Hot Stove Update: Giants Sign Free Agent Pitcher

So, the good news is the Giants signed a free agent left-handed pitcher today.  The bad news is he was only a free agent because they did not tender him a contract yesterday.  How's that?  Some of us were scratching our heads yesterday wondering why Farhan non-tendered LHP Tyler Anderson after claiming him off waivers from the Rockies.  I'm sure if you dig deep enough into the intricacies of waiver claims and the arbitration process there is a perfectly logical explanation for the entire sequence of events.  The simple answer is apparently Anderson was willing to agree to a contract presumably for a significantly lower amount than the $2.1 MLBTR projected him to get in arbitration.  Why this was not announced until after the non-tender became official, we may never know.  I'll guess negotiations came down to the wire and they just did not have time to work out the details before the tender deadline.

I wrote something up on Tyler Anderson after the Giants picked him off waivers.  He's a guy who I think has a decent shot at a bounceback season, especially given a change of scenery from Coors Field to Oracle Park.  In addition, he's coming off surgery on a knee that was bothering him last year. That is worth the risk of a very small MLB guaranteed salary.  If it doesn't work out, the monetary risk is minimal.  If it does, I could see Anderson becoming a solid #4 SP in the rotation or a lefty reliever capable of going multiple innings at a time.  If the Giants stay in contention through the season, great.  If not, I could see him bringing back a nice prospect a la Drew Pomeranz.

Again, I don't understand all the machinations, but in the end, Farhan got the result I hoped for so we'll give him a thumbs up on this one.