Locked On Giants – Daily Podcast On The San Francisco Giants

On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick talks about Giants General Manager Scott Harris saying on Tuesday that the club is targeting left-handed starters and hopes to add one in the coming weeks. This contradicts something Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi said a few weeks ago, that the club was not specifically targeting left-handed pitchers. The news should not come as a surprise, as the Giants currently project to have an all-righty starting rotation, and they lack sufficient starting pitching depth regardless of handedness. Ben discusses which lefty starters are out there in free agency, and which are the most likely fits for the Giants. Cole Hamels, James Paxton, Jose Quintana, Carlos Rodón, Rich Hill, Jon Lester, and others are discussed in detail.

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick talks about the San Francisco Giants' trade of right-handed reliever Sam Coonrod to the Phillies in exchange for 2020 fourth-round draft pick Carson Ragsdale, a 6-foot-8 right-handed pitcher. Coonrod had become unpopular among Giants fans after he refused to kneel in a show of solidarity in objection to racial injustice on Opening Day, and he also blew a couple of critical games down the stretch that directly contributed to the Giants missing the postseason. Coonrod had explosive stuff and certainly has upside, but the Giants had built up a lot of right-handed relief depth on their 40-man roster, making Coonrod expendable. In Ragsdale, the Giants add an intriguing right-handed pitching prospect who was a fourth-round pick of the Phillies in 2020. Also on today's show, Ben looks at how the Giants' bullpen currently stacks up as the 2021 season nears.

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick talks about the Mets' acquisition of Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco from the Indians, and why, despite Lindor being a great player, trading for him at this point in time didn't make sense for the Giants. Brandon Crawford is still on this team for one more season and is owed north of $15 million. Lindor is only under team control for one year, and the Giants would have likely had to part with MLB talent in addition to prospects in order to acquire his services. Even with Lindor, the Giants would be fringe contenders at best in 2021. Why pay a premium for one year of Lindor now when the team will have virtually unlimited money to spend next offseason, when there's an all-time great free agent class?

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick talks about why bargain contracts help teams win, and why overpriced deals hold teams back. The San Francisco Giants of the late 2010s are a perfect illustration of how overpriced contracts can stop a team from being competitive, assuming ownership groups are not willing to spend unlimited money. Also discussed on today's show is the status of Japanese right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano, whose 30-day posting window to sign with an MLB team expires today at 2 PM PT. The Giants are believed to be interested, but Sugano has a four-year offer with three opt-outs in hand to return to Japan. That's probably the most likely outcome at this point.

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick breaks down the San Francsico Giants' signing of free-agent catcher Curt Casali to a one-year, $1.5M deal. Casali has been significantly above average against left-handed pitching in his major league career, and has been below-average against righties. He's considered a likeable guy and a strong clubhouse presence. He rates as an average or above-average pitch framer, and his poptimes are below average. With Casali now in the fold, the Giants now figure to boast enviable depth and flexibility at the catcher position as we enter the 2021 season. Buster Posey is still one of the best catchers in the game, Casali is a solid backup with an exploitable skill, Chadwick Tromp is young, intriguing, and has minor league options, and Joey Bart, the fourth catcher on the 40-man, is one of the top prospects in the game.

Also discussed on today's show is the Giants' potential pursuit of Japanese star pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano, who must choose an MLB team to sign with or return to Japan, by this Thursday. A decision, however, is expected as soon as today, and the Giants are reportedly among the interested teams.

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick talks about the San Francisco Giants' New Year's resolutions. While 2020 was a pretty terrible year for humanity and baseball as a whole, the Giants actually had a fairly encouraging season. Their offense was among the best in the game and they were in contention for a playoff berth until the season's final day. Looking ahead to the new year, Ben goes through and sets some goals for the Giants. He hopes for a far more normal season, including being able to go to a game. He reiterates the Giants' goal of making the postseason, or at least being contenders deep into the season again. He also hopes for aggressive minor league development, for the team to finally spend some money, and for Farhan Zaidi to find the next Mike Yastrzemski, Alex Dickerson, or Donovan Solano. One last thing: this time can it please be a starting pitcher?

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, Ben Kaspick talks about the 2021-22 free agent class, and how it might affect the San Francisco Giants this offseason. The Giants certainly have some areas of need this year, namely starting pitcher, and they figure to go into the 2022 offseason in an even more dire situation. Kevin Gausman, Johnny Cueto, and Anthony DeSclafani are all set to be free agents after the 2021 season, which will leave the Giants with just Logan Webb, Tyler Beede, and any other inexperienced players as the only starting pitchers under team control for 2022 and beyond.

In that case, should the Giants be looking to lock up starting pitchers to multiyear deals now? Trevor Bauer seems like a strong fit. Next year's free agent class has some intriguing names, but do the Giants want to face such enormous uncertainty? That question becomes especially pressing when it is considered that Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, and Brandon Crawford are also set to reach free agency after the 2021 season. The Giants have just about $23M committed for 2022, so it remains an extremely open and pressing question as to when, or if, they're going to spend real money.

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick talks about what it means for the San Francisco Giants that the San Diego Padres just traded for aces Blake Snell and Yu Darvish. The Giants already had an uphill battle in the NL West having to contend with the Dodgers, winners of eight straight division titles. The Padres proved this year that they're ready to seriously content as well, but now they've added two of the better starting pitchers in baseball. On paper, the Padres may be close to on par with the Dodgers. To make matters worse for the Giants, Snell and Darvish are signed through 2023. Listen to find out what it all means for the Giants, and why Giants fans should be hoping for a permanently expanded postseason field.

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick answers questions from listeners about the state of the San Francsico Giants. Among the questions asked and answered are: What should the Giants' payroll be? As a big revenue team, at what point do we open our wallets to elite talent and compete dollar for dollar with the Yankees, Dodgers, Mets and Angels? I’m all for not wasting payroll. But I’m also for spending a lot of payroll wisely. With the Giants' 40 man roster now full with John Brebbia on board, who are the likely DFA/Release candidates in the event of a free agent signing? How can acquiring a left-handed starting pitcher not be the absolute top priority for Zaidi? Bellinger/Seager/Muncy 18 times with no LH SP? Who do you think is the best fit for the Giants? Tyler Anderson, James Paxton, Brett Anderson, or Gio Gonzalez? What kind of impact will Posey have on pitching in 2021? With the Cubs trying to shed salary, is there any particular reason you think that Craig Kimbrel’s name hasn’t come up in trade talks? He wasn’t effective in 2020 but has still put up solid strikeout rates in Chicago. If he were available would the Giants be interested?

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On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick talks about the San Francisco Giants' signing of free-agent relief pitcher John Brebbia to a one-year, $800K deal. Brebbia had Tommy John surgery in June, but owns a lifetime 3.14 ERA in 175 innings. He should be able to join the Giants' bullpen sometime in the summer, and he can be retained through the arbitration process for two additional seasons beyond 2021. He joins Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, Matt Wisler, and Jason Vosler as significant free-agent additions the Giants have made this offseason. Despite the Giants' additions of two starting pitchers, two veteran right-handed relievers, and a left-handed bat, the Giants still have work to do in all of those areas. The players they've added are all quality pieces, but the Giants need even more major league depth and talent in those areas if they hope to compete for the postseason in 2021.

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