2014 Rosterbation

[Mays-Fan]

Any chance?

Free Agent Profile: Marlon Byrd: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com

I think it was Kuip who said that the Giants left field needs will be addressed through a trade. Any guesses who the Giants could be targeting?

He's been my choice for some time. I think he is a great fit.

 

[Stokes1931]

Vogelsong, Giants are discussing new contract - SFGate

 

[Mays-Fan]

Any chance?

Free Agent Profile: Marlon Byrd: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com

I think it was Kuip who said that the Giants left field needs will be addressed through a trade. Any guesses who the Giants could be targeting?

1. He hits for power and average.
2. His defense is very good.
3. He is a RHH, but he hits RHP quite well.
4. He wouldn't cost a draft pick.
5. He is affordable - 2/16 looks like the market, 2/18 would still be in budget, IMO.

On the downside, he doesn't run that well, and he strikes out a lot. But if he didn't have those warts, he'd be much more expensive.

 

[MarcoPolo]

The Giants are looking for a player to hit in the #7 spot, so they will probably go cheap.

 

[Mays-Fan]

The Giants are looking for a player to hit in the #7 spot, so they will probably go cheap.

If your logic here is along the lines that it's the #7 hitter, so it's OK to have a crappy hitter there because they bat less, please note the following, taken from:

2013 San Francisco Giants Batting Splits - Baseball-Reference.com

Plate appearances by batting order spot:

1: 750
2: 735
3: 718
4: 701
5: 689
6: 673
7: 656
8: 633
9: 613

The #7 hitter had only 45 less PA's than the #4 hitter, and only 33 less than the #5 hitter.

It's well worth it to have a quality hitter in the #7 spot, and for #8 for that matter.

Pagan
Scutaro
Sandoval
Posey
Pence
Belt
Byrd
Crawford
(pitcher)

 

[msgkings322]

If your logic here is along the lines that it's the #7 hitter, so it's OK to have a crappy hitter there because they bat less, please note the following, taken from:

2013 San Francisco Giants Batting Splits - Baseball-Reference.com

Plate appearances by batting order spot:

1: 750
2: 735
3: 718
4: 701
5: 689
6: 673
7: 656
8: 633
9: 613

The #7 hitter had only 45 less PA's than the #4 hitter, and only 33 less than the #5 hitter.

It's well worth it to have a quality hitter in the #7 spot, and for #8 for that matter.

Pagan
Scutaro
Sandoval
Posey
Pence
Belt
Byrd
Crawford
(pitcher)

I think Belt and Panda are now switched in that order, Belt seemed to really fit in the 3 hole, and Panda is still a wild card.

 

[Mays-Fan]

I think Belt and Panda are now switched in that order, Belt seemed to really fit in the 3 hole, and Panda is still a wild card.

The point here was not the exact batting order, but that the order becomes much more formidable with a quality hitter in the 7 spot, instead of a "cheap" filler.

 

[MarcoPolo]

If your logic here is along the lines that it's the #7 hitter, so it's OK to have a crappy hitter there because they bat less, please note the following, taken from:

My point wasn't about what is OK or not, my point was exactly what I said :

The Giants are looking for a player to hit in the #7 spot, so they will probably go cheap.

The Giants will probably go cheap. They tend to spend more on pitching.

I'm hoping that because of his horrible season last year that they can get Morse on a cheap contract with performance incentives ($2-3M guaranteed, 500k at 350, 400 and 500 PAs, $1M at 550 and 600). Also, hopefully with a team option year for 2015. It would give Morse a chance to have a rebound in a park that doesn't punish RHB too much, and also holds out the hope that he might end up with a ring.

 

[tzill]

The Giants are looking for a player to hit in the #7 spot, so they will probably go cheap.

That depends if we get the SP we need. If we get Tanaka, think Morse. If we get Hudson, think Byrd.

Now bring me J Lo!

 

[tzill]

If your logic here is along the lines that it's the #7 hitter, so it's OK to have a crappy hitter there because they bat less, please note the following, taken from:

2013 San Francisco Giants Batting Splits - Baseball-Reference.com

Plate appearances by batting order spot:

1: 750
2: 735
3: 718
4: 701
5: 689
6: 673
7: 656
8: 633
9: 613

The #7 hitter had only 45 less PA's than the #4 hitter, and only 33 less than the #5 hitter.

It's well worth it to have a quality hitter in the #7 spot, and for #8 for that matter.

Pagan
Scutaro
Sandoval
Posey
Pence
Belt
Byrd
Crawford
(pitcher)

Depends on what "it" is. How many teams have quality #7 hitters? Of those, which also have solid SP? Of those who have both, what's team payroll?

In a vacuum, it's easy to say the #7 spot is almost as important as the #3 or #4 spots. But if you're not the Yanks or doyers, you have to make choices.

 

[SFGRTB]

Here is the list of players who received a QO and will require the 13th pick should we sign one of them (so basically rule out all these guys):

Carlos Beltran
Robinson Cano
Sin Soo Choo
Nelson Cruz
Steven Drew
Jacoby Ellsbury
Curtis Granderson
Ubaldo Jimenez
Huroki Kuroda
Brian McCann
Kendrys Morales
Ervin Santana
Mike Napoli

 

[Mays-Fan]

OK, someone please help an out-of-towner here. I saw this article on MLBTR:

Giants Notes: Hudson, Arroyo, Haren, Tanaka, Lopez: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com

And this not only caught my eye, it snagged it and practically pulled it out of my head:

"Since signing Tanaka wouldn't cost the Giants draft pick compensation like some other top free agent pitchers, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle feels the team should put some of its new TV contract money towards acquiring the Japanese right-hander."

Can someone please fill me in on what the writer is referring to? Shea's article only says this:

"Masahiro Tanaka.

He'll cost more than $100 million including the posting fee and contract, each likely to surpass $60 million. For the big-market, high-revenue Giants, it's doable, especially with the arrival of their generous holiday gift package - the new national TV deals."

Does anyone have specifics? Are these "national TV deals" with the SFG's or with MLB as a whole? If MLB, how is this an advantage to us if all the teams share somehow?

Thanks in advance for anyone who has the real scoop here.

 

[Stokes1931]

OK, someone please help an out-of-towner here. I saw this article on MLBTR:

Giants Notes: Hudson, Arroyo, Haren, Tanaka, Lopez: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com

And this not only caught my eye, it snagged it and practically pulled it out of my head:

"Since signing Tanaka wouldn't cost the Giants draft pick compensation like some other top free agent pitchers, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle feels the team should put some of its new TV contract money towards acquiring the Japanese right-hander."

Can someone please fill me in on what the writer is referring to? Shea's article only says this:

"Masahiro Tanaka.

He'll cost more than $100 million including the posting fee and contract, each likely to surpass $60 million. For the big-market, high-revenue Giants, it's doable, especially with the arrival of their generous holiday gift package - the new national TV deals."

Does anyone have specifics? Are these "national TV deals" with the SFG's or with MLB as a whole? If MLB, how is this an advantage to us if all the teams share somehow?

Thanks in advance for anyone who has the real scoop here.

MLB has reached an eight-year TV agreement with FOX, Turner Sports | MLB.com: News

The New National TV Contracts And 2014 Payrolls | FanGraphs Baseball

 

[Mays-Fan]

MLB has reached an eight-year TV agreement with FOX, Turner Sports | MLB.com: News

The New National TV Contracts And 2014 Payrolls | FanGraphs Baseball

Thank you.

OK, from the first link:

"Revenue will be split equally among all 30 teams per normal procedure, Selig said. "This is just a deal baseball made, and as a result it comes to us nationally and goes out equally to all 30 clubs," he said.​

Nothing in the second link contradicts that.

So it looks like we have no competitive advantage with this "new" money as far as going after Tanaka. All 30 teams get the same amount. So what is Shea talking about? Or perhaps he doesn't know what he's talking about?

 

[tzill]

Thank you.

OK, from the first link:

"Revenue will be split equally among all 30 teams per normal procedure, Selig said. "This is just a deal baseball made, and as a result it comes to us nationally and goes out equally to all 30 clubs," he said.​

Nothing in the second link contradicts that.

So it looks like we have no competitive advantage with this "new" money as far as going after Tanaka. All 30 teams get the same amount. So what is Shea talking about? Or perhaps he doesn't know what he's talking about?

Oh, I think the Giants are in the "sweet spot" for comparative advantage. The new money is estimated at about $25MM per club per year. Small market clubs will invariably not spend a good portion of that money on payroll, instead opting to pocket a portion or spending it on development or front office. The megamarket clubs don't value $25MM as that much (for instance, the doyers are going to spend whatever they want anyway, even if they don't get the extra national TV money).

However, the mid and mid major markets, like the Giants, are likely to spend all of that additional income on player acquisition.

So we do have a comparative advantage over most clubs. We can spend a larger percent of the money than small market clubs can and it won't make much difference to megamarket clubs. It would allow us, for instance, to get into the Tanaka bidding.

 

[tzill]

Then again, the Spanka$$ look like they'll get Tanaka:

Y! SPORTS

 

[MarcoPolo]

Then again, the Spanka$$ look like they'll get Tanaka:

Y! SPORTS

I think that the best possible thing for the Giants would be that some team pays out the wazoo as the posting fee for Tanaka, then can't come to an agreement with him on a contract (because they'd already 'invested' 90M in the posting fee). Tanaka pitches his final year in Japan, then becomes a FA.

2nd best would be that an AL team signs him.

 

[tzill]

I think that the best possible thing for the Giants would be that some team pays out the wazoo as the posting fee for Tanaka, then can't come to an agreement with him on a contract (because they'd already 'invested' 90M in the posting fee). Tanaka pitches his final year in Japan, then becomes a FA.

2nd best would be that an AL team signs him.

I don't think money will stop the Yanka$$ from getting Tanaka. They'll blow the doors off the posting fee and give him whatever he wants for a salary.

He's as good as a Yanka$$...unless the doyers jump in.

 

[SFGRTB]

GM/Owners meetings start this week. Trades and signings don't typically happen here, but it gets the ball rolling. Plenty of rumors will probably start flowing too. (Not to be mixed up with the winter meetings, which start in a month.)

A few things I've been hearing: The posting system for international FA's will be changed, but not in a way that's favorable to the Giants. The top bidding team will still have sole negotiating rights, but if the team is unable to get a deal done they will be fined. Big whoop IMO. Still looks like Tanaka going to be a Yankee or dodger.

Giants are pretty high on Arroyo, Haren and Hudson it seems. On the trade market, John Lacky could be an option, or Jeff Samardzija.

You can pretty much rule out any FA who were offered a QO, unless the Giants find themselves in a Milwaukee/Kyle Loshe situation from last year. Loshe was offered a QO after a Cy Young type season in STL, but no one wanted to surrender a draft pick to sign him, but finally received a relatively cheap deal late in March.

LF will probably be filled cheaply, there just isn't much out there. McLouth, Chris Young, Morse are all option presumably.

 

[GiantsPackersChamps2011]

Read a rumor today that Pagan might be moved to LF. Would open up a need for a CF