Locked On Giants – Daily Podcast On The San Francisco Giants

On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick answers questions from listeners about the ongoing San Francisco Giants offseason. Among the questions asked and answered are:

• Who are some low risk pitchers we might get?

• Will Joey Bart, Heliot Ramos and Sean Hjelle make the 26-man roster?

• Which guys left unprotected from the Rule 5 draft do you see getting picked?

• Do you see Seth Corry getting traded by the draft?

• Why is it that there are more rumors surrounding position players/outfielders than pitchers for the Giants? Rotation has been the No. 1 concern this offseason, yet (besides Kevin Gausman) there’s no talk of Carlos Rodón, Robbie Ray, Marcus Stroman, etc..

• Where does Nick Castellanos fit in the Giants' lineup? Outfielder? Potential DH? Which right-handed OF are we getting? Which pitcher will be our No. 2?

• Chances of getting Seiya Suzuki?

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick joins Locked On A's host Jason Burke to discuss the possibility of an Oakland A's-San Francisco Giants swap. For the first time in a long time, it really does seem like these two teams could match up on a major trade.

First, Jason asks Ben about the Giants' offseason needs. Naturally, as Giants fans know, the need is pitching, pitching, and more pitching. Starting pitching specifically. Ben explains that Logan Webb is the only player under contract for 2022, and that Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, and Alex Wood are all free agents.

Jason asks Ben to name any A's players the Giants might be interested in, and Ben names Chris Bassitt, Sean Manaea, and Frankie Montas—three good-to-great starters with relatively cheap arbitration years to come. Ben says that Bassitt and Manaea are his preferred targets, because they only have one year of control remaining (Montas has two), and that would make them cheaper for the Giants to acquire.

Jason names some possible targets by the A's, including Luis Matos, Jairo Pomares, and Gregory Santos. Ben explains that Matos is flying up prospect rankings and won't be available in almost any trades. Pomares and Santos could be moved, and Ben adds that players who need to be projected from the Rule 5 Draft, as well as out-of-options players, could be available in any trade. Some of those names include Sean Hjelle, Seth Corry, Heliot Ramos, Tyler Beede, and Mauricio Dubón, among others.

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick talks about the latest with the San Francisco Giants. Brandon Belt accepted the Giants' $18.4 million qualifying offer yesterday, meaning he'll be back at that price in 2022. It's a huge offseason item checked off the list for the Giants, as Brandon Belt has emerged as one of the game's best hitters in recent seasons, and he has emerged as a leader in the clubhouse. Losing Belt and Buster Posey, who retired after the season, would be a big blow to the Giants' culture and lineup. Belt is also an excellent defensive first baseman, so it's great to have him locked up for at least one more year. Belt was the only player among 14 who received the qualifying offer to accept it. Last season, Kevin Gausman was one of just two players to accept the offer, and it worked out beautifully for San Francisco.

Ben next discusses Giants general manager Scott Harris telling KNBR's Kerry Crowley yesterday that the team hoped to cross the finish line with one or two pitchers in the next week. In the last few years, anytime either Harris or Farhan Zaidi has said something like that, it has come to fruition. So that's something fans should be on the lookout for in the coming days. Another starting pitcher, Justin Verlander, came off the board yesterday with a stunning two-year, $50 million deal with the Astros (the second year is a fully guaranteed player option). Four of the 22 starters to appear on the Top 50 Free Agents lists by MLB Trade Rumors, ESPN, and FanGraphs have already signed. The Giants will need to get in that market sooner or later, and it's worth pointing out that the pitchers who have signed have received more years, a higher AAV, and more total money than predicted by the three sources mentioned above.

Finally, Ben discusses a Marcus Semien rumor and the fact that tomorrow is the deadline for teams to add players to the 40-man roster to protect them from selection in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft. The Semien rumor, courtesy of the Seattle Times, states that the Mariners may need to offer the player a five-year deal in the $150 million range to keep him from the Giants or Yankees on a four-year deal. Ben discusses Semien's potential fit in San Francisco and how he would make the Giants' infield defense among the very best in baseball. Ben discusses which players need to be protected by adding them to the 40-man, and gets listeners set for tomorrow's deadline.

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick discusses the latest with the San Francisco Giants. Today is the deadline for players tagged with the one-year, $18.4 million qualifying offer to accept or reject the offer. Brandon Belt was among 14 players around the league who received the offer. Ben explains everything the QO is (and is not), and makes a prediction about what Belt will ultimately decide.

Ben gives detailed thoughts about why Belt would accept the offer, and why he would reject it. Ben ultimately lands on Belt rejected the qualifying offer, because he thinks Belt could get a two- or three-year deal worth around $15 million per season. When healthy, Belt has been among the very best hitters in baseball since the start of the 2020 season, trialing only Mike Trout and Bryce Harper in wRC+ among players with at least 500 plate appearances since '20.

Ben also discusses the state of the starting pitcher free agent market, with Noah Syndergaard and Eduardo Rodriguez coming off the board in recent days. The trend in the market right now is that players are receiving more than their average predicted contracts by MLB Trade Rumors, ESPN, and FanGraphs. Ben ponders what this means for the Giants, who must enter the starting pitcher market in a big way this offseason. Specifically regarding high-upside pitchers with injury concerns, Syndergaard's hefty one-year deal may mean Justin Verlander and Carlos Rodón will have even more robust markets than imagined, and may cause the Giants to pivot to another segment of the market.

Finally, Ben discusses Gabe Kapler winning NL Manager of the Year in a landslide.

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick discusses the latest with the San Francisco Giants. Gabe Kapler was extended through 2024, in a move that shouldn't come as a surprise. He's coming off a 107-win season, and was going to be entering the final year of his original deal. This extension was a foregone conclusion, assuming he wanted to remain with the Giants.

The Giants also made three waiver claims recently, nabbing off waivers RHP Hunter Harvey, OF Austin Dean, and LHP Joe Palumbo. All three were added to the club's 40-man roster, which currently stands at 38. Ben gives a brief scouting report on the three claims, and concludes that Harvey seems most likely to stick, where he could carve out a role in the bullpen. Friday is the deadline for teams to add players to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft. The Giants will need to make several adds, which could force one or more of these recently claimed players to be designated for assignment.

Finally, Ben discusses Giants president of baseball operations winning the fourth annual Executive of the Year award, which is voted on by other heads of baseball ops. Zaidi joins past winners Billy Beane, Erik Neander, and Andrew Friedman, two of whom are his former bosses. Zaidi's role in shaping this year's 107-win team is undeniable, and it was a truly amazing achievement. Ben also discusses the Giants hiring hitting coach Pedro Guerrero to replace Donnie Ecker, Mark Hallberg being promoted to third base coach, and Taira Uematsu being promoted from bullpen catcher to Assistant Coach.

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick answers questions from listeners about the San Francisco Giants' 2021-22 offseason. Among the questions asked and answered are:

Chances the team signs/trades for a veteran catcher vs. letting Joey Bart go in as their No. 1 choice for the catching position?

Do you think Bart will actually start Opening Day? Or do you think the Giants will trade for the Yankees or Cubs starting catchers (Gary Sanchez, Willson Contreras), who only have one year remaining on their current contract, and have Bart No. 2 for the whole season and Curt Casali No. 3?

Your thoughts on Brian Sabean vs. Farhan Zaidi after 3 seasons? Not results but more style, persona, media engagement, management style.

What is the likelihood the Giants do at least one trade involving a mid-tier MLB player? They have a surplus of quality outfield prospects that should be attractive to many teams.

Which current Giants pitching prospect has the best chance to make the starting rotation with an impressive spring training performance?

Logan Webb extension: when?

Do you like the Giants trading for someone like Jose Ramirez? Or is signing someone like Marcus Semien more likely?

The Giants’ offseason is going to be just as frustrating as the trade deadline, huh?

Will they sign someone before December 1?

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick discusses the top free-agent position players for the San Francisco Giants to pursue. Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi recently told The Athletic's Andy Baggarly "We’ll be in that outfield market and adding another right-handed bat, particularly one that hits for power with good at-bat quality, kind of fits our team.” So Ben decides to look at all right-handed hitters on any of MLB Trade Rumors, ESPN, or FanGraphs' Top 50 free agents lists, and he eliminates players with below-average chase rates. As a result, he's left with Kris Bryant, Chris Taylor, Seiya Suzuki, Mark Canha, and Tommy Pham. Ben examines the average predicted contract for each, and discusses which players make sense for the Giants and which don't.

He then examines the players who were eliminated based on not having better-than-average chase rates in 2021. Those players were Nick Castellanos, Starling Marte, Avisaíl García, and Jorge Soler. Castellanos, García, and Soler rate as well-below-average defenders by Statcast Outs Above Average. Among this group, Ben considers Marte the best fit, and his ability to hit for average and make contact could be part of "at-bat quality" Zaidi was referring to.

Finally, Ben looks at right-handed infielders who might match Zaidi's criteria. He lands on one big name near the top of the list as a prime potential target: Marcus Semien. Semien had a monster season in Toronto, and now seems in line for a deal in the five-year, $125M range. Ben considers that a pretty strong buy considering Semien's all-around excellence. He hits for power, has elite discipline, plays great middle infield defense, is a plus base-runner and runner in general, and is known as a great clubhouse presence. For all of these reasons, Ben thinks he may be one of the more attractive free-agent options for this Giants this offseason. He would play second base, giving the Giants a potentially elite infield defense, if Brandon Belt returns. Tommy La Stella could move to DH duties more regularly, assuming it comes to the National League in 2022.

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick looks at which of the top free-agent starting pitchers the San Francisco Giants may pursue and why. He looks at the top 50 lists for MLB Trade Rumors, ESPN, and FanGraphs, examining each predicted contract for the 18 starters on MLBTR's list. Among the starters examined today are Kevin Gausman, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Noah Syndergaard, Robbie Ray, Marcus Stroman, and Jon Gray. A trend that emerges is that the Giants will probably be looking for guys on shorter-term deals, for the most part. There is a lot of risk with long-term deals for pitchers, and there are some prime candidates on the market that could be seeking short-term deals for whatever reason. The one guy who may warrant a longer-term deal from the Giants is Gausman.

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick discusses the predicted contracts for San Francisco Giants free agents Kris Bryant, Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood, and Brandon Belt. He examines the Top 50 Free Agents lists for MLB Trade Rumors, ESPN, and FanGraphs, each of whom make a prediction for what the ultimate contract will be that each player signs.

Ben thinks FanGraphs is way off on a few of their predictions, most notably for Gausman. There is a fascinating amount of variance for Gausman and Bryant. The sources seem to agree most on DeSclafani and Wood, but even then there isn't exactly consensus. Ben admits that he thinks ESPN's predictions are the most accurate for Gausman and Bryant, and that the Bryant contract will represent a shock to a lot of people.

He thinks the DeSclafani and Wood predictions are reasonable, and that at those prices Wood represents a better buy. Regarding Belt, Ben thinks that all three sources are off. Two expect Belt to accept the qualifying offer, and one comes in on a two-year deal that's barely above the QO. Ben expects Belt to do better after the top-tier offensive success he's had across 2020-21, even though he has been injured a lot.

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Ben Kaspick from the Locked On Giants podcast and Javier Reyes from the Locked On Padres podcast discuss Buster Posey's Hall of Fame candidacy. Ben explains why he believe Posey should be a lock for Cooperstown, and the two discuss all of the current flaws bogging down Hall of Fame discourse. Ben also gets into Barry Bonds' candidacy, and how the whole process has caused Giants fans to become jaded.

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