Giants’ offseason goals begin with own free agents
As the Giants head into the postseason with possible labor strife looming, the team has the tricky task of trying to retain its clubhouse dynamic and winning chemistry while also filling a lot of holes.
The obvious emphasis is on San Francisco’s own free agents, especially keeping Buster Posey behind the plate. Asked point-blank if the Giants would pick up Posey’s $22 million option for next season, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi pointed to something he’d said earlier during Monday’s season-wrap news conference.
“I just mentioned that I thought he was the best catcher in baseball this year, so that may be the answer that you’re looking for,” Zaidi said. “Obviously, we want to have conversations with Buster and continue to have internal conversations about that — but having him on this team next year is a high priority.”
The Giants have interest in reworking Posey’s deal and adding another year or two onto it, but Posey, 34, has said repeatedly that he wants to spend some time with his family and have discussions with his wife, Kristen, before making any decisions about his future. The Giants must exercise his option five days after the World Series concludes.
Posey’s career rejuvenation, along with the contributions of other older players, helped propel the Giants’ unexpected success and a franchise-record 107 wins. Shortstop Brandon Crawford already was rewarded with a two-year, $32 million contract extension. Brandon Belt hit a career-high 29 homers before a broken thumb ended his season, and is a free agent. The first baseman is eligible for an $18.4 million qualifying offer should the Giants want to go that route, but the club also could turn to a platoon of LaMonte Wade Jr. and Darin Ruf if Zaidi opts to budget primarily for the four openings in the rotation.
“You could talk about his value both in how he played down the stretch and how much we missed him once he went down. He’s a really, really important part of this team,” Zaidi said. “The qualifyingoffer decision we’ll have to think more about and I’m sure we’ll have some conversations with his representation, as we did during the year, but he’s happy here. I think he feels really appreciated. And we appreciate him — he’s been one of the best hitters in baseball over the last couple of years and he’s a big part of this team. We’ll certainly hope that those are productive dialogues.”
Belt was the team’s hottest hitter much of the final month and his deadpan humor behind the scenes was a big plus — particularly when he jokingly declared himself team captain, which his teammates embraced.
That was just one example of the chemistry the club cited throughout the year — unusual for such an advanced-metrics-reliant team, because many analytics-driven organizations scoff at the notion of chemistry. San Francisco, though, was quick to recognize the club’s good vibes this season, curated its roster accordingly — including at the trade deadline — and officials and coaches noted the players’ unselfishness throughout the run to the NL West title.
That points to the Giants prioritizing their own free agents. Zaidi said the team will have conversations with all of them. It’s easy to imagine the Giants would like most of the rotation back, though declining Johnny Cueto’s $22 million option is a given after several injury-marred seasons.
“Keeping a team together that performed as well as our team adds an extra layer of motivation, because these guys all get along so well and bring out the best in each other and really have this whole greater-than-the-sum-ofthe-parts dynamic,” Zaidi said noting there are many factors in negotiations but concluded: “I think that kind of adds an additional layer of wanting to keep as much of this group together as we can.”
The flip side is that the Giants’ way of doing things is gaining attention among players and agents. A terrific team atmosphere and success are attractive to most free agents. Zaidi said he and general manager Scott Harris have gotten feedback from agents about the vibes and the way manager Gabe Kapler and his coaching staff have run things.
“That’s definitely a recruiting advantage we have,” Zaidi said. “Word’s gotten out in a very positive way.”
When going after other free agents or looking at trades, it’s possible players with previous ties to the organization or those with whom Zaidi, Harris and Kapler have familiarity might bear watching. Among the team’s tradedeadline acquisitions, Harris knew Kris Bryant from his time with the Cubs, and reliever Tony Watson already had pitched for San Francisco.
When asked about Bryant, Kapler and Zaidi sang his praises, but Zaidi was quick to note that there will be many clubs interested in the 2016 MVP.
“We recognize that he’s a superstar talent and it’s going to be a really competitive market for his services,” Zaidi said. “I’m sure we’ll have conversations there but, he’s going to have a long line of suitors, so we’ll just have to see how that develops.”
Entering the year, the Giants had expected a lot of payroll to come off the books with a number of older players in contract years. This season’s success instead could mean raising the approximately $165 million payroll. Zaidi said the front office has enjoyed involvement and support from ownership in everything from player acquisition to expanding the coaching staff, and the numerous roster question marks will require more of the same.
Then there’s the one topic overshadowing all teams: There is no labor agreement in place between the players and owners beyond this season. There are concerns about a lockout or a strike, especially after acrimony over the 2020 pandemic season and getting spring training up and running.
“Look, I know this has been a great year of baseball, and I think there’s a lot of interest in maintaining the positive momentum the sport has,” Zaidi said. “I think everybody’s really hopeful that things get worked out.”