An optimistic outlook
But team hierarchy knows rotation needs an upgrade
SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants held their annual postseason news conference Monday, and odd as it might seem, the mood was strikingly more upbeat than last year’s version when they were coming off a World Series title.
That’s because one year ago, they had just been rebuffed by Pablo Sandoval — not in the most polite fashion, either — and had no earthly notion how to replace one of their most popular and productive players.
Amazing what can happen in 11 months, isn’t it?
Sandoval is a major bust with the Boston Red Sox and the club has a long-term solution at third base after Matt Duffy put together one of the best rookie seasons in franchise history.
So despite missing the playoffs and finishing with an 84-78 record, the Giants’ postmortem had a much more optimistic tone.
Not that there isn’t work to be done — especially when it comes to freshening up an aging rotation that struggled with health and did not pitch nearly deep enough into games. G.M. Bobby Evans had the quote of the afternoon when asked if he felt compelled to keep up with the top end of the Dodgers’ rotation.
“We don’t want to keep up with them, we want to pass them,” Evans said.
Neither Evans nor CEO Larry Baer narrowed down what kind of starting pitchers they will target, what their limitations might be or whether they will be active in talks for top-of-the-market pitchers such as David Price, Johnny Cueto, Jordan Zimmermann and Zack Greinke.
Baer did say next year’s payroll would go up incrementally from a number that hovered just above $170 million this year but was nearer to $190 million when you include benefits, amortized signing bonuses and other factors that get rolled into the number used to calculate the competitive balance tax. The Giants did not anticipate venturing past that $189 million tax threshold, but the acquisitions of Mike Leake and Marlon Byrd put them over the edge this year.
With roughly $121 million already committed for 2016 and an additional $12 million or so due to arbitrationeligible players including Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford, the Giants could have as much as $50 million to spend before they bump their heads against the luxury tax threshold again — a line they do not intend to cross for a second consecutive year because the penalties get steeper.
They want to re-sign Leake — the club already touched base with his agent, and the interest is mutual — but the 27-year-old Arizona State alum is expected to be courted by the Arizona Diamondbacks as well, and although he plans to choose a team quickly, he told the Giants that he intends to test the open market.
Even if the Giants are successful in re-signing Leake, Evans said the rotation likely needs more work beyond that.
“The opportunity to get better may not come with one starter,” Evans said. “We’ve just got to stay engaged and see what happens when the time comes. … You don’t need to solve the rotation for the next seven years. You need to solve it for next year.”
For once, they don’t have to solve a major lineup vacancy. Joe Panik, Hunter Pence and Belt are expected to be healthy, Buster Posey and Crawford are coming off solid offensive seasons, and Duffy has made third base — and Sandoval — an afterthought.
“It’s not like we have to do a lot,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “Our core guys are here. We were just missing them for most of the season.” Other news points:
Angel Pagan will have n arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Tuesday, Evans said. Recovery time is only a few weeks. Evans said despite defensive metrics that showed Pagan to be the least effective center fielder in baseball this year, there is no discussion about moving him to a corner.
“Pagan’s a center fielder,” Evans said. “I don’t see that move happening. But if for some reason that changes, physically, we’d react to that. But we anticipate him being healthy next year.”
Picking up outfielder n Nori Aoki’s $5.5 million option will be a “close call,” Evans said, citing Gregor Blanco’s offensive production. They don’t have to make that decision until after the World Series. Evans also was noncommittal on tendering a contract to Yusmeiro Petit, although cutting him loose would appear to be a strong possibility after a lukewarm season.
Evans spoke to Ryan n Vogelsong to clear the air after the pitcher publicly commented that “the writing was on the wall” that he wouldn’t be returning. Evans left the impression that re-signing Vogelsong as a long man would be a backburner item. The same is true for outfielder Byrd, who probably isn’t interested in returning after the Giants benched him on the last homestand; he missed vesting an $8 million option by six plate appearances.
What about free agent n Tim Lincecum, who is rehabbing from hip surgery at the Giants’ complex in Arizona? “Our focus right now is his rehab, and that’s the priority, to make sure he’s healthy,” Evans said. “That’s important for his mindset. And this is going to be a tough rehab for him. He’s finding that out early on. Hopefully that will progress and give us an opportunity to assess him as we get into the offseason.”
Bochy anticipates no n changes to his coaching staff, and, presumably, that means sticking with Roberto Kelly after a rough early transition to the third base coaching box. Of course, bench coach Ron Wotus could become a candidate for a managerial job.