**The Official SF Giants Off-Season Thread**
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Eric Byrnes.... i forgot about him, he hits good in ATT.
(01-16) 19:34 PST -- Though Eric Byrnes said he's finally 100 percent after two injury-marred seasons, the Diamondbacks gave up on him despite owing him $11 million next season. He could sign with another team for the minimum salary, and he's open to playing for the Giants if the interest is mutual.
"It's not a real secret (that) I'd definitely be interested," Byrnes said in a phone interview. "The Giants, of course, that's the best fit geographically."
Byrnes was a Giants fan as a kid, graduated from Mountain View's St. Francis High and makes his offseason home in the Bay Area. He has had memorable games at the Giants' park, where he's a .295 hitter in 132 at-bats (five homers, 20 RBIs, 6-for-6 in steals) and hit for the cycle in June 2003 with the A's.
Byrnes played like an All-Star in 2007, the year he signed his three-year, $30 million extension and the Diamondbacks reached the NLCS, but injuries limited him to 136 games the past two seasons. The Diamondbacks designated Byrnes for assignment Friday to clear a roster space for Adam LaRoche.
Byrnes, 33, played most of his career in left but is athletic enough to play throughout the outfield. The Giants are set in left (Mark DeRosa) and center (Aaron Rowand) but unsettled in right.
"I'm not in a position to say I'm an everyday player. The most important thing for me at this point in my career is to help a team win, wherever that is," said Byrnes, who recently returned from playing winter ball in the Dominican.
Winn on Huff: When Aubrey Huff signed with the Giants, he said he knew little about his new teammates. He played with DeRosa in the Arizona Fall League and called Rowand a friend. He's missing Randy Winn, his old teammate with Tampa Bay who was a Giant the past five years.
"This is a tough park to be a home-run hitter, to put up 30, 40 home runs, but I think he can hit 20 home runs and, more importantly, be a feared RBI guy," Winn said. "I think that's more important. I know he didn't have a good year last year, but he's been a guy who's driven in 100 runs."
Huff has played both corner infield spots (plus right field and DH), and broke in when Tampa Bay had first baseman Fred McGriff and third baseman Vinny Castilla.
"The first time I saw him in Triple-A, he was hitting everything," Winn said. "When he first got to the big leagues, he didn't have a whole lot of regular opportunities, but he hit when he got a chance."
Winn is still seeking a job. The Padres, Diamondbacks and Nationals reportedly showed interest. The Mets are looking for a temporary center fielder as Carlos Beltran recovers from knee surgery.
LaRoche's logic: Why did LaRoche decline a two-year, $17 million offer from the Giants and sign with the Diamondbacks for a one-year guarantee of $6 million? For starters, he prefers Arizona's hitting conditions.
"I like (Chase Field) first because it's a dome, and I like the climate," LaRoche said on a conference call. "I don't know if it's the backdrop, the batter's eye, but it's a really good park to see the ball. I like playing here.
"Not to bash (the Giants) at all, I just had to weigh it. Was it worth going there for a couple of years or just riding it out and seeing what kind of options were available? They kind of started dwindling fast. When (the Diamondbacks' offer) came out, when I first heard about it, I remember telling my agent, 'Let's try to get this done.' This is a chance that I didn't want to waste."
Regarding his multiple two-year offers, LaRoche said, "They just happened to be in places I wasn't excited about."
LaRoche has a mutual option that could up the package to $12 million. By signing Huff (for $3 million) instead of LaRoche, who's three years younger, the Giants have more money to fill other holes.
(01-16) 19:34 PST -- Though Eric Byrnes said he's finally 100 percent after two injury-marred seasons, the Diamondbacks gave up on him despite owing him $11 million next season. He could sign with another team for the minimum salary, and he's open to playing for the Giants if the interest is mutual.
"It's not a real secret (that) I'd definitely be interested," Byrnes said in a phone interview. "The Giants, of course, that's the best fit geographically."
Byrnes was a Giants fan as a kid, graduated from Mountain View's St. Francis High and makes his offseason home in the Bay Area. He has had memorable games at the Giants' park, where he's a .295 hitter in 132 at-bats (five homers, 20 RBIs, 6-for-6 in steals) and hit for the cycle in June 2003 with the A's.
Byrnes played like an All-Star in 2007, the year he signed his three-year, $30 million extension and the Diamondbacks reached the NLCS, but injuries limited him to 136 games the past two seasons. The Diamondbacks designated Byrnes for assignment Friday to clear a roster space for Adam LaRoche.
Byrnes, 33, played most of his career in left but is athletic enough to play throughout the outfield. The Giants are set in left (Mark DeRosa) and center (Aaron Rowand) but unsettled in right.
"I'm not in a position to say I'm an everyday player. The most important thing for me at this point in my career is to help a team win, wherever that is," said Byrnes, who recently returned from playing winter ball in the Dominican.
Winn on Huff: When Aubrey Huff signed with the Giants, he said he knew little about his new teammates. He played with DeRosa in the Arizona Fall League and called Rowand a friend. He's missing Randy Winn, his old teammate with Tampa Bay who was a Giant the past five years.
"This is a tough park to be a home-run hitter, to put up 30, 40 home runs, but I think he can hit 20 home runs and, more importantly, be a feared RBI guy," Winn said. "I think that's more important. I know he didn't have a good year last year, but he's been a guy who's driven in 100 runs."
Huff has played both corner infield spots (plus right field and DH), and broke in when Tampa Bay had first baseman Fred McGriff and third baseman Vinny Castilla.
"The first time I saw him in Triple-A, he was hitting everything," Winn said. "When he first got to the big leagues, he didn't have a whole lot of regular opportunities, but he hit when he got a chance."
Winn is still seeking a job. The Padres, Diamondbacks and Nationals reportedly showed interest. The Mets are looking for a temporary center fielder as Carlos Beltran recovers from knee surgery.
LaRoche's logic: Why did LaRoche decline a two-year, $17 million offer from the Giants and sign with the Diamondbacks for a one-year guarantee of $6 million? For starters, he prefers Arizona's hitting conditions.
"I like (Chase Field) first because it's a dome, and I like the climate," LaRoche said on a conference call. "I don't know if it's the backdrop, the batter's eye, but it's a really good park to see the ball. I like playing here.
"Not to bash (the Giants) at all, I just had to weigh it. Was it worth going there for a couple of years or just riding it out and seeing what kind of options were available? They kind of started dwindling fast. When (the Diamondbacks' offer) came out, when I first heard about it, I remember telling my agent, 'Let's try to get this done.' This is a chance that I didn't want to waste."
Regarding his multiple two-year offers, LaRoche said, "They just happened to be in places I wasn't excited about."
LaRoche has a mutual option that could up the package to $12 million. By signing Huff (for $3 million) instead of LaRoche, who's three years younger, the Giants have more money to fill other holes.
Giants re-sign Molina? Plus Lincecum arbitration and more
It looks like the Giants are having a very busy day.
Foremost, Channel 5 is reporting that the Giants are going to re-sign catcher Bengie Molina to a one-year, $4.5 million deal, a huge shock if true. I believe GM Brian Sabean said at the winter meetings, regarding Molina, that this ship "had sailed."
But Molina has been dickering with the Mets for months now and apparently turned down a take-it-or-leave-it offer.
Molina would be taking a $1.5 million pay cut from last year, so he'd have to swallow a little pride. But what a boon to the Giants' pitching staff, which largely likes throwing to Molina; to the organization, which can get Buster Posey more seasoning in the minors; and to the lineup, which adds 20-homer potential from down in the lineup, where Molina presumably would hit in 2010.
Also, today is the day teams exchange arbitration figures. Jon Heyman from SI.com is reporting at Lincecum is asking for $13 million and the Giants are offering $8 million, a very wide gap in a case that has no precedents. Whether Lincecum wins or settles at the midpoint, he will break Ryan Howard's record of $10 million for a first-year arbitration-eligible player.
The Giants and closer Brian Wilson will exchange numbers today, too.
The Giants today also are going to announce a one-year, $2.1 million deal with Jonathan Sanchez, who avoids arbitration and gets a nearly five-fold increase in his salary from last year.
I hope to provide comfirmations and updates soon.
Posted By: Henry Schulman (Email, Twitter) | January 19 2010 at 02:15 PM
It looks like the Giants are having a very busy day.
Foremost, Channel 5 is reporting that the Giants are going to re-sign catcher Bengie Molina to a one-year, $4.5 million deal, a huge shock if true. I believe GM Brian Sabean said at the winter meetings, regarding Molina, that this ship "had sailed."
But Molina has been dickering with the Mets for months now and apparently turned down a take-it-or-leave-it offer.
Molina would be taking a $1.5 million pay cut from last year, so he'd have to swallow a little pride. But what a boon to the Giants' pitching staff, which largely likes throwing to Molina; to the organization, which can get Buster Posey more seasoning in the minors; and to the lineup, which adds 20-homer potential from down in the lineup, where Molina presumably would hit in 2010.
Also, today is the day teams exchange arbitration figures. Jon Heyman from SI.com is reporting at Lincecum is asking for $13 million and the Giants are offering $8 million, a very wide gap in a case that has no precedents. Whether Lincecum wins or settles at the midpoint, he will break Ryan Howard's record of $10 million for a first-year arbitration-eligible player.
The Giants and closer Brian Wilson will exchange numbers today, too.
The Giants today also are going to announce a one-year, $2.1 million deal with Jonathan Sanchez, who avoids arbitration and gets a nearly five-fold increase in his salary from last year.
I hope to provide comfirmations and updates soon.
Posted By: Henry Schulman (Email, Twitter) | January 19 2010 at 02:15 PM
Stole this from MCC.
The worst-case (financial) scenario if Lincecum doesn’t agree to an extension
Lincecum continues to pitch like the cyborg that he is more often than not. The Giants go year to year with Lincecum, and at the end of 2013, he leaves as a free agent. In the four years before his departure, though, the Giants will have had the services of best pitcher in baseball for 4/$90M or so, which would still have been a sweet deal. If Lincecum has an off year, or if he were injured, the total contract would be less than the $90M. If his arm totally blows up, the Giants wouldn’t be locked into anything. And, yes, I made the sign of the cross, looked at the sky, and muttered something in Italian after I typed that last sentence.
The worst-case (financial and emotional) scenario if Lincecum signs a big six-year extension that buys out his arbitration years
Lincecum would now be guaranteed $100M, regardless if he lost a thumb in a roadside knife-fight with a drifter. The Giants would ensure that he wouldn’t bolt for Yankee cash after 2013, but that would come with a substantial risk if his production drops for whatever reason.
When it comes to a pitcher – any pitcher, even if he’s the best in the game – I’d rather have him on a 4/$90M contract than a 6/$110M contract. If Lincecum and his agent successfully navigate the young pitcher gauntlet all the way to free agency, more power to them. They made it past the final round without any lifelines left, even when the last two questions were about opera and taxonomy. Then the Giants will have to decide if a 30-year-old pitcher is a good enough risk to lock up with a franchise contract. That’s so far into the future, it’s not even worth contemplating. So , so much can happen.
For sentimental reasons, I’d like an extension for Lincecum. If one doesn’t get done, though, it’s far from panic time. He’s still here for four more seasons.
The worst-case (financial) scenario if Lincecum doesn’t agree to an extension
Lincecum continues to pitch like the cyborg that he is more often than not. The Giants go year to year with Lincecum, and at the end of 2013, he leaves as a free agent. In the four years before his departure, though, the Giants will have had the services of best pitcher in baseball for 4/$90M or so, which would still have been a sweet deal. If Lincecum has an off year, or if he were injured, the total contract would be less than the $90M. If his arm totally blows up, the Giants wouldn’t be locked into anything. And, yes, I made the sign of the cross, looked at the sky, and muttered something in Italian after I typed that last sentence.
The worst-case (financial and emotional) scenario if Lincecum signs a big six-year extension that buys out his arbitration years
Lincecum would now be guaranteed $100M, regardless if he lost a thumb in a roadside knife-fight with a drifter. The Giants would ensure that he wouldn’t bolt for Yankee cash after 2013, but that would come with a substantial risk if his production drops for whatever reason.
When it comes to a pitcher – any pitcher, even if he’s the best in the game – I’d rather have him on a 4/$90M contract than a 6/$110M contract. If Lincecum and his agent successfully navigate the young pitcher gauntlet all the way to free agency, more power to them. They made it past the final round without any lifelines left, even when the last two questions were about opera and taxonomy. Then the Giants will have to decide if a 30-year-old pitcher is a good enough risk to lock up with a franchise contract. That’s so far into the future, it’s not even worth contemplating. So , so much can happen.
For sentimental reasons, I’d like an extension for Lincecum. If one doesn’t get done, though, it’s far from panic time. He’s still here for four more seasons.
