THREE MOVES THE GIANTS NEED TO MAKE

The 2021 San Francisco Giants exceeded all expectations in leading all of Major League Baseball with 107 wins – setting a franchise record in the process – and came within one big swing of taking on the eventual World Series champion Atlanta Braves in the NLCS.

In 2022, the Giants will have a target on their backs as the reigning division champs, and eyeballs inside and outside the game will be watching closely to see whether they can repeat their success.

One of the most important pieces of their puzzle last season, and the constant driving force for the last decade, Buster Posey, shocked the baseball world in early-November by announcing his retirement after a resurgent season in which he hit .304 with 18 home runs in just 454 plate appearances. His absence adds to the litany of decisions that the team brain trust, led by president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and general manager Scott Harris, need to make to build off their 2021 surprise and bridge the gap to their up-and-coming top prospects.

We’ll hear more specifics about what players the team pursues in the coming weeks and months, but here’s an early look at three moves the Giants need to make to solidify their roster ahead of Spring Training 2022:

RE-SIGN CURT CASALI

On the face of it, making sure that a 33-year-old journeyman backup catcher coming off a .663 OPS remains on the roster doesn’t seem to be a top priority. But you’re not going to flip a switch and replace the exemplary leadership and 4.9 fWAR of Posey. The Giants have a solid corps of catching prospects nearing the big leagues, but none of them are quite ready to take the reins of a championship-caliber team. Joey Bart, the second-overall pick of the 2018 draft and longtime heir-apparent to Posey, will play 2022 at the age of 25. His 2020 audition in the majors didn’t go so well (.233/.288/.320 with no homers in 111 plate appearances), but he had a good season with AAA Sacramento in 2021 and should be able to at least hold his own against top-level pitching in short order. It is widely accepted, however, that his defense isn’t ready to handle a big-league staff by itself.

Enter Casali. Backing up Posey, Casali was integral to San Francisco’s run to the NL West title as he stepped in as the backstop for 55 starts – allowing Posey to get needed rest – and was lauded for his work with pitchers that included catching shutouts in five consecutive starts early in the season, and then adding to that total as the season went along.

Put Bart on the roster and give him the starting role as he (hopefully) hits at a league-average clip, and let Casali teach him the finer points of game-calling as he settles in.

RE-SIGN BRANDON BELT

For much of his first nine seasons in the majors, Brandon Belt showed promise with an excellent batting eye, good power and outstanding defense, though it has always felt like he could raise his game to another level if he didn’t miss so much time with injuries (or have so many extra-base hits get caught in 421-foot Triples Alley in his home games). His career marks from his 2011 debut through 2019 added up to a decent .261/.354/.448 with an average of 19 home runs per 162 games. In reality, a team would be looking for more power from a first baseman.

And then the Giants changed the configuration of the fences before 2020. Not coincidentally, Belt turned in his best season yet: a slash line of .309/.425/.591 with 9 round trippers in his 51 games played, earning MVP votes for the first time. He followed that up with a great (though, again, injury-shortened) 2021: .274/.378/.597 with 29 home runs – the most by a Giant in a single season since Barry Bonds hit 45 in 2004. The fact that he hit so many blasts in 97 games/just 381 plate appearances makes it seem as though there’s quite a bit more in the tank. Based on his rate of homers per plate appearance, if he had equaled his previous career high in playing time (655 PA in 2016) and kept the same home run rate, he would have hit 49 or 50.

Belt’s absence was felt in the last week of the regular season and the playoff series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, as the Giants struggled offensively and saw their season end in heartbreaking fashion.

Now that Posey is hanging up the cleats, keeping Belt is important for continuity. Replace too many players and you don’t know how it will sit in the clubhouse, and you’re never sure what you’ll get on the field. Plus, despite his performance the past two seasons (38 HR, 89 RBI, 165 OPS+ in a combined 148 games), the injury history could mean he’ll come a bit cheaper than if he was on the field more often.

ACQUIRE TWO ESTABLISHED STARTING PITCHERS

Entering the 2021 campaign, the only sure things in the starting rotation for the boys at 3^rd and King were Kevin Gausman and Johnny Cueto. After that, the Giants weren’t sure what they’d get out of retreads Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood, Scott Kazmir and Aaron Sanchez along with promising-but-unproven Logan Webb and a few other minor league possibilities. That didn’t inspire much confidence, but in the end it worked out and the starting staff was one of the best in the league.

At this point, the 2022 rotation is in, possibly, a worse situation. Sure, Webb developed into a frontline starter and the pitching coaches proved they could rehabilitate careers (see Wood and DeSclafani). But there are always misses, such as Sanchez and Kazmir. While there may be a couple handfuls who come to the City (or at least Scottsdale) to try, you can’t rely on pitchers looking to reclaim their former success as a consistent means of filling the rotation. Even this past season only Gausman made a full-season worth of starts (33). DeSclafani came up just short of that at 31, Webb and Wood started 26 and nine more hurlers – including a few relief pitchers – ended up firing the first pitch of a game. The reclamation projects almost always are coming off an injury or ineffectiveness to the point where they had few innings in the season(s) before, so a staff can’t count on them to stay healthy and effective the whole season.

Right now, Webb is the likely Opening Day starter. Behind him, nothing is certain. Gausman, DeSclafani and Wood are all free agents. Cueto has a team option, and after a middling season mixed with injuries, the Giants very well might let him go. So, where do you turn? Signing a pair of established starters would be ideal. Max Scherzer is, obviously, at the top of anyone’s list. He was traded to the Dodgers at the trade deadline and, at the age of 37 (turning 38 next July), doesn’t appear to be slowing down (15-4, 2.46 ERA in 2021). He’ll be expensive, but with a lot of money coming off the books (especially if Cueto’s option is declined), the Giants can take whatever contract he demands. Who else might they look at? Certainly they’ll try for someone younger. Carlos Rodon had the best year of his career and will pitch next season at 29, but has long had injury issues. The Giants’ brass would be wise to do what they can to re-sign Gausman, who has been their top starter for two seasons and will turn 31 at the beginning of 2022, and pick up Scherzer as well as possibly another veteran such as Marcus Stroman or Robbie Ray. Hanging on to DeSclafani and/or Wood could work too, but the West won’t be won with three solid starters and a couple of bullpen days every week.

Please Don't Do This Again

Dear Atlanta Braves,

Congrats on a good season! Sure, you didn’t get to 90 wins – your 88 was the fewest of any of the 10 playoff teams – but you made it to the NLCS! And boy, what a start! Two walk-offs and then a late collapse, followed by a convincing victory to move one win away from the World Series? No one remembers that win total now.

But here’s the deal: EVERYONE remembers the Dodgers’ win total. And the fact that, at 18 wins BETTER than you, they had to survive the Wild Card game. And a best-of-5 series against the team with the most wins in the game. Everyone also remembers last year the same lead in your hands, against the same team, in the same round of the postseason. And you flopped. Allowed the Hated Dodgers to comeback, take three straight, and then waltz by a Blake Snell-less Tampa Bay Rays late in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series (looking at you, Rays analytics department) and throw us into this nearly year-long national nightmare.

As you might have guessed by now, I’m a Giants fan. The Braves have made life rough for my type for quite some time, starting with the 1914 “Miracle” Boston Braves coming back from the dead in July. My first year as a dedicated fan of the Orange and Black was 1993, a set of numbers still cursed by fans by the Bay (though the blame goes more to the San Diego Padres for giving Fred McGriff to you for three nobodies, and the Colorado Rockies for falling on their faces in your presence – who goes 0-13 against a division opponent in a season? – and we’ll add whomever made the decision to put Atlanta, the large city in Georgia, which is on the East Coast, in the National League…West). And then last year, when you blew the advantage of needing just one more win to eliminate Los Angeles.

It had been nice to end any argument with a Dodgers fan with a simple “three-in-five!” for the past half-decade, and then really tick ‘em off by mentioning “1988”. But that’s all out the window now after they took the “piece of metal” – er, Commissioner’s Trophy – following your NLCS debacle last year. Yeah, we could have done it ourselves, but you know how baseball goes. So, how about throwing your (temporary) west-coast fan base a bone and taking one of the next two games? The sooner, the better, in fact. Let’s not leave it to the final game – we Giants fans know how that turned out. And, hey, a bonus for you: if you win, especially soon, it improves your odds of a World Series title! Doesn’t that sound appealing?

Let’s try some of that. Just one win. K thx!

Madison Bumgarner: 2012 NL Cy Young candidate

While looking through a list of top young major leaguers and prospects, some names stand out. Pitchers such as Matt Moore, Jacob Turner, Michael Pineda and Julio Teheran will soon be mentioned among the top aces in the game of baseball and be expected to compete year-in, year-out for pitching awards. For now, though, they have little big-league experience and will likely experience growing pains the next few years before reaching their peak.

There is, however, a young hurler I can foresee making a big impact in the 2012 NL Cy Young Award balloting, as long as his equally-talented teammates don’t overshadow him. Yes, call me biased, but I am referring to big lefty Madison Bumgarner of the San Francisco Giants.

“MadBum”, as he is affectionately called by the fans, was a top prospect coming out of high school in North Carolina. At 20 years of age he got a taste of the majors and succeeded, and the black and orange faithful were looking forward to many years of strong pitching with him joining Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain at the top of the rotation. But, unbeknownst to many, his sizzling fastball had lost some steam.

Bumgarner started 2010 the same way and got lit up in a few starts at AAA Fresno, but he fixed a problem in his mechanics and was an integral part to the Giants’ run to the World Series title, including eight shutout innings in game four against the Texas Rangers.

Things were looking up for Bumgarner at the beginning of 2011, but his first few starts foretold a possible sophomore slump. He finally figured things out, though, and had a great season despite a few hiccups throughout the season. While he wasn’t considered a serious contender for Cy Young, he did earn a vote. Bumgarner had a great ERA (3.21) despite a fluke outing where he gave up eight earned runs and got one out (and if you remove that game from his stats, his ERA plummets to 2.86). He averaged nearly a strikeout per inning and walked just two batters per nine innings.

The big lefty’s final 10 starts of 2011 are what have me very excited for the upcoming season. At a time when most pitchers are faltering because of fatigue, MadBum was at his best. He had double-digit strikeouts three times in that stretch, including a career-high 13 in one outing. He K’d nearly five batters for every one walk and allowed and suppressed hits much better than his overall season, with more than a hit less per nine innings.

Entering 2012, Bumgarner has many things going his way. Quite honestly, I think he will continue improving and put up full-season statistics along the lines of those final 10 starts. If he can figure out his annual beginning-of-the-season problems, he could have an outstanding season and not only be in the discussion but win the NL Cy Young Award.

Flying Squirrels make pair of deals

Just before the pre-draft trade deadline, the Frostbite Falls Flying Squirrels made a pair of trades to improve the future of the franchise.

First, the club finalized the long-rumored trade of Carlos Pena to Pottsylvania. Originally the Squirrels were planning on getting an established relief pitcher back, but in the 11th hour the Creepers offered two top young arms, RHP Kyle Gibson and LHP James Paxton, for the first baseman.

And, literally one minute before the deadline, GM Jack Zduriencik swapped one young player coming off a down season, C Chris Iannetta, to the Madtown Murlocs for another, LHP Francisco Liriano.

"Coming into the draft we looked at our farm system and determined we were a little short on future impact talent," Zduriencik said. "So we identified our strengths, catcher and first base, and traded our backups from those positions for very talented young players. Pena and Iannetta weren't going to see much playing time behind Albert Pujols and Victor Martinez, respectively, so we determined they were tradeable.

"We are very excited about bringing these three dynamic arms into our system. We already have one of the top young rotations in the league (with an average age of 25), and this ensures our rotation will continue to be top-notch, young and cheap many years into the future."

In other news, the Flying Squirrels were forced to cut ties with longtime closer Joe Nathan. Amid news of Nathan's impending Tommy John surgery, the Squirrel front office decided they couldn't hold onto him and his salary while he was on the sidelines.

"We wish Joe the best," owner Andrew Haynes said. "We hope his recovery goes well and that he returns to his old self next year. If that is the case, we might look at bringing him back."

Nathan is a career Squirrel. He was drafted by the team in the 6th round in 2004 and pitched for the team until 2009. He became the full-time closer in 2005 and saved 145 games in his six years with the club, the best mark in the league. Joakim Soria is expected to take over as the closer.

Richmond selects Flying Squirrels!

Today, it was announced the new Richmond, VA, AA Eastern League baseball team would be named the Flying Squirrels.

http://www.richmondprobaseball.com/cgi-bin/dist/news.cgi?id=1255635998

They are in the process of designing a logo and getting ready for next season. I think this is the first time a professional team has taken the name of a BARB team. This is sweet!

Vote for the Richmond Flying Squirrels!

The San Francisco Giants' AA team recently moved from Connecticut to Richmond, VA. They are having a Name the Team contest, and one of the 6 finalists is Flying Squirrels! Go and vote here:

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/baseball/name-the-team/

Squirrels pick up Lind, Reyes, Frasor

The Frostbite Falls Flying Squirrels, dormant in the trade market for much of the season, have made a deal to improve their offense as well as picking up a curiously unsigned free agent pitcher to help their bullpen.

In the deal made in the wee hours of Friday morning, the Squirrels sent RHPs Carlos Marmol and Ben Sheets, as well as a PTBN, to the Pottsylvania Creepers for OF Adam Lind and injured SS Jose Reyes. In the aftermath, they signed free agent RHP Jason Frasor.

Insiders say this deal was made when a proposed three-way trade including one other team fell through because of a player's no-trade clause. A more high-profile trade between the Squirrels and Creepers was also briefly discussed before they settled upon the current agreement.

"It was tough to give up Marmol," said Squirrels GM Jack Zduriencik. "But when we had the opportunity to acquire a young, talented player such as Lind we had to do it. We feel our relief pitching is still very good, especially with us signing Jason Frasor for the rest of the season."

Lind, who was still in AAA with the Creepers organization, will get a chance to contribute immediately with the defending-B.A.R.B. champion Flying Squirrels, with Carlos Beltran expected to be out for a while and Corey Hart experiencing mysterious stomach pains. Lind is a left-handed power hitting outfielder, something the Frostbite Falls lineup is missing.

Rumor had it the deal might not have been completed until much later had there not been a free agent pitcher the Frostbite Falls front office liked enough to replace Marmol.

The acquisition of Reyes and trade of Sheets was seen as exchanging two players in very similar situations. The Squirrels had picked up Sheets early in the season in hopes he would make it back during the second half and improve the rotation. It soon became apparent he would be out until 2010, however, so the team lost interest and looked to shed his salary. The Creepers had grown tired of waiting for Reyes to come back and made the decision that their current players could cover the middle infield well.

Frostbite Falls Assistant GM Andrew Friedman explained the club was expecting Reyes to miss the remainder of 2009 but be healthy and ready to contribute with his original club by spring 2010.

Reyes was originally drafted by Frostbite Falls' pre-cursor, the Santa Barbara Storm, in 2003, and he played 10 games that season for the inaugural B.A.R.B. champions before being selected in the expansion draft in 2004.

If Reyes returns healthy in 2010, it will give the Squirrels possibly the best infield in B.A.R.B, with Albert Pujols, Michael Young, Reyes and Evan Longoria.