Locked On Giants – Daily Podcast On The San Francisco Giants

On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick discusses the state of the San Francisco Giants outfield. This was a trouble spot in the last few years under the old regime, and it seemed that Farhan Zaidi had done a nice job of rejuvenating those three positions with the emergence of Mike Yastrzemski, Alex Dickerson, Austin Slater, and Darin Ruf. However, following down years from most of that group, Zaidi and the Giants may be in the hunt for an upgrade in the outfield again. Dickerson was DFA'd recently. Thankfully, LaMonte Wade Jr.'s emergence helped offset the poorer performance from other outfielders. Ben also looks at third base, where Evan Longoria is a borderline platoon candidate thanks to his continued struggles against same-handed pitching.

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick examines how the San Francisco Giants currently compare to the rest of the league. With Logan Webb leading the rotation (and projected to be an ace), plus the re-signings of Alex Wood and Anthony DeSclafani, plus the addition of Alex Cobb, the Giants' rotation currently projects as baseball's ninth-best. It's a surprisingly good projection, and indicates that with one more big addition the Giants could have a top-five or better staff. Of course, health is not a given, particularly with Wood and Cobb, so more additions will be necessary.

Ben also examines the catcher position, wherein the Giants may have a problem on their hands. As we saw in 2020, not having Buster Posey is a major hit to the Giants. With Posey having retired, the position currently belongs to Joey Bart and Curt Casali, neither of whom is projected to be great. In fact, the Giants rank dead last in terms of their Steamer projected WAR at the catcher position. Ben reiterates that the Giants may need to make a significant addition here, but it could be difficult because catching talent is hard to come by. They may just need to find out what they have in Bart, the former No. 2 overall pick in the country.

Finally, Ben discusses the Steamer projections for the Giants at first base, second base, and shortstop. Brandon Belt, Tommy La Stella, and Brandon Crawford are projected to give the Giants better-than-average production at each position, with Thairo Estrada serving and a solid backup at the up-the-middle positions. Ben believes there is significant upside beyond the projections at these positions, particularly at short and first where Crawford and Belt have demonstrated in recent seasons that the sky is the limit under the influence of the Giants' new coaches.

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick answers questions from listeners about the state of the San Francisco Giants, with baseball's first work stoppage since 1994 underway. Among the questions asked and answered are:

What’s the plan in the rotation? Are they going to patch it together or make a big trade? Will they see how it goes and re-assess in season?

How likely do you think the lack of moves is due to players on the cusp such as Heliot Ramos, Sean Hjelle, Kervin Castro?

Is this the year Tyler Beede makes meaningful contributions at the major league level?

Which starting pitchers do you see as most realistic trade targets? And what would it take to get them?

How do you see the Giants patching up the outfield? Mike Yastrzemski seems he needs to be platooned, so I see them needing a RH and LH OF. Nick Castellanos/Joc Pederson?

What do you see as the Giants' biggest need on offense? What players would you target to fit that need?

Thoughts on this Forbes story from this morning, "San Francisco Giants’ President Is An MLB Team Owner’s Dream”?

Do you see anyone on the 40 man likely to be traded?

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick discusses Major League Baseball's owners initiating the sport's first work stoppage since 1994. He discusses the statements from MLB and the MLBPA, how we got here, and what's likely to happen next. Ben is not optimistic about anything positive getting done for quite some time, and he worries about the very real possibility of games being lost in 2022.

Next he discusses the frenzied activity that preceded the lockout. He explores free-agent spending by team, and looks at the San Francisco Giants' spending. Many fans seem to be upset that the team hasn't shopped at the top of the market so far this winter, but they can't be accused of not spending money. They're in the top 25% of teams in terms of spending this winter, and they're top 10 in spending the last two offseasons combined. No, they're not the top spending team or even top five, but they're distinctly in the upper tier and well above the league mean and median.

Lastly, Ben takes a look at some of the free-agent starting pitcher classes of years past. From five years ago, it's shocking who were considered the best starters. Ben reminds fans that Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija were big name acquisitions at the time, but neither contract worked out remotely as hoped. He looks at more recent signings like Dallas Keuchel, whom Ben compares to Marcus Stroman. There's a clear trend that starters break down quickly, either with injuries, poor performance, or both. Therefore, it's not shocking that the Giants haven't appeared eager to spend big/commit many years to top-of-the-market free-agent starters.

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick details the San Francisco Giants' signings of Alex Cobb and Alex Wood. Both starters were among only six in major league baseball last season with at least 90 IP and a K% ≥ 24% and ≥ 50%. Logan Webb was also among the six. The Giants' rotation is now mostly made up of pitchers that possess this rare combination of skills: an ability to keep the ball on the ground, and an ability to strike people out. Wood's deal was announced in the middle of Ben's recording of the show, and he reacts accordingly.

Ben also gets into last night's tender deadline, with the Giants making some interesting moves. The club non-tendered pitchers Sam Delaplane and Joe Palumbo, as well as outfielder Luis Gonzalez. Those players were thus removed from the team's 40-man roster, which opened spots for the additions of Cobb and Wood, plus another for an unknown reason. It's possible the Giants making another addition today that hasn't been reported on yet. Additionally, the Giants tendered contracts to all of their arbitration-eligible players, including agreements to one-year deals with Austin Slater, Jarlín García, and John Brebbia.

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick discusses the San Francisco Giants seemingly closing in on deals for free-agent starters Alex Wood and Alex Cobb. The team has been rumored to be in hot pursuit of these two pitchers for about a week, and it seems those agreements may finally materialize. Ben addresses that both pitchers come with injury risks, and the Giants' rotation is still worse off than it was last year after the club lost Kevin Gausman to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Next, Ben discusses tonight's tender deadline. The Giants already made a move related to this deadline, agreeing to a one-year deal with reliever John Brebbia, avoiding arbitration. It's a deal for less than $1 million, virtually a zero-risk investment in a guy with a Minor Leauge option and a track record of success. The Giants have six other arbitration-eligible players: Mike Yastrzemski, Darin Ruf, Austin Slater, Jarlín García, Dominic Leone, and Curt Casali. Ben strongly believes all six will be tendered contracts, and many are likely to agree to new deals by tonight's deadline.

Lastly, Ben discusses the state of the free agent market, with the Giants failing or declining to sign any of the top tier talent that has flown off the board in recent days. Specifically, he wonders aloud whether the Giants saw too much risk in a five-year deal for Gausman, and whether the Giants were realistically willing to match or best the $43.3 million Max Scherzer is going to receive annually over three years. Regardless, Ben expresses strong trust and faith in this front office, which many have doubted every step of the way. Ben believes, among other reasons, their 107-win 2021 was strong evidence as to the front office's competence, and their ability to put together strong teams without necessarily shopping at the top of the market.

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick discusses the San Francisco Giants' offseason so far, relative to the rest of the market. Kevin Gausman, obviously a top target of the Giants, signed a new deal with the Blue Jays yesterday for five years, $110 million. It's a strong deal for Gausman, but it actually looks pretty reasonable compared to some of the other names flying off the board. Max Scherzer, another Giants target, signed with the New York Mets for three years, $130 million (a whopping $43.3 million per season, a new record).

What does the rest of the market look like? Will the Giants get in on the frenzied activity? There was a report this morning that Alex Wood is getting his physical with the Giants today, so that would give them three solid starters locked up for at least two years in Wood, Anthony DeSclafani, and Logan Webb. They'd still be in an enviable financial situation, with a solid roster and tons of cash available to spend. The question is how much of it they're going to spend.

Finally, Ben discusses Mike Yastrzemski officially reaching Super Two status. It's great news for Yaz, who will now make something closer to $3 million than what he otherwise would have made (near the league minimum).

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick discusses the state of the free-agent market as it pertains to the San Francisco Giants. The market overall has been quite inflated so far, particularly for starting pitchers. Ben explores the numbers behind the inflated prices: years, average annual value, and total guaranteed money are all up across the free-agent market.

However, when we look at the contracts given out to Brandon Belt and Anthony DeSclafani (and when we add the expected contract for Alex Wood), the Giants' signings look among the most reasonable in the sport. Their total years would come in below the predicted years. The total money would come in for less than the total predicted money. The AAV would be slightly inflated, but looks mild compared to what we're seeing across the league. Ben explains why he believes signing players to market value deals or below-market deals is important for teams.

Finally, Ben discusses the impending expiration of the collective bargaining agreement and the lockout that is likely to follow. That deadline is fast approaching, and we may see a flurry of activity between now and then, with the holiday behind us and the deadline only a few days ahead. Ben wonders what will happen with the Giants, and whether they'll have official deals with Wood and perhaps Alex Cobb by that time. He also talks about the big win for Minor League rights, with MLB finally agreeing to supply housing to all Minor League players (with some exceptions for players making sufficient money) beginning in 2022.

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick asks the question: What's the holdup with the San Francisco Giants' potential signings of Alex Wood and Alex Cobb? Multiple reputable reporters have said in recent days that the Giants were in the final stages of hammering out a deal, so why hasn't anything been announced? Have those potential deals hit a snag, or are the Giants trying to work out a 40-man move to make room ahead of announcing the signing(s)?

Assuming those deals get done, Ben looks at where the Giants' 2022 payroll would stand, and compares it to recent years' payrolls. Ben opines that the Giants would still have $40 to $80 million to spend on 2022 payroll alone, putting the Giants in a very enviable position. Especially when we consider that their team would be mostly filled out at that point. They'd have four solid starters in Logan Webb, Anthony DeSclafani, Wood, and Cobb, a mostly complete bullpen, and a solid, platoon-heavy lineup. There are definitely areas that could stand to be upgraded, and they'd still need multiple starting pitchers, but the Giants would be in a great position with most of the free agent class's stars still available, and tons of money available to spend.

Finally, Ben discusses the announcement yesterday that the Tender Deadline was moved up to Nov. 30, in order to give some breathing room ahead of a potential lockout starting on Dec. 2. The Tender Deadline was supposed to occur on that date. This is good news for all involved, as it will give non-tendered players a few days to explore their markets and potentially lock in deals ahead of a lockout. The Giants, though, figure to tender contracts to almost all of their arbitration-eligible players. Alex Dickerson seemed like a lock to be non-tendered, but he was DFA'd when they announced the DeSclafani signing. The only possibility to be non-tendered appears to be John Brebbia, though he's a borderline case at a predicted arbitration salary of only $1 million, considering his strong major league track record.

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick details the San Francisco Giants' three-year agreement with free-agent starter Anthony DeSclafani. Desclafani was a driving force behind the Giants' miraculous 107-win season in 2021, and he's back on a $36 million deal that's now the largest handed out by Farhan Zaidi in his tenure as Giants president of baseball operations.

Rumors have been swirling about other starters as well, with multiple reporters stating that the Giants are finalizing a two-year deal to bring back Alex Wood, and that the Giants are in deep discussions with Alex Cobb. They were also linked to starter Steven Matz in recent days. If the Giants finalize deals for one or two of those additional starters, Ben loves where the Giants would stand from a payroll and talent perspective. They'd still have tons of money to spend just to reach last year's payroll, which they could probably blow past if they wanted to. That would allow them to wait out the markets for top starters like Kevin Gausman and Max Scherzer, or pivot to position players like Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, Carlos Correa, and Trevor Story. They have roster and financial flexibility, and figure to be among the most aggressive teams in all of baseball this winter.

Ben disucsses the roster casualties of the Giants' recent move. Alex Dickerson was DFA'd yesterday to make room for DeSclafani, and his role in helping to transform the Giants will not soon be forgotten. Jay Jackson, a popular reliever from last season, was traded to the Braves for cash and a player to be named later or cash. Jackson had been DFA'd on Friday to make room for the Giants' 40-man additions that protected them from selection in the Rule 5 Draft.

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