They missed out on Jon Lester and James Shields last offseason. Tried on Torii Hunter at one time. Vladimir Guerrero was also on that list way back in the day.
The "big name" landings were Barry Zito and Aaron Rowand. Neither worked out well, despite Zito's postseason performance in 2012.
The Giants have done a very good job of finding those under the radar guys that can fill roles and play a big part on championship teams. Ryan Vogelsong, Tim Hudson, and Michael Morse being among some of the more recent successes.
Here are five guys who could be along the same mold:
SP Doug Fister
Giants should remember him well. He was one of the better starting pitchers the team faced in the postseason on two different occasions. In 2014 while with the Nationals, he went seven shutout innings at AT&T Park for the win. In 2012 with the Tigers, he went toe-to-toe with Madison Bumgarner and went six innings and allowed one run.
He had an off year in 2015 where he battled injuries and ended up with a 4.19 ERA. It was the first time since 2010 that his ERA ballooned that high.
I expect him to return to form and use that power sinker to help a team be competitive. If the Giants strike out on the big guys, this might be a good alternative.
RP Ryan Madson
Madson was thought to be finished before the 2015 season and the now champion Royals took a chance on the hard throwing right hander. The gamble paid off and he was an integral part of the best bullpen in the bigs.
His role grew after the injury to Greg Holland and he carried a 2.13 ERA through the season. Still reaching the mid 90s in velocity, he would be one of the harder throwers in the Giants bullpen and would be a welcomed addition with the loss of Jeremy Affeldt (retirement) and potentially Santiago Casilla (free agent).
SP Brandon Morrow
Buy low with potentially high reward. Morrow was once one of the better prospects in all of baseball but injuries continued to plague him and last year was no exception.
He had season-ending shoulder surgery in August and was limited to five starts for the Padres where he posted a 2.73 ERA in 33 innings. Small sample size but if he can avoid the disabled list, he could yield great results.
This is more of an invite to camp sort of pick up rather than any sort of guarantee.
OF Chris Young
This may cost a bit more because he could likely start somewhere full time but Chris Young could be a viable option for leftfield.
The Giants are looking at a logjam in the outfield if everyone is healthy but leftfield remains a hole. Hunter Pence, health pending, is a lock for right. Angel Pagan is far from an automatic in center. That leaves Gregor Blanco.
Blanco is a lefty and the lineup is already lefty heavy. Young is that right handed option. He had 14 home runs for the Yankees this past season in 318 at bats and could also still slide into centerfield if needed. Young is also a guy familiar with the NL West, having been in Arizona for seven seasons.
Still at 32, he could provide a good option in left.
OF Dexter Fowler
This is likely the farthest shot at reality but Fowler could patrol centerfield at AT&T Park easily and has done so in the past. He spent his first six years in Colorado and knows the grounds well.
He is someone who would love the huge outfield and his speed could play well. The problem here is that his signing immediately displaces Pagan in center. Even though Pagan may only have one year left, I'm not sure the Giants are willing to bump him out of there yet.
No comments:
Post a Comment