Hot Stove Update: Giants Lose Nemesis

Over the past 6 seasons, Hyun-Jin Ryu made 18 Starts against the Giants with a 7-6 record and a 2.60 ERA.  Not only will he not be pitching for the Dodgers anymore, he'll be pitching in another league as he signed a 4 yr/$80 M contract with the Blue Jays.  This represents a major offseason win for the Giants without them having to spend a penny.  Although Ryu pitched like an ace when he was healthy, he missed huge chunks of time with injuries during his Dodgers career.  He's 33 years old to boot which makes this an extremely risky contract for the BJ's.  So no thank you.  Better he's with the Jays and out of the league than having that potential millstone of a contract around the Giants necks.  So much winning!

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Before the Winter Meetings, Farhan Zaidi said he was looking for a lefthanded hitting infielder.  One free agent who fit that description was Travis Shaw.  That option is off the market as he signed with the Blue Jays for 1 yr/$4 M guarantee with another $675 K in incentives.  Although Shaw was a terror at the plate in 2017 and 2018, his numbers cratered in 2019 to the point he was demoted to AAA and then non-tendered by the Brewers this fall.  $4 M guaranteed seems like a lot to see if he can bounce back.

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After the Ryu signing, LHP Alex Wood is suddenly MLBTR's top rated pitching free agent left on the market so a true replacement for Madison Bumgarner is not apparent at this point.  I look for Farhan to make a couple more depth signings.  Possible targets include Wood, RHP's Taijuan Walker, Homer Bailey, Andrew Cashner, Jerad Eickoff, Jimmy Nelson, Danny Salazar, and LHP's Drew Smyly and Rich Hill.  Farhan seems to be waiting for the market to come to him, but right now it sure seems like the market is running away.

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Left-handed hitting infielders left on the market include Asdrubal Cabrera(S), Scooter Gennett, Cesar Hernandez(S), Brock Holt, Brad Miller, Joe Panik, Yangervis Solarte(S), Neil Walker(S) and Ben Zobrist(S).