Bad news for Kapler, but at least it’s about baseball
Gabe Kapler finds himself wading through a minefield of obstacles as he takes over as the Giants’ manager. His Wednesday press conference was largely a media assault on his suspect past, and Thursday’s freeagent deadline brought bad news for his pitching staff.
It was no surprise that Madison Bumgarner declined the club’s qualifying offer and officially hit the market. Some felt it would be a different story with closer Will Smith. Accepting the offer would have meant a oneyear, $17.8 million deal, and with relief pitchers’ longevity always in question, that seemed like a reasonable option.
No such luck. Smith didn’t just gain his freedom, he signed a threeyear deal with the Atlanta Braves, giving him a chance to return home — Smith went to high school in Newnan, Ga. — and play for one of the best teams in either league.
Kapler really could have used Smith, whose lefthanded stuff ranks with that of the game’s top closers. One of the knocks on Kapler in Philadelphia, where he managed the past two seasons, was that he wasn’t adept at bullpen strategy. In fairness, injuries to David Robertson and Tommy Hunter derailed Kapler’s original blueprint, but reputations tend to stick until further notice.
Kapler is also being compared to his predecessor, Bruce Bochy, in regards to bullpen management. Bochy was an absolute master at the art, one of the best of modern times, but as exGiant Kevin Frandsen (now part of the Phillies’ radio broadcast team) told KNBR Wednesday morning, “With all the injuries, it got to the point where Gabe couldn’t trust some of the younger guys, and we were very depleted in the minor leagues. Managing a bullpen is something that needs to be learned. Boch left the game with 25 years of experience.”
Bumgarner still has a chance to work out a longterm deal with the Giants, but that seems utterly out of the question. He viewed Bochy as a beloved father figure, loved talking baseball with him, and gained some heartwarming closure when, after a memorable pinchhitting appearance against the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw on the final day of the season, he offered a very farewelllooking wave to the crowd.
Bumgarner is as fairminded as they come, but it’s hard to imagine him connecting with the newage Kapler — not with Bumgarner admittedly repulsed by baseball’s new trends. You figure he misses the postseason, too. I fully expect to see him at work, for someone else, next October.