Saturday, December 29, 2018

Hot Stove Update: Angels Sign Jonathan Lucroy

It wasn't too long ago that a Jonathan Lucroy signing would be headline Hot Stove news.  Now, it's so insignificant, I had to debate whether to even post anything on it.  He is coming off a season in which he posted an OPS of just .617, his worst in his entire MLB career.  He also slipped in several defensive metrics although he threw out more than 30% of basestealers.  The Angels signed him yesterday for 1 yr/$3.35 M with incentives that reach to about $4.5 M.  His BABIP has been down from career norms for 2 seasons now.  Some analysts might look at that and say it's his new normal.  Others may say he's ripe for a bounceback.  For catchers at age 32, it's more likely the former.  Kevan Smith will likely be the backup C with Jose Briceno getting more salt in AAA.

I would say this signing has no impact on the Giants as I didn't see them signing Lucroy as the back up plan for Buster Posey.

2 comments:

  1. Although it's oft said that a Harper signing is not in Zaidi's MO -- he's never gone over 100M or something or other -- is there anything (else) that could significantly change the Giants either for 2019 or for the next 10 years?
    Does anyone make the Posey-Belt-Longoria middle L/U better? Is there anything better the Giants can do to score more runs -- that is, to win more games?
    Is this, perhaps, what Zaidi is waiting for, he's not in there bidding against himself?
    Add a RHB, get on base, 2Bman to leadoff, and make Mac comfortable batting 7th behind Crawford and Duggar 8th out of pressure.
    Slater backup OFer, Shaw raking in Sacramento, and Ferguson, btw, has been a pretty good OBP guy in the minors, can he bring that to the Giants?

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  2. With nothing to back this up except what's seemed to happen thus far, Giants will do nothing until Yusei Kikuchi is off the board, then will, $$ permitting, pounce on Harper

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