Missing Our Leader
This is a valid take:
1.0 and LFLR, too.
I suppose Ruf could *Yaz* up an otherwise boring season. I don’t know if Bum would have re-signed for what Az gave him but if the plan this year is to win as many games as possible (and why wouldn’t it be) then why not have Bum leading the pitching staff? It’s not like 70 million would have ruined Giants ownership….
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
I could not recall the details, but thought that it was a cognizant decision by Bum to leave. This sums it up as such. Bum says that AZ was the top of his list…
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/12/madison-bumgarner-on-signing-with-diamondbacks.html
Thx Chi. Things Bum said on his way out the door led me to believe he liked the type of guys Z let go, Pillar in particular, plus Smith Vogt. He figured 2020 Giants weren’t going to go after an Ozuna type FA hitter (even tho Z said landing power hitting OF was a priority) and so season was gonna be another losing one worse than 2019. So he bailed for team with more potential to win sooner. More power to him.
That’s sound rationale actually
Thing is, Bummie likely get lit up like a roman candle in AZ. He has already been prone to the long ball, and AZ ain’t gonna help that scenario any. Sure he’ll get more run support but his ERA will climb in that dry air. We’ll see.
I’m in wait-and-see mode. If anything, they want pieces that they can move. If Ruf/Pence starts out on fire, trade them. The fringe vets are all saying the right things now, but if the team goes out the chute at a 9-20 clip, they won’t mind going to a better team.
Sure it is Flav; AZ won 85 last year they are team on rise. My thoughts after 2019 ended were, hey Giants have some things going and if you can add in piece or two before kids they drafted come in they can be closer to contending. to me zero wrong with 77W team you could add to and try and get closer to .500 this season, and be better beyond that. Would have preferred Bum to be part of that for next few years.
Z/H went in different direction. I can see point of Ruf et al as low cost options to add some power to LU that sorely lacks it, but these guys aren’t moving needle much and definitely taking PT away from younger guys. Given injuries to Beede (Watson isn’t healthy either) and last season to Moronta and only adding more dumpster dives Gascan Smyly Blevins to mix, pitching is bigger issue and Giants are farther away without Bum and Smith.
Smrdz and Cueto aren’t going to be around much longer than this year…whereinell will Giants get a rotation?
Yaz it up. lulz.
There have been some comments here and there from the local scribes indicating that Bumgarner was never coming back. Honestly, it’s not hard to believe what with Bochy retiring and the org going a different direction and whatnot.
Agree Dirt.Now way Bum wanted to come back knowing with all the changes going on and Z never serious about an offer for him(sadly after all the bargain money they raped him out of)Bum had no choice but to move on.
I personally hope he fires a ton of snot rocket gems against the Giants!Revenge is a dish served cold Clarice!!
I wasn’t thrilled with letting MadBum go, but since it’s a mutually parting of the ways, so be it. But as Wille says, pitching to me is the biggest issue, especially the starters. I’m not sure how they’ll hold up by the All-Star break, never mind over 162 games.
The answer to Sandawg’s question is as always:
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
I see punk ass wife beater corona virus candidate Larry Baer continues to have clout with the Giants.
He shit canned Jeremy Affeldt from Giants TV coverages and Affeldt is pissed about it!
Really though Jeremy is not that good, second/ third fiddle to Estes and Lopez for sure, but who gives a rats 🐀 ass about him on tv during ST games?
Affeldt was lame, nice move
Affeldt didn’t do anything for me. Of all that share the desk, Flannery is still my favorite.
Im not sure Bum wanted back versus the AZ lifestyle..
He stated in the link I shared above that AZ was at the top of his list, and that he left money on the table just to sign with them.
Affeldt is neither funny nor insightful and I’ve never really understood his local media presence. Maybe he’s funny behind closed doors in the clubhouse but it doesn’t really translate.
He’s been living off being a klutz for too long. It was barely funny then and it got old quick
As expected, Roberts announced Kershaw will be the starter on opening day. Now I’m curious to see what ZHarris and Kapler do with the lineup to start the season. Will they sit Belt (4-60 .067, 0 HR 0 RBI 29 Ks vs. Opie) and Craw (6-48 .125 1 HR 1 RBI 14 Ks VO), or will they give the two vets the obligatory and honorary start on opening day?
Amazing that the GM has any say in it…
Dick bomb today.
As little as I watch spring games, it would be nice to see a few. Was yesterday’s the only one on recently? They even doing radio?
I still wish we would go full rebuild this year. I believe our pitching is going to be mediocre at best. I know salary’s are a big factor but it wouldn’t be the first time we had to eat players contracts.
It’s rare for the Giants, though. And it didn’t go well for Neukom after they ate Rowand’s contract.
There’s also a theory that McGowan was replaced as head of the ownership group because of the Zito contract.
They’ve done a lot already. I mean compared to the glacial pace of Sabean/Evans. Guys like Ruf Green are a dime a dozen. They need bodies. The feel-good shit of Pence and Panda is just that. Feel good shit until they hit the DL. Bodies to keep the team going until the prospects work their way up. Green at least is fairly young.
If they signed Bummie to a 5 year deal, what does that do? Nothing but clog up the rotation with a guy who has seen better days. Z is saying all these things about being competitive, but he really isn’t. Otherwise Pillar would have made some sense. Signing Bummie made sense. Keeping Will Smith, etc.
They aren’t and it doesn’t.
Watching Pence’s lively swing yday was a bit of a shocker and a little suspicious that it has that much life to it. But he is obviously more trim and fit than 2 years ago…
What would the roster in full rebuild look like? Who among any of the players now in the organization is not going to get a chance to help in the longer run because SF is in “semi-rebuild” this year?
I am genuinely baffled by all of the discontent, even apart from my obvious, longstanding sympathy for management in the Jamesian mode. Does anyone doubt that they would have traded Belt, Crawford,etc. for prospects and draft picks, if that were a real possibility?
A team of rotation players with an emphasis on platoons seems like the logical path to maximizing productivity, opening sufficient opportunities, and keeping at least some fans tuned in.
trading those two stiffs for *draft picks, prospects* is not really the point. Of course no one thought that, they were worth nothing (Belt is maybe worth an iota more than Crawford) last season. They might (and still may be able) to trade them just this year just to get rid of them as long as the receiving team takes on some of their salary–and a move like that WOULD hold some value. The issue I have and will continue to were the guys they didn’t trade who actually had some value—-Bum, TFLR and maybe Pillar though I accept he held the least value of the 3.
Zaidi can still manage this. If Belt and Crawford and any of these Flabbers bounc back a little this season maybe he gets creative with a trade at the break–even just moving them would be a plus.
When in the history of MLB did a team ever dismantle completely when 2 games out of a playoff spot at the end of July? I can’t think of a single time it ever happened.
on that date they were still looking at an 8% chance of making the playoffs.
Zumie I would say the 1997 Chicago Whitesox was one of those teams.They were right in the hunt at the deadline when Sabean pulled off one of his best moves grabbing 3 pitchers Danny Darwin,Wilson Alvarez&Roberto Hernandez!
It was a salary dump situation mostly, I think the Giants gave up a SS named Caruso? and pitcher Alan Foulke I believe who ended up being a decent pitcher for awhile.Still the GM Jerry Reisdorf (sp) was raked over the coals on that trade that helped the Giants win the pennant that year..
excellent pull
Division not pennant.
Ask Dante Powell…
Exactly the same thing I thought, AK.
Gotta go with Zummie. *%?? A made up espn stat imo. No team should quit when 2 games out. Chiefs had a similar chance to win SB with 7 min left. Not how sports operates. The trade they should have made was Smith. Get more, and keep one of the middle guys they traded if you were going to try a split the middle like SF did..
Ok, so now the question is “does anyone think that this year Belt or anyone over 30 who plays well (but not named Posey) isn’t gone in any trade that could help the team long term?”
The cost/benefit analysis of trading Bumgarner during that phantom run last year extended beyond the 8%, unfortunately. I think that was acknowledged here.
Long term being the key word here of course; position players I can live with. I understand this is part of the “process”. what I don’t understand is what plan mgmt. has to come up with better pitching. Multiple pieces involving effective parts of pen and a frontline SP were either traded or allowed to walk with proviso Giants get extra draft picks. The picks of course will not be of any help for say 3yrs (2023) even if they do work out.
They had all of time since Oct 3 to sort this out. Bottom line of replacements signed seems to guarantee 90 Ls now and I don’t see a way forward for next year either.
You and others are right, the pitching is probably going to suck more than the hitting this year. But I’m not sure what exactly Z and co. have done wrong, outside of the sin of holding on to some over-30 pitchers they could have traded mid-season, at the expense of fan goodwill. I don’t care that much if they win 70 or 80 games this year. Next year, you want to see something start taking shape that may also not be measured in wins.
Longoria could win the triple crown and no one would take his contract…
Nobody picks up an also ran contract which fits Longoria to a tee..
The only hope is Belt comes out hot and the Yanks deal for him. Crawfish I still think will get the Panik treatment at some point.