Hey team! Sorry for the paucity of posts, but the Hot Stove has gone cold except for almost daily rumors about new candidates for Manager and GM. What's THAT all about? Anyway, I thought I would post about some things I have long wanted for the Giants and hope we get at least one or two by Christmas.
1. A Real Leadoff Hitter. What do I mean by a real leadoff hitter? One with an OBP of at least .350 and steals at least 40 bases. How long has it been since the Giants had such a player? Try Brett Butler in 1988! Before that there was Billy North in 1980. Yeah, I want one of those again! Only problem is players like that pretty much don't exist anymore, so I believe it is highly unlikely this Christmas wish will come true.
2. A leftfielder who hits at least 30 HR's. Man, I thought Mac Williamson was going to be this guy! Alas, it was not to be. Right now, I don't see anyone on the roster likely to fit this description. Any chance of getting one via trade or free agency?
3. Mauricio Dubon starting at shortstop and a new second baseman likely to hit 20+ HR's. In other words, Brandon Crawford is either off the team or relegated to a bench role. If the Giants essentially treat Crawford's salary as a sunk cost, they are not going to want to pay a large salary to a new 2B. Fortunately this year's FA market is a buyer's market for 2B. Two names to consider: Jonathan Schoop and Starlin Castro. A trade for Jonathan Villar is a great suggestion from a commenter too!
4. Brandon Belt to try choking up on the bat. I admit Brandon Belt has had underrated success doing just what he has always done, which is stand on top of home plate and grip a long bat on the knob. The problem for me is that does not translate into driving pitches on the outside corner and to frequent jams with pitches on the inner half of the plate. I mean, when he swings the bat, his hands come trough mid-zone! If it's on the inside corner, he's making contact with his forearms! Choking up a hair on the bat like Barry Bonds and Hunter Pence would keep him from getting jammed on pitches on the inner half and also get his bat to the zone more quickly. BTW, you know who stands right on the plate but compensates by choking up? Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs!
5. Sign 2 good SP's one of whom may be Madison Bumgarner. Giants need at least 4 good veteran SP's which allows Tyler Beede and Logan Webb to compete for 5'th SP. If FA signing predictions are close to accurate, the Giants can re-sign him at a very affordable price with plenty of room for another good SP, of which there are several intriguing choices. but if it's not Bummy, then it needs to be another SP capable of fronting a competitive rotation. This is all in addition to the obligatory roster churning Farhan does on an almost daily basis and which may uncover a gem or two.
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With regards to "what" may be up with the endless flood of possible, potential, GM and Mgr candidates?
ReplyDeletePerhaps absolutely nothing at all!
Perhaps Farhan is the latest stereotype, within MLB of a 'successful' exec from another team, (usually a very successful club) who carries with him to another zipcode the glossy and lucrative baggage of his previous club's success.
The only missing piece of that pricey baggage is talent.
Perhaps Farhan is engaging in endless 'churning', interviews, and discussions because he just doesn't have a clue what to do, or who to choose?
Perhaps it's just a way to avoid making the wrong choice? MLB is full of these types who are without actual direction, and whose ONLY priority is to avoid revealing this inherent lack of talent themselves?
Perhaps what we truly need is a search for an 'actual' President of Baseball Operations?
Sometimes when there is nothing 'there'...it is because there is NOTHING there?
I believe it's called Occam's Razor
By most accounts the Giants farm system is much stronger after 2019 - that's not nothing. I think some patience and far-sightedness are needed for an organization that forgot about their farm system and backpaid their aging championship players with untradeable contracts. I'd guess that the hold-up is that FZ might be looking for a certain GM/manager combination requiring an extra dimension of matching or complementary skills. I'm still on board with FZ - looking forward to a more productive hitting lineup next year and I'd be very happy to have Bumgarner back at 4/72 - he proved in 2019 that he'll be worth it.
DeleteInteresting take, it made me look up Occam's Razor, lol. Read a mlb.com article yesterday that Joe Espada is the favorite to land the manager position. He had a 3rd interview on Wednesday. Perhaps a decision will come "soon". I'm good with the process lasting a little longer, Zaidi could have chosen a quicker route and recommended Kapler, a person he knows, for manager, but chose to look at other candidates, to his credit. Mlb rumors website predicts Marcell Ozuna to the Giants 3 yrs $45 mil contract.
DeleteThe Giants will have to make Bumgarner a substantially better offer to retain him than all the good playoff teams within some hundreds of miles from his North Carolina home, from Atlanta to Washington to St Louis, to tax-free Houston, all of whom could use his proven playoff talent.
ReplyDeleteEven Cleveland, Chicago, and Tampa (unlikely) are "close" to home. Those teams have to be as hungry as the Twins to get over the top.
The loss of a late second round pick shouldn't deter any of these teams from adding a probable mid-rotation starter for four years under $20 million/year and a proven post season player.
Zack Wheeler is considered by MLBTR to have more upside @ 5 years, $100 million, but there is that bulldog mentality that Bumgarner brings to a contending team that Wheeler hasn't shown.
As Kruk might say, there's none chance Bum will be back.
That shouldn't dissuade the Giants from giving their ACE a very good offer. Bum won't add back any of the lost attendance, but he'll keep a bunch there for his starts.
The Giants have to address the erosion in fans somewhere else and not lose any more as they did in this past abysmal season.
A speedster at the top would be fun. Especially if that 350 OBP were BA driven and not BBs. Just an all action leadoff hitter. But I'd trade 20 steals for 10 dingers. 320/350/440. 20+ SB. 10 HR.
ReplyDelete1. I thought Duggar was supposed to be this.
ReplyDelete2. Why not give Shaw a chance to be this?
3. Dubon is nice, but I still believe that Craw has a few good seasons left in the tank.
4. What happened to when Belt put that waggle in his bat and started hitting a lot better? Have him do that again. Also have him bunt to third base WHENEVER they employ the shift against him.
5. Throw whatever you need at Bum in order to re-sign him. I think that 5 years at $18 per or 3 at $22 will get the job done.
6. As an extra thing, have it tattooed to Zaidi's head to NOT UNDERESTIMATE HOW BIG OF A DEAL BOCH RETIRING REALLY IS. It seems as if he's hurrying to undo this legacy. Here needs to respect it further and work with it. If he'd gotten a stick at there deadline to replace an injured Longo, they probably make the playoffs. He doesn't have the instincts that Sabean/Boch did and it was obvious as the season went along. There were no Scutaro/Burrell/Pence/Uribe/Torres acquisitions. Yaz was nice. Yaz was probably a one season wonder. Pillar was nice, but overrated. Vogt was nice but overrated. Zaidi needs to learn something from the team he inherited.