The World Series champion Giants are in pretty good shape heading into 2015.
Most of their core group of position players — Buster Posey, Hunter Pence, Brandon Belt, Joe Panik, Gregor Blanco and Brandon Crawford (plus Angel Pagan will be back from the DL) — are under club control or have long-term deals covering the next couple years.
HOT STOVE LEAGUE: List of potential free agents
On the pitching staff, ace Madison Bumgarner is locked into a ridiculously team-friendly deal (closes with $12 million team options in 2018 and 2019) and closer Santiago Casilla is under contract for 2015, too (same thing for veteran lefty relievers Jeremy Affeldt and Javier Lopez). There are a handful of important pitchers who are now free agents, though.
Let’s look at the four biggest issues the Giants have to deal with this offseason.
The player: Pablo Sandoval
The situation: He’s a free agent
The decision: Sandoval reportedly turned down a three-year, $40 million deal from the Giants this spring. Smart move, considering it’s reasonable to think he could find a deal for at least double that money. The Giants will do everything they can to bring him back into the fold. He’s a fan favorite—proven by the number of panda heads/hats you’ll see any given night at AT&T Park—and San Francisco doesn't’t have anyone major-league ready to take his spot at third. Sandoval will be extended a qualifying offer, but if he doesn't work out a deal with the Giants, the draft-pick compensation attached won’t be a stumbling block for whatever teams decide to make a push for his services in the offseason. And there have been whispers that several of the richest franchises (Red Sox, Yankees, etc) will be involved in the bidding. His World Series performance guaranteed a rich contract.
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The player: Jake Peavy
The situation: He’s a free agent
The decision: Even though it feels like Peavy has been in the majors forever, he’ll be just 34 next season, and there’s still plenty of life left in that right arm. His Game 6 start in the World Series wasn't pretty, of course, but big picture, Peavy is the type of starter who can be a rotation regular on a team that wins enough games to get to the postseason. After the Matt Cain injury issues this season, the Giants almost certainly don’t even reach the playoffs if they don’t make the trade for Peavy, who had a 2.17 ERA in 12 starts for San Francisco in the regular season. Will that be enough for the Giants to offer him multiple years? He’s coming off a two-year, $29 million deal, and the numbers should be roughly the same for whatever he lands this offseason.
The player: Sergio Romo
The situation: He’s a free agent
The decision: Romo’s role changed dramatically in 2014. He started the season as one of the more reliable closers in baseball, but struggled and lost that job (for good when Santiago Casilla excelled in the ninth inning). Romo did rebound to again become a reliable part of San Francisco’s late-innings mix, but the question is how the Giants view him going forward. And, of course, what they’ll be willing to pay. If Romo wants to be a closer, he’ll look elsewhere. If the Giants could bring him back as a setup man on a two- or three-year deal that’s similar to his deal that just ended (two years, $9 million to avoid arbitration), that might be an option.
The player: Ryan Vogelsong
The situation: He’s a free agent
The decision: Vogelsong was good-not-great in San Francisco’s rotation this season, and at 37 next year (he turns 38 in late July), he’s past his multiple-season deals. But he’s comfortable with the Giants, and his track record as a No. 4/5 starter with the organization is pretty solid. Re-upping with a one-year deal for the same money he made in 2014 (on a one-year, $5 million deal) makes sense for both parties.
