Giants Lock Down Starting Pitching, What's Next?
by Russell Preston, KHTK Sacramento
Coming into this offseason, the San Francisco Giants had two clear goals in mind: spend boatloads of money on starting pitching, and find a left fielder.
Well, they achieved the first goal as of this week when they signed both Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto to contracts worth more than $200 million combined over the next six years. It's the first time any team in the league has signed two pitchers of contracts worth $90 million or more in the same offseason.
With the starting rotation locked in, the focus shifts to the empty spot in left field. Last year, the Giants used a combination of Nori Aoki, Alejandro De Aza, Gregor Blanco, Justin Maxwell and Brandon Belt in left field. Mac Williamson, Juan Perez, Jarrett Parker and Ryan Lollis were also sprinkled in there as well.
With Aoki's option being declined this offseason (he went on the sign with the Seattle Mariners) and Maxwell not expected to return, the question stands, who do the Giants choose as an everyday left fielder?
There's no doubt Gregor Blanco can fill in and play tremendous defense while hitting average, no-power offense. So cased closed, right? Probably not.
Blanco is a perfect fit for the fourth outfielder spot. He can play all three outfield spots with above average defense, plus with Angel Pagan starting in center at the age of 34, the odds of him taking a day off here of there are pretty much guaranteed. Don't even bring up the possibility of him being hurt for weeks if not months at a time. Blanco is an insurance option too good to pass up on.
Other in-house options for the Giants aren't much better on paper. Rookie Williamson has ripped up the minors throughout his career and has yet to get a real shot in the bigs. The 24-year-old had just 32 at-bats in September last season and that covers his entire MLB career. His potential is high - like, 20 home runs a year with decent defense, high - but he still has some developing to do. Who knows, maybe if he is put in a starting spot he can develop as nicely as Matt Duffy did last season.
Parker is another home-grown option, but don't let his one three-home run day in Oakland last season fool you - he strikes out a ton and has a lower ceiling than Williamson. If anyone should be given a chance, Williamson will get it before Parker.
If the Giants don't want to risk a starting spot with a rookie, then there is always free agency. Ah, but the Giants have spent a lot of money so far in the free agent pool and are going to be up against the cap. That crosses off Yoenis Cespedes, Justin Upton and Alex Gordon - they just cost too much for the Giants.
That leaves middle-tier guys like Denard Span, Dexter Fowler, Gerardo Parra and Rajai Davis. The Giants could also try bringing back Marlon Byrd, who spent the last 39 games in a Giants uniform last season.
While these options would work, their contracts will still be pricey (more than $9-10 million), but on the other hand, they are all on the wrong side of the age of 30.
The best fit for the Giants out of the free agent options would probably be Span, who has been linked with the Giants in rumors recently, and Fowler.
Span has hit above .300 the last two years as the 31-year-old covered center field for the Washington Nationals. He has a career .287 batting average and still has some speed on the base paths (he stole 11 bases last season, being caught zero times). He fits the Giants philosophy of moving the runners over, building rallies with timely base hits and good plate discipline. Span has 371 walks compared to 489 strikeouts over his career - the guy just doesn't strike out much.
Fowler is a different kind of fit. He turns 30 in March, but has been in the MLB the same time as Span. He started in center field for the Chicago Cubs last season, playing in 156 games. He set career highs in home runs (17), walks (84), hits (149) and runs (102) last season, but struck out often (154 - sixth most in the NL) and hit a career-low .250 batting average.
Fowler is familiar with the NL West, as he spent his first six seasons as a member of the Colorado Rockies, so adjusting to AT&T Park may be easier for him than Span. On the other hand, Span has much better career numbers at AT&T Park than Fowler (.241 BA compared to .179 BA). If I were to pick one, I'd choose Span due to his consistently high batting average.
The Giants technically have not publicly ruled anyone out, but if I were to make a prediction, I'd guess Span is signed for two years, $22 million. If not, then I could see the Giants giving a shot to Williamson and Blanco to platoon.
If one thing is for sure, whomever they choose will need a cool animal nickname.
