Hot Stove Update: D'Backs Add Kole Calhoun

First of all, happy Christmas to everyone.  I woke up to a nasty vertigo attack but am feeling much better this evening.  My almost 92 year old mother cooked up an unbelievable Christmas lunch/dinner for our immediate family.  I'm still waiting for it to settle before dessert.

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The dealing around the Hot Stove rolled on with undiminished intensity late into Christmas Eve with a couple of transactions which may directly or indirectly impact the Giants.  The Indians signed 2B Cesar Hernandez to a 1 year/$6.25 M contract.  Hernandez put up solid numbers over the past 5 seasons and has seen his power kick up a notch with 29 HR's in his last 2 campaigns.  He has some speed to steal bases and has posted strong OBP's despite the limited power.  Farhan Zaidi went into the Winter Meetings listing a left-handed hitting IF as a priority.  Now two players who fit that description, Travis Shaw and Hernandez have gone off the board in the last 2 days, although there are still potential targets left on the market.

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The Astros re-signed C Martin Maldonado to a 2 year/$7 M contract which was neither a surprise nor particularly impactful.

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The D'Backs made some more Hot Stove noise by signing OF Kole Calhoun to a 2 year/$14 M contract with a $9 M option for 2022 with a $2 M buyout for a total guarantee of $16 M.  Calhoun is a B-L, T-L corner OF, so may not have been a great fit for the Giants, but this seems like another smart move by the D'Backs who have only strengthened a team that won 85 games last year.  Calhoun had a down season in 2018, but rebounded to a 2.3 bWAR with 33 HR's in 2019.

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The Mets signed RHP Dellin Betances to a 1 year/$7.5 contract with multiple incentives and a player option for $6 M in 2021 with a $3 M buyout which brings the total guarantee in the package to $10.5 M.  Betances was an elite multi-inning reliever for the Yankees for 4 seasons but was plagued by injuries last year including a shoulder impingement problem and a partial Achilles tendon tear suffered in his first, and only, appearance of the season.  It's a great add by the Mets if he is fully healthy but with enough investment to hurt if he's not.

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Remember Antoan Richardson?  He was a fast little Giants prospect who drew a lot of walks in the lower minors, but his weak stick caught up with him at higher levels.  He's now 36 years old and has been the Giants minor league OF coordinator.  He's moving up to replaces Jose Alguacil as the Giants first base coach for 2020.