A Giant wish list for the winter
Team does triage on questions like: ‘Is Sandoval an everyday player?’
A year ago, the Giants didn’t have to bother with roundtable meetings, brainstorm sessions or organizational strategies as they headed into the winter.
They knew they needed a closer. They went and dropped a ton of money on a closer.
The meetings, discussions and evaluations should be a bit more spirited this time. There is nothing tidy about triage, and the Giants have so many clear needs — a defensive upgrade in center field, right-handed power, lefthanded relief, etc. — that it will be hard to know where to begin or how to proceed.
They are 52-77 as they begin this weekend’s series on Friday at Chase Field against the Arizona Diamondbacks — their first visit here since the season-opening series, when their $62 million investment for the ninth inning, Mark Melancon, blew a save in his first appearance.
The Giants return with very different goals now. The front office and coaching staff will use these final five weeks to make evaluations about the readiness
of some younger players and also the proficiency of some of their older ones. Here are three key questions they will be asking themselves as they watch the Giants this weekend and beyond: CAN PABLO SANDOVAL BE THE EVERYDAY THIRD BASEMAN NEXT
YEAR? » As long as Sandoval remains on the roster at the end of the season, the Giants will hold club options on him for the major league minimum salary of $545,000 in each of the next two years. Unless his presence causes unbearable clubhouse friction, and there’s no indication it has,
then the Giants have every incentive to keep a minimum-wage Panda – even if they only see him as a parttime player.
If he can’t be the everyday third baseman, the Giants either have to hand the job to Christian Arroyo or Ryder Jones, or seek help from the outside world.
The easiest path, though, would be that Sandoval plays competent defense down the stretch, gets his timing back at the plate and shows that he’s still capable of providing extra-base power.
The Giants like what they see thus far.
“He’s been able to show that No.1 he’s healthy, No.2 he’s still got bat speed, No.3 he still loves to compete, four, he’s still good for a clubhouse, five, he’s showing signs of being able to handle third base as he has in the past,” Giants GM Bobby Evans said. “So those are all good signs but we’re not at a point of decision. We’re at a point of evaluation, and right now we’re seeing a good trend.
“We’re looking at him on an everyday basis hoping we’ll see enough to give us a sense he can help us in 2018.” WILL THE ROTATION NEED TO BE AUGMENTED? » The Giants just spent a quarter of a billion dollars on Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto two winters ago, so it would be a massive letdown if they had to throw more money at the rotation this offseason — especially with limited payroll flexibility and so many other needs to address.
To that end, the Giants are hoping for Cueto to bounce back in September and end the season on a strong note. He hasn’t pitched a big league game since July 14 because of ongoing blister issues, followed by a strained forearm he sustained on the road back from the disabled list.
He is scheduled to make one more minor league rehab start for Single-A San Jose on Sunday, which would leave time for five starts against big league lineups. Even a dazzling run probably wouldn’t be enough for Cueto to consider opting out of the final four years of his contract and leave $79 million on the table.
That’s just as well for the Giants, as long as Cueto is healthy. Their only shot at contending next year is seeing a return to form from their rotation. As difficult as Cueto’s season has been, replacing him would be even tougher.
The Giants also hold a $9 million option on Matt Moore, which is more of a layup than it probably should be given his epic struggles against left- handed hitting. It would be a boon if Chris Stratton keeps showing he can be a depth piece and Tyler Beede has a nice showing in the Arizona Fall League.
The biggest sigh of relief, though, is that it only took a half- dozen starts after his dirt bike accident and three-month convalescence for Madison Bumgarner to show he’s still Bumgarner. WHO CAN BE A PART OF NEXT YEAR’S OUTFIELD? » The Giants have the least productive outfield in baseball — their .684 OPS ranks dead last — and their minus- 44 defensive runs saved is the worst in the majors, too.
No, they don’t need Barry Bonds-level production. But at minimum, they must catch the ball. A pitchingand- defense model doesn’t work when your defense doesn’t extend past the infield dirt.
The Giants cannot overhaul the entire outfield this winter — Denard Span and Hunter Pence are owed more than $28 million between them next year — but they would feel a lot better if an internal candidate showed the ability to hold down a corner spot. So Jarrett Parker will get plenty of playing time in September and the Giants hope that Austin Slater comes back from his groin injury with several weeks left on the schedule. Gorkys Hernandez probably has cemented at least a Gregor Blanco-type role for himself in 2018.
It’s possible that Span and Pence become platoon partners in left field next season, especially if Pence’s chronic hamstring issues continue to bother him in September.
But their greatest need is in center, and the Giants’ top internal candidate, Steven Duggar, missed most of the season because of elbow and hamstring injuries. Duggar is running everything down at Triple-A Sacramento now. Although Evans said that calling him up in September has been discussed, it’s more likely he will go to the Arizona Fall League to make up for those lost at-bats.