Stanton says no to Giants; Ohtani headed to Angels.
The Giants had 98 losses during the season and reached 100 on Friday.
On a crushing day for a lastplace team that’s trying to contend in 2018, the Giants lost out on Japanese megastar Shohei Ohtani and announced they were not going to get Giancarlo Stanton after learning he and the Miami Marlins were closing in on a deal with another team that Stanton preferred.
An industry source said it was Yankees.
Ohtani decided to play in Anaheim with the Angels, one of three American League clubs he chose as finalists.
So the Giants must fall back on their other options to improve the outfield and add power to a lineup that hit the fewest home runs in the majors. They also need a third baseman and bullpen upgrade.
“We went into it with our eyes open,” general manager Bobby
Evans said in a phone interview of falling short on Ohtani and Stanton. “We knew both would be challenging additions. We continue with a lot of different scenarios. Those were obviously the two most publicized opportunities. We knew going in they were going to be very difficult.”
The Giants were one of Ohtani’s four National League finalists and one of two teams to come to terms on a trade for Stanton, contingent on the right fielder approving the deal. Ohtani’s agency announced Friday morning that the Angels are his next baseball home, and the Giants released a statement in the afternoon that they were out of the Stanton sweepstakes.
“Our agreement with the Marlins to acquire Giancarlo Stanton subject to his waiving of the no-trade clause will not move forward,” the Giants said in the statement, “and it is our understanding that the Marlins and Stanton are exploring other options.”
A source said the Marlins did not specifically tell the Giants that Stanton refused to waive his no-trade clause to come to San Francisco, but it became clear to the Giants that they would not get him because the Marlins were close to a deal with another team. The Giants issued the statement to let their fans and other teams know they were ready to move on.
The Giants had been prepared to ship prospects to Miami and pay most of the remaining $295 million over 10 years of Stanton’s contract. All of the most-speculated prospects — Tyler Beede, Chris Shaw, Heliot Ramos and Christian Arroyo — were not part of the Giants package, a source said. Neither was second baseman Joe Panik.
“You’ve got a player (Ohtani) where we were one of 30 teams; they were huge odds,” Evans said. “And you’ve got a player we knew going in had certain expectations and preferences and a full no-trade, and we knew the Marlins would have multiple suitors.
“We went in with our eyes open and our eyes open to other things and were prepared to pivot to other options.”
That’s where the Giants are now. Evans said he was discussing other trade opportunities and free agents during the Stanton-Ohtani talks and is ready to pursue alternatives. Two winters ago, the Giants fell short on right-hander Zack Greinke, who signed with Arizona, and a day later agreed to terms with right-hander Jeff Samardzija.
That’s not to say the Giants will announce deals in a matter of hours, but pieces might fall together at next week’s winter meetings in Orlando.
“That’s what we do,” Evans said. “We don’t ever get ourselves into one-and-done. We try to be optimistic. We have a very active baseball group, and there are a lot of scenarios. We knew nothing was a slam dunk.”
The Chronicle has reported the Giants, who need help in the outfield, have discussed free agent J.D. Martinez and are interested in Jay Bruce, also a free agent. Other outfield possibilities include Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen, who has a year left on his contract, Cincinnati’s Billy Hamilton, Milwaukee’s Domingo Santana (along with center fielder Keon Broxton) and free agent Lorenzo Cain.
The Giants had pursued Stanton since the middle of summer, realizing his power — he led the majors with 59 homers and tries to hit the soda bottle during batting practice at AT&T Park — would drastically improve their lineup. The Cardinals, who also had a deal pending for Stanton, were notified he doesn’t want to play in St. Louis, either.
It’s believed Stanton wants to be traded to his hometown Dodgers, but it’s uncertain if they can or are willing to handle the finances of his deal.
The Chronicle reported Thursday that Stanton had told friends he was not keen on playing for the Giants. While his contract seems astronomic, it might be viewed as a bargain after Orioles third baseman Manny Machado and Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper reach free agency after the 2018 season and sign long-term deals.
The Giants’ deep pockets were their chief advantage in pursuing Stanton because they could take on most or all of his remaining contract. Few other teams could.
On Nov. 30, Giants officials traveled to Los Angeles to meet with Stanton’s agents to try to learn whether Stanton, whose link to San Francisco was Barry Bonds — the Marlins’ batting coach in 2016 — would approve a trade to San Francisco.
They also met with Ohtani Monday, also in L.A. The Giants anticipated the two-way sensation pitching and playing the outfield in the DH-free National League.
All-Star catcher Buster Posey flew in for the meeting during which Ohtani talked through his interpreter about Posey’s “great aura.”
It wasn’t enough to lure the 23-year-old who would have come relatively cheap. The Angels must pay Ohtani’s Japanese team (the Nippon Ham Fighters) a $20 million posting fee, but his major-league salary will be the minimum $545,000.
The biggest bonus the Angels can pay Ohtani is $2.135 million. The Giants: $300,000.
“This morning, after a thorough, detailed process, Shohei Ohtani has decided to sign with the Los Angeles Angels,” Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, said in a statement. “Shohei is humbled and flattered by all the time and effort that so many teams put into their presentations and sincerely thanks them for their professionalism. In the end, he felt a strong connection with the Angels and believes they can best help him reach his goals in Major League Baseball.”
Ohtani had narrowed his list to seven finalists including every West Coast team except for the A’s. In a Thursday interview, A’s general manager David Forst said, “I just don’t want him to end up in my division.”
As it turned out, Ohtani will play in the American League West, and the A’s will see him plenty. Ohtani will team with center fielder Mike Trout, known as the game’s best player, in a market that’s in the shadow of the pennant-winning Dodgers.