5 Deals the San Francisco Giants Need to Be Chasing at the Winter Meetings
It has been just over a month since the San Francisco Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals to win their third World Series in five years.
The parade throughout the streets of San Francisco was an epic event, and there was a euphoric feeling as the team was announced on the steps of City Hall. Hundreds of thousands of people attended and cheered their heroes. Speeches complimented both the team and the fans. It was a pure love-fest.
However, the business of baseball continues to move forward. Over this past month, the Giants have lost Pablo Sandoval to the Red Sox and have yet to make any additions.
In addition to Sandoval, four other players who played key roles in the 2014 season are also free agents. These include Jake Peavy, Michael Morse, Sergio Romo and Ryan Vogelsong.
Although the Giants have had discussions with multiple free agents, they have not yet landed anyone. Nor has general manager Brian Sabean pulled the trigger on any trades to bolster the roster.
The winter meetings are held from December 7-11 in San Diego. If the Giants still have not done anything by then, look for them to solidify some of their options.
Currently, the Giants appear to have four areas of need. These include a starting pitcher, left fielder, third baseman and right-handed reliever. With several free agents already signing, these next few days will be very important for Sabean and the Giants if they hope to make any major deals.
Let's take a look at five key directions the Giants should be closing in on.
No. 5: Sergio Romo
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The backbone of the Giants pitching staff this past season was its stellar bullpen. Outside of Madison Bumgarner, the starting rotation was very inconsistent. Nevertheless, the Giants held on to make the playoffs and seized the magic, just like in 2010 and 2012.
One of the main strengths of the team and the most consistent over the course of a long year was the bullpen.
With Jeremy Affeldt and Javier Lopez the key relievers from the left side and Santiago Casilla along with Sergio Romo the right-handed stalwarts, the Giants proved that their bullpen was as good or better than the vaunted pens of St. Louis and Kansas City.
Romo is now a free agent, and his return is in question. He does not throw the ball in the mid-90s or have the build of a big, powerful stud reliever; the 5'10", 180-pounder just gets people out.
Romo did have a bad stretch in June and lost the job as the Giants closer. He gradually worked his way back into good form and finished the season very strongly.
From late July to the end of the season, Romo allowed only two earned runs in 19.1 innings of work. His devastating slider found its bite, and Romo allowed only 12 hits and three walks over that span. He struck out 23 and finished that period with an ERA of 0.93 and a WHIP of 0.775.
During the postseason Romo was also solid. He pitched a total of seven innings and allowed only one run.
But Romo's overall numbers for the year were some of the worst in his career. His ERA of 3.72 was the highest he's had in five seasons.
As one of the few Giants who played on all three world championship teams, Romo proved he still has some gas left in the tank. It may not be as a closer, but he can also be an excellent setup man.
Romo is also a fan favorite whose upbeat personality fits in well with his teammates in San Francisco.
Romo made $6.3 million in 2014 but may need to come down a bit from that level, especially if he is not going to be a closer. If Sabean can ink Romo to a two-year deal in the $11 million to $12 million range, it would be a good idea for the Giants to retain him.
No. 4: Trade for Martin Prado
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Martin Prado is a player the Giants should be seriously interested in. He is just a solid, professional baseball player. Prado is not spectacular but gets the job done and rarely makes mistakes.
Prado is a career .291 hitter with an OBP of .340 and OPS of .769. At the age of 30, Prado had another productive season splitting time with Arizona and then the Yankees, who acquired him in a trade-deadline deal.
Over the 2014 season, Prado hit a cumulative .282 with an OBP of .321 and OPS of .733. He hit 12 home runs and drove in 58 runs.
Prado can also play both third base and left field. His versatility would be invaluable to Bruce Bochy, who is a master at shuffling his players and getting the most out of them.
If the Giants were to acquire Prado, they could then take the best option at either third base or left field, as Prado can handle the other spot.
The Giants would probably need to give up a couple of decent pitching prospects not named Kyle Crick for the Yankees to make this type of move.
No. 3: Decide What to Do with Left Field
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The list of available free-agent outfielders in whom the Giants might be interested is dwindling fast.
Yasmany Tomas signed with Arizona, Torii Hunter has agreed to return to the Twins, and Nelson Cruz has signed with the Mariners. ESPN is also reporting that Nick Markakis has agreed to a deal with the Braves.
This leaves Michael Morse, Melky Cabrera and Alex Rios as the next options the Giants should be considering.
Morse signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Giants last winter. He was coming off a poor season, and his market value was low. This turned out to be a huge win for Sabean.
Morse started the year off extremely well and helped carry the Giants to the best record in the National League in early June. From that point on, however, Morse struggled.
He went into a long slump, which was compounded by a back injury. He lost his power and was no longer driving the ball. Finally, when Morse's back was better, he suffered an oblique injury that kept him out nearly all of September.
Returning for the NLCS against the Cardinals, Morse got some big hits, including an eighth-inning, pinch-hit home run that tied the game and set up Travis Ishikawa's dramatic walk-off home run that sent the Giants to the World Series.
For the season, Morse had 438 at-bats and hit .279, with an OBP of .336 and OPS of .811. He also blasted 16 home runs and had 61 RBI. A combination of Morse and Travis Ishikawa is something the Giants might consider if they sign Morse.
Unfortunately, he lacks mobility and is a poor defender in left field. This means he will almost always be replaced in the late innings when the Giants are in the lead. Gregor Blanco would be able to handle this job, but he will also be needed in center field to sub for the oft-injured Angel Pagan.
Morse is a better fit in the American League, where he can play first base and DH. Since the Giants already have Brandon Belt at first base, along with Buster Posey seeing action there, left field is the only open spot for Morse if he returns to San Francisco.
Morse is also probably hoping to get a longer term contract. His 2014 performance merits that, and it's unlikely the Giants will go beyond the one year, given Morse's injury history.
The other two free-agent candidates for the Giants are Alex Rios and Melky Cabrera.
Rios is coming off a poor year and could be a bargain. However, he will be 34 when the 2015 season begins and is clearly on the downside of his career. In 2014 with the Rangers, Rios hit only four home runs and drove in 54 runs in 492 at-bats.
Like Morse, Rios is worthy of consideration on a one-year deal. However, also like Morse, it would be foolish for the Giants to offer anything longer than just the one season.
The case for Cabrera is extremely interesting. Nobody questions his ability to hit, and he is a decent defensive player. However, while with the Giants in 2012, Cabrera was caught using performance-enhancing drugs and suspended. He tried to lie about it and also left without addressing or apologizing to his teammates.
The real question is whether the Giants want him back or if the bridge has been irreparably burned. As a player, Cabrera would fit in well in the Giants batting order. However, as a person, the lack of character he showed in 2012 may override his ability on the field.
The Giants have built a very successful team, and the foundation for their success is great team chemistry. Before signing Cabrera, the Giants must also determine whether the excess baggage can be overcome.
No matter what the Giants decide, they must address the left field situation, whether that be via free agency or the trade route. Right now, for left field, they have Blanco, Ishikawa and Juan Perez in the mix. That simply is not good enough.
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No. 2: Luis Valbuena
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The Chicago Cubs have some of the best young talent in baseball who are about ready to make an impact. Infielders Starlin Castro, Javier Baez, Mike Olt, Arismendy Alcantara and Tommy La Stella are already in the big leagues.
In addition, third baseman Kris Bryant and shortstop Addison Russell are two of the top prospects in baseball and are about ready to make the jump to Chicago.
With all of this young talent, Valbuena is a player the Cubs might be willing to trade—for the right price. The Giants would likely need to offer a couple of good minor league pitching prospects for him.
Valbuena is 29 and his numbers in 2014 were remarkably similar to Sandoval's. Valbuena hit .249 with an OBP of .341 and OPS of .776. He had 16 home runs and 51 RBI in 478 at-bats.
In comparison, Sandoval hit .279 with an OBP of .324 and OPS of .739. Sandoval had 16 home runs and 73 RBI in 588 at-bats.
Valbuena is not eligible for free agency until after the 2016 season, so the Giants would have him under their control for at least the next two seasons. He would be an excellent and fairly inexpensive addition to the Giants roster.
No. 1: Jon Lester
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When Pablo Sandoval signed with the Red Sox, the Giants immediately focused their attention on Jon Lester and bolstering their pitching staff.
Alex Pavlovic reported on Mercurynews.com that the Giants met with Lester this past Monday and Bruce Bochy was in attendance. Lester is highly coveted and, as Pavlovic noted, has already received an offer from the Cubs for six years and $135 million. The Red Sox are also in hot pursuit of Lester.
Rob Bradford and Alex Speier of WEEI.com report that the Dodgers are the latest team to join the Lester sweepstakes. This cannot be good news for the other teams as the Dodgers have plenty of money to spend, which will drive up the price for Lester's services.
If the Giants want Lester, it will probably take even more than the Cubs have already offered. Look for him to ultimately sign a deal in the six-year, $150 million range. At $30 million per year, that would eat up most all of the remaining budget Sabean has available to him.
In 2014, Lester split time with the Red Sox and A's. He threw a total of 219.2 innings, allowed only 194 hits and 48 walks, and struck out 220. Lester's ERA was 2.46, and his WHIP a very strong 1.102.
Traded to the A's at the trade deadline, Lester was unable to hold a 7-3 lead against the Royals as the two teams met in the Wild Card Game.
Lester has also been very durable. He has started at least 31 games every season dating back to 2008.
The Giants would benefit from one more quality arm in the starting rotation, and Lester is the best available. If they fail to get Lester, the next best option is Max Scherzer.
Adding Lester to a rotation that projects to include Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Tim Hudson and Tim Lincecum would be a major coup for the Giants.
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