
February 13
Reporting dates begin
February 21 1st Game
SEA at OAK
February 22 2nd Game
OAK at SEA
February 23 Begin multiple games
SF at LAA
March 24
SF at OAK
(Oakland Coliseum)
March 25
OAK at SF*
(AT&T Park)
March 26
OAK at SF*
(AT&T Park)
The season will technically begin with the 2019 Japan Opening Series,featuring the Oakland Athletics hosting the Seattle Mariners at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.
March 28, 2019: Opening Day! Baseball is back! (Earliest ever)
Giants @ Padres
I can't wait for the season to begin.
DeleteAnother strong outing today in the Arizona Fall League today by Garrett Williams against the Glendale Desert Dogs. Williams threw 5 innings allowing 2 hits while striking out 5. lowering his ERA to 0.60.
ReplyDeleteWilliams, Adon and Wolff are all throwing exceptionally well in the AFL.
Like 2010, 2012 & 2014, I attended a home game of the World Champs...yes, I take full credit :)...in August, I sported my SF Giants shirt up on da Green Monstah!!! And short of Los Gigantes getting another ring, having Da Bums lose in the final is pretty sweet.
ReplyDeleteOn a more serious note, the FO took the club options on MadBum and Panda. Maybe Ramos & Bart can help the young SPs and get the smooth lefty ace and the Georgia lad back for one more championship run in 2020!
Enjoy the commentary and the comments - keep up the fire!
Let's Go Giants!
NWGiantsFan
DtF!!!
Picking up Sandoval's option is risk free EXCEPT it means that someone else won't get on the 40-man roster which will expose at least someone to the Rule 5 draft.
DeleteOf course, the Giant gods KNOW that as well as we mere mortals.
We'll know how that worked out in December.
Famous last words, but, I don't think the Giants need to be worried about getting Rule 5ed in any meaningful way. The farm is weak, gents. I don't think many teams hoping for a chance to steal Osich away from us.
DeleteBig Yahoo article on Giants fans trolling LAD - https://www.yahoo.com/news/san-francisco-giants-fans-ruthlessly-154353822.html
ReplyDeleteA reprise of the Giants' 2018 looking at 2019 potential:
ReplyDeleteAlthough the Giants last year did their best to patch the worn tires of 2017’s 98-loss season while staying within payroll limits and reset their CBT, they finished the season 1-month short of the goal.
For the record, on July 1st, they were 5 games over .500, 2.5 games back. Bumgarner had gotten his 1st win and their 2014 C-IF was intact, McCutchen was getting on base (but not leading off), Rodriguez, Suarez, Holland, and Stratton were filling the rotation.
August 2nd came and they 2 games over .500, 5 games out. Longo was at 3rd, McCutchen leading off, Duggar in CF, but Belt was MIA and Posey was hurting.
September 1st arrived with Suarez shutting out Wheeler and the Mets, the Giants were @ .500, 6.5 games out, and theoretically in the WC hunt. Belt was back (for half the month) but McCutchen, Posey, and Duggar were gone, Hanson was playing some SS (!), the OF was a mess, and the Giants collapsed spectacularly.
Now, it’s 2019 and everyone is back except Dutch and Cutch.
Holland or someone like him (or 2 like him) could be signed (there is money), Bumgarner should avoid dirt bikes and line drives, Posey, Belt, and Panik could be healthy (enough), D-Rod and Suarez have a year behind them, Duggar is in CF, SF should sign a better RFer (Pollock?) while improvising in LF (Mac plus lots of candidates), and 2019 can be better than 2018 was -- before the collapse.
Is that a contending team? Yes, with a couple rebounds, a couple good signings, some better luck, and “reasonable” health.
Since throwing in the towel is not in the Giants play book, they need to spend money (SP & RF) but not Harper or Machado level, get 2 or 3 better seasons from the 5 venerable veterans, and hope the ole tires can go the distance.
Agreed! I guess I just can't do the "doom and gloom" as long as I can see the "if" of a successful season. And you showed exactly why "if" is quite possible.
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