2018 Roster Expectations

[calsnowskier]

Wrong draft year, cal. Tucker was signed before the 2004 season so the Giants lost the 29th pick of the 1st round in 2004. Guys picked after that pick (and before the 70th pick, the first for the Giants) was Gio Gonzalez, Huston Street, Yovani Gallardo, Seth Smith, Hunter Pence, Dustin Pedroia, Kurt Suzuki and Jason Vargas.

Shit...

 

[SFGRTB]

Looks like the Giants' defensive priorities have changed. Also, @SFGRTB, it looks more likely that Jarrod Dyson will be signed since the Giants don't want to block Duggar.

Dyson would be a nice place holder for sure, but it is weird seeing the Giants comments. The press conference it was "pitching and defense", then they went hard after Stanton. Then it shifted to "cost cutting" after Stanton sailed. Then Billy Hamilton rumor surfaced. Now it's "power bat" and sacrificing defense is okay.

Very odd.

Regardless, I like the Duggar comments. Very possible the Giants are playing the market, trying to convince teams they're okay with going with Duggar. TBH it is coming at an odd time. Might be a bluff.

 

[SFGRTB]

So Ohtani has a strained ligament in his pitching elbow....

The injury is the least severe, but early stages to a potentially more dramatic damaging, tear leading to Tommy John.

Wow

 

[LHG]

So Ohtani has a strained ligament in his pitching elbow....

The injury is the least severe, but early stages to a potentially more dramatic damaging, tear leading to Tommy John.

Wow

 

[LHG]

Dyson would be a nice place holder for sure, but it is weird seeing the Giants comments. The press conference it was "pitching and defense", then they went hard after Stanton. Then it shifted to "cost cutting" after Stanton sailed. Then Billy Hamilton rumor surfaced. Now it's "power bat" and sacrificing defense is okay.

Very odd.

Regardless, I like the Duggar comments. Very possible the Giants are playing the market, trying to convince teams they're okay with going with Duggar. TBH it is coming at an odd time. Might be a bluff.

The message from the org has been very scattered. Not sure if its due to competing theories as to the direction, intentional to see if they can confuse their way into better deals or just the org sticking their finger in the air to see which direction the wind is blowing and follow it.

 

[LHG]

Shit...

If it makes you feel any better, the 2004 draft was worse than 2007's draft . . . for the Giants. Only 4 of the guys they signed even made the big leagues. The cream of the crop? Jonathan Sanchez (27th round), who has a career 3.1 WAR (all earned in 2010).
Considering how poorly they drafted, they probably would have picked the same guy that Kansas City picked - Matt Campbell, who made it as far as advanced A ball, before disappearing from professional baseball in 2007.

 

[stanford the manford]

And that's exactly what we're headed for, 75-80 wins for the next 5 years or so.

I can live with it, I just wanted 1 ring and we got 3.

just put some prospects on the field so i can hope there’s a light at the end of the tunnel... no more retreads

 

[stanford the manford]

Old youtube vid, but I still enjoy watching it. The look on Ryan Howard's face is classic!

i love nate... and every now and again, out of nowhere would come the big bop...

 

[stanford the manford]

The message from the org has been very scattered. Not sure if its due to competing theories as to the direction, intentional to see if they can confuse their way into better deals or just the org sticking their finger in the air to see which direction the wind is blowing and follow it.

ill go with #3, sticking finger in the air alex

 

[calsnowskier]

just put some prospects on the field so i can hope there’s a light at the end of the tunnel... no more retreads

I would like to see Slater, Shaw, Duggar and Arroyo. Maybe throw in Beede and Suarez. Outside of that, place holders are AOK by me.

 

[LHG]

I would like to see Slater, Shaw, Duggar and Arroyo. Maybe throw in Beede and Suarez. Outside of that, place holders are AOK by me.

Williamson, Jones, Rogers and a few others can either be placeholders or decent big leaguers. How about finding out once and for all on them too? If the team really won't be competitive (or will flirt on the fringe of competition but not really get in the race), why not just roll the dice, go with them, and see what happens? Retreads can be picked up any time of the year. This FO knows that well.

 

[calsnowskier]

Williamson, Jones, Rogers and a few others can either be placeholders or decent big leaguers. How about finding out once and for all on them too? If the team really won't be competitive (or will flirt on the fringe of competition but not really get in the race), why not just roll the dice, go with them, and see what happens? Retreads can be picked up any time of the year. This FO knows that well.

I am OK with seeing McParker, I just don’t have high hopes for either.

Jones may be good someday, but right now he is not even close to being ready. That was pretty rough watching him last year.

Rogers will be eaten alive at the MLB level. I have no prob with taking a look, but I have zero expectations.

 

[LHG]

It would seem, at least based on some rumblings at the end of the regular season, that the Giants wanted to add another left-handed reliever to go along with Will Smith in the bullpen. However, there are not a lot of choices on the free agent market. Here are the 11 left-handed relievers left, in order of how I would rank them:
1. Tony Watson - Watson, who will turn 33 a month into the 2018 season, has had a very solid career, spanning all the way from 2011. He has a sparkling career ERA (2.68), WHIP (1.086) and HR/9 (0.9). He has been durable, throwing in no less than 67 games since his rookie season, and has been fairly predictable in his results from year to year. Righties have a career .661, while lefites have a paltry .574, so he would be a good addition simply as a reliever. The only concerns I would have is the length of his contract (due to age), whether his durability will suddenly disappear due to heavy use and if his 1st half of 2017 was a blip (the numbers were down for him, compared to other years). However, I think those concerns are minor. Definitely, my favorite to see signed.
2. Xavier Cedeno - The youngest of the group (31), Cedeno has had an up and down career so far. He debuted in 2011 with Houston and had his best season in 2015, after going over to Tampa from Washington (2.35, 1.174, 9.2). However, outside of that season, his numbers haven't been that great. Most of that is due to his left/right splits. Righties have hit him to a tune of .301/.374/.470 but lefties struggle with a .226/.286/.299 against him. He was non-tendered by the Rays after missing most of the season due to an injury. I wouldn't mind bringing him in to spring training with a minor league deal. As long as he is used strictly as a LOOGY, he would be worth a shot.
3. Boone Logan - I thought very highly of his last year, considering how well he pitched with Coors Field as his home stadium in 2016. The shine wore off considerably after a rather poor showing with Cleveland in 2017 (4.71, 1.381). In fact, his 2017 numbers more closely matched what he did in 2014 and 2015. He never looked good in Chicago and bookend two mediocre years with two good years in New York. Simply put, I think he is overrated. He may be worth an add if it was a deal of the minor league variety or a cheap one year deal, if as a LOOGY. His lefty numbers (.234/.311/.361) are a lot better than his right numbers (.292/.373/.472). Maybe his career is skewed considering where he's called home throughout his career, but I think it would be good to see how the market shakes out before considering him.
4. Zach Duke - A failed starter, Duke wasn't converted to relief work until 2011 (after debuting with Pittsburgh in 2005). However, he didn't much success until 2014 with Milwaukee. Since then, he's had two good years (2014 and 2016) and two okay years (2015 and 2017). His 2017 numbers with Saint Louis are a mixed bag. His HR/9 (1.5) and ERA (3.93) were a bit high but his WHIP (1.036) suggests that if he had pitched more in 2017 that his ERA may have gone down (he only got in 27 games due to Tommy John surgery in 2016). His career lefty numbers are okay (.701 career OPS) but I assume that it would be better as a reliever (I cannot find the numbers strictly for relief). He actually pitched better against righties in 2017 than he did against lefites (.628 vs .661 OPS), so that suggests he wouldn't need to be a strict LOOGY. For the right price, he may be worth a one or two year deal, but age, health and inconsistency are all issues to consider.
5. Fernando Abad - The 2nd youngest of the group (32), Abad has had more success than Cedeno in the big leagues. Yet, his last good major league season was in 2014 with the A's (but did have a good half season with the Twins in 2016). His lefty/righty career splits aren't too far apart (.750 vs righties, .671 vs lefties), so he wouldn't need to be used as a strict LOOGY. His career K rate (7.7) is okay but his WHIP (1.300) leaves something to be desired. If we have to sign him, I'd be okay if it was a minor league deal, maybe.
6. Brian Duensing - Fresh off a one year run with the Cubs, Duensing had the 2nd best year of his career with them, posting a solid 2.74 ERA, 1.219 WHIP and 8.8 K/9. However, his numbers the past 6 seasons have been far less stellar. His career ERA (4.01), WHIP (1.367) and K/9 (6.2) suggest that regression will happen in 2018. Another good LOOGY possibility, his lefty numbers look good (.239/.288/333) while the right numbers look awful (.288/.349/.454) on his career. His success in 2017 can at least be partially attributed to somehow fooling right handed hitters in 2017 (.237/.307/.360) while keeping his left handed numbers close to his career average (except slugging went up to .381). Considering his age (35 at opening day) and the type of contract he'll want due to 2017, I say pass.
7. Jorge de la Rosa - Often the closest thing the Rockies had to an ace in his time with them (2007-2016), when healthy, the Diamondbacks picked him up in 2017 and moved him to the bullpen, doubling the amount of relief appearances in his career (with most of them coming back in 2004 and 2005 with the Brewers). He did do well against lefties in 2017 (.194/.253/.292), he may be worth it as a LOOGY but considering he will be 37 to start the 2018 season, I'd say pass, unless he comes in with a minor league deal.
8. Francisco Liriano - Now here seems like a possibility, if only because the Giants have a certain fondness for bringing guys back into the fold toward the end of their careers, especially when the team seems intent in just filling out the roster. Liriano, before 2017, made all of 29 relief appearances, dating back to 2005. Now 34 years old, he was converted to a relief pitcher when Houston acquired him for the stretch run. He was not very good. He posted a 4.40 ERA, 1.674 WHIP, 6.3 BB/9 and 6.9 K/9. However, lefties did hit just .247/.300/.355 against him on the year. So he may be useful as a LOOGY. Yet, I would guess that he would prefer to go back to being a started. If not, teams may want to use him as a long reliever. I say pass.
9. Oliver Perez - Once upon a time, this guy was a hot shot left handed starting prospect in the Padres' organization. He never did well as a starter and got converted to a reliever in 2010 by the Mets. He did post a couple of good seasons with the Mariners in a comeback 2012 season and again with the Diamondbacks in 2014, he has been less than good since then. The guy survives in the league due to his fastball and his throwing arm. Pass.
10. Craig Breslow - A 37 year old reliever, he hasn't been good since his phenomenal 2013 season with the Red Sox. He's been knocked around since then in stints with the Red Sox, Marlins, Twins and Indians. The Giants need to pass on him. Osich and Okert would probably be better.
11. Glen Perkins - I won't take much time to do a write up on him. A solid lefty from 2011 to 2013, Perkins has only appeared in 10 big league games the past two years. A free agent after the Twins declined his 2018 option, it has been reported that he does not want to pitch with any other organization and would probably retire if the Twins don't bring him back. At 35 years old at opening day 2018, he is probably done with his career.

 

[Stokes1931]

Report: Giants made offer for Orioles star Manny Machado

Giants' top prospect keeps coming up in team's search for outfield help

 

[calsnowskier]

I may turn in my fan card if they trade for Machado. That would just be stupid. Pure and simple.













Not seriously, but... seriously??

 

[LHG]

I may turn in my fan card if they trade for Machado. That would just be stupid. Pure and simple.













Not seriously, but... seriously??

I'm just not sure how much of the rumors are to be believed this offseason. Its not unusual for a lot of speculation, mis-direction and lies to occur as teams jockey for position in trades and free agent signings but the sheer amount of information being put out there this offseason about the Giants is a whole lot larger than any past offseason of recent memory. I mean, a lot of it has to be inaccurate, right?

But even if the Giants do make an offer, I have to think another team will better that offer. Machado has to be a hot commodity. Of course, the fact that he will be a free agent next offseaon would dissuade a few teams. What concerns me, though, is that if the Giants are pursuing him, like they are said to be pursuing Billy Hamilton, I don't think a word that is spoken publicly, by either ownership or the FO, can be trusted. The strategy for preparing for 2018 seems to change daily.

 

[msgkings322]

It's the weirdest offseason I can remember. Kind of hard to keep up in Bizarro world.

 

[LHG]

My guess is that this will be the first real transaction (where the Giants pick up somebody) of the offseason:
But the comments made in response are priceless! That someone would want him starting at catcher and Posey at 1st base is hilarious! That would be an offensive and defensive step down for the team.

 

[LHG]

Okay, I will say this: All the Giants' rumors definitely have gotten my time and attention. Here's three more tweets and I'm out for the night:
And Larry Baer said it was JD Martinez! What does the owner know?
Please no! Please no! Please no!

 

[stanford the manford]

i really haven't been keeping up with the offseason - has anything of any substance happened? either on the receiving or giving side...

i'd hate to think we came into '17 with one of the worst outfields and think that going into '18 with the same group will yield better results....

and no... actually hell no... to jay bruce. when we are one, it not the, least athletic teams in mlb - this is not the way to start building for the future