Posey, Sanchez on Schedule for Spring Training

Here we are, on the eve of the 2012 Giants Fanfest, which means it's only a matter of days before pitchers and catchers report to Scottsdale. Two the the guys who will be watched heavily and brought along a bit slower than the other players are Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval.

Listening to both on KNBR interviews over the last few days certainly has me optimistic about each players health, but only time will tell and we won't really know what kind of shape these guys are in until they get a few games under their belt in March. Obviously, being a catcher and coming off the injury he suffered last season, most eyes will be on the Giants young backstop, as they have to determine just how often he'll be able to catch early on in the season. It's already been stated by both Posey and Bochy that both expect Posey to get a lot more time at first base than he has in his professional career so far, but he did play a lot of games there in 2010 when the team still had Bengie Molina on the roster, so it's not like he'll be too uncomfortable over there when he does start at first. Plus, he's such a good athlete and has extensive experience at the collegiate level playing every position on the diamond that he'll be playing every single day that his leg will allow him to, whether it's first base or catcher. I'll tell you one thing, to me, it's seems like it's been years since we've got to watch Buster Posey play, I've almost forgotten just how good of player he is and should be primed for his best season of his career if he can avoid any pro-longed DL stints.

The Giants will also be monitoring Freddie Sanchez's progress extremely closely as full-squad workouts begin. Sanchez lives in Arizona and has been doing a lot of workouts at the Giants complex in Scottsdale, and he sounded really well in his interview Friday. He knows this is a contract year for him and as good a hitter and defender he can be when healthy, he's getting a little older and if he has another injury plagued season in '12, it will handicap any hopes of getting himself one last multi-year contract. Ever since his trade over from Pittsburgh in 2009, Sanchez has missed the majority of his time here on the DL, and that has to change in 2012, not only for his sake entering free agency, but more importantly, the team's offense needs that .300 hitting, slick-fielding Sanchez that they thought they were getting when they dealt for him. I mean, he's had his moments, and was big for the team down the stretch in 2010, but he'd be the first to tell you that he hasn't played as well as he'd hoped during his tenure here, and the only reason for that is because he hasn't been able to stay on the field. Luckily for the Giants, the injury suffered in 2011 was kind of a "freak accident" injury as his shoulder just snapped out of it's socket, and as long as it heals properly which it is, it shouldn't be an issue for him going forward.

Up Next: Final prediction for the 2012 opening day roster, including projected lineup, bench, bullpen and starting rotation. With the recent adds of Ryan Theriot and Clay Hensley, it changes things up a bit since our last projection in December, and unless the Giants do something unexpected and bring in another outfielder, it looks like their roster is pretty much set.

Giants Banking on 2010 Recipe for 2012

When I look up and down at the Giants roster as is right now, it really reminds me a lot of the roster they had entering the 2010 season, but instead of Buster Posey pushing for Bengie Molina's job, this year it will be Brandon Belt in the hunt for Aubrey Huff's first base job.

Now, being that the Giants failed to add any real legitimate power to their lineup, and haven't added a bunch of new personnel to their 25-man roster, so in order for their offense to turn around in 2012, they need guys like Aubrey Huff, who were miserable in 2011, to get back on track. If he doesn't or if either Brandon Belt or Brett Pill outperform him through spring and the early part of the season, I hope the Giants won't hesitate to make the switch to the younger, more valuable player, much like they did when they shipped Bengie Molina out of town to make room for Buster Posey in 2010, a move that helped catapult them into the playoffs and eventually to the top of the baseball world. Like the 2010 team, this team coming in may still be a player or two away from being legit World Series contenders, depending on how guys like Freddy Sanchez (coming off brutal injury), Posey and Huff all perform. If all of them are at the 2010 levels, than this team probably has enough offense as is to be factor in the National League. The Giants' brass must have entered this offseason with that strategy all along, because not only did they fail to re-sign Cody Ross and Carlos Beltran who each got very reasonable deals, they ruled out those two players almost immediately after free agency began, and it appeared like they just never really wanted either of them back.

Instead, in enters the two newest additions to the starting lineup, Angel Pagan and Melky Cabrera, who aren't bad players by any stretch, but pretty similar players and neither is considered a middle of the order power bat that the Giants really needed. Both are more top of the order type hitters that don't get on base at very high levels, so neither player is a perfect fit in the leadoff spot, though I'm assuming that Pagan will get that assignment come opening day. And Pagan is very much another player, like Posey, like Sanchez, like Huff, who the Giants are really hoping reverts back to 2010 form. Pagan had a very up and down season in 2011, which saw him start out miserably, then have spurts of good play, but not enough of them to overcome the bad start and ended up with a pedestrian .262 average and .322 on-base percentage, neither of which would be adequate for a leadoff hitter. The one area which he'll undoubtedly help out though is on the base paths, where he's got the ability to steal 40-50 bags a season if he stays healthy and gets on base. That's an element at the leadoff spot that this team hasn't really had since the days of Darren Lewis and Darrell Hamilton. Torres was as fast as they come, but didn't really translate into a great base-stealer like Pagan is, and that should be an asset to a team that will need to manufacture a lot of their runs the hard way.

So, in some ways this team differs form the 2010 squad with the young shortstop being handed the starting job and new and improved team speed, but some parallels are uncanny. They have Huff coming off a bad season like he was after 2009. They have the young guy pushing the veteran at first base instead of catcher this time around, and they have an outfield that's still very much up in the air in terms of where guys will play and who ends up in center. That outfield could also get another addition or two before opening day or early on in the year, much like the 2010 team went after Pat Burrell then later, Cody Ross.

Giants Sign SS Ryan Theriot to One-Year Deal

It took a lot longer than I was expecting, but the Giants finally added a little bit of depth/competition to their middle infield mix this spring by agreeing to terms with Ryan Theriot on a one-year deal worth about $1.25 million.

I like this move quite a bit, not because I expect Theriot to be a long-term answer at short for the Giants, but it gives the team depth in the infield when they really needed it and provides some competition heading into spring. It's a non-guaranteed deal, meaning unless Theriot beats out Burris or Fontenot in spring for an opening day roster spot, that contract becomes void, leaving him with plenty of incentive to show up rearing to go. Theriot isn't quite as good defensively at short as he was 3-4 years ago, but he's still the best option the Giants now have there besides Crawford. Again though, the best part of this deal is the fact that it ensures that guys like Burris or Justin Christian aren't going to be just handed a job do to lack of options. Lack of options or resources should not be an issue for this franchise when they have the expectations they do. Theriot was the starting shortstop for the World Champion Cardinals for most of last season, until they acquired Rafael Furcal because nagging injuries were hampering Theriot's range at short, but before last season, his defensive numbers looked a lot better, at least in terms of his fielding percentage numbers. And when you check the offensive numbers he put up in the first half with the Cards (.285, 91 hits, .331 OBP) you see the upside he has, and would be a huge step up from what the team was getting their in 2011. The last time he spent the full season in one spot playing everyday (with Chicago in '09) he put up very good numbers, to the tune of .284/7/54 with 21 steals and a .343 OBP after putting up a .307 average and .387 OBP in '08. Theriot's a proven tough out, who doesn't swing and miss a whole lot, and will get on base at a respectable pace. Is a he a great shortstop? Not by any stretch, but he's better than he showed towards the end of 2011, both offensively and defensively. For $1.25 million, the Giants could have done a lot worse.

Theriot was a guy who I mentioned a lot here when I discovered the frugal path the Giants were taking this offseason, because I knew he'd be cheap and he's got the potential to take the shortstop job if Brandon Crawford struggles out of the gate. Now, in a perfect world, Theriot doesn't need to become that starting shortstop cause Crawford will take that next step and become a decent hitter. I expect Crawford to start the year at shortstop no matter what kind of spring he has (unless he really tanks and Theriot shines) but with the Giants really pushing to get back to postseason in 2012, they won't have so much patience with him this time around, especially now that they have a viable backup. Now, I'm curious to see what other names Sabean and Co. are currently looking into. Xavier Nady is one that was tossed out today, but I'd steer clear of him since he hasn't done anything in years. There aren't really any outfielders left on the market, or at least any that make a lot of sense for the Giants to add, but he could be looking at potential fifth starter types. Edwin Jackson and Javier Vazquez are two guys who would be clear upgrades to Zito in the fifth spot, but I don't think Sabean is looking to spend that much. Rich Harden could be a bargain bin type guy, and I'd like him because he could come out of the pen too if need be, but I just don't see Sabean getting that big of a name. If they are still looking at outfielders, the one guy sitting out there who could play some right field for this team, in a backup role, platoon, or possibly even a starter, is Maglio Ordonez. No, he's no spring chicken at 37, but he is just a year removed from putting up a .303/12/59 line in just over a half of play in 2010 and I think still has some thunder left in that bat. For a deal similar to Ross' or Theriot's got, I'd certainly be interested in Ordonez's right-handed bat?

The Giants also inked 32 year-old reliever Clay Hensley to a one-year, $750,000 deal to essentially take on the spot that Ramon Ramirez has occupied the last year and a half. Hensley struggled some in 2011 with a 6-7 record and 5.19 era splitting time between the rotation and bullpen for Florida. However, in 2010, used strictly as a reliever, Hensley was one of the best in the game, recording a 2.16 era and 77 K's over 75 innings of work allowing just 3 home runs on the season in a pretty good hitters yard. He also recorded 22 holds and 7 saves for the Marlins that year, showing his ability to pitch late innings with the game on the line. The Giants now appear to have their 5-man rotation and 7-man bullpen all set though they still could add some arms to their invite list before spring reporting dates.

Also, again, if you guys haven't yet tuned into my interview from Thursday night with The Baseball Page's Phil Naessans Show, here's the link to it right here. It was one of the funner interviews I've been a part of during my time doing sports blogs, podcasts and shows, as he does his shows from Greece and it's really good stuff, so be sure to check it out!

Giants Notes: Lincecum Signs, Ross to Boston

Well, even though I touched on it a little bit in our last post, I haven't really had a chance to get my thoughts out on the new Lincecum deal since he and the Giants agreed earlier in the week. Also, on the other end of things, the Giants missed out on shoring up their outfield by letting Cody Ross sign in Boston for only $3 million in 2012.

First off, obviously, wanted to talk a bit about Lincecum. I've already said here that I didn't expect him to sign a long-term deal that takes him through free agency, but it doesn't mean he wants to leave San Francisco like everyone is suspecting. I mean, if I were Lincecum, I'd probably do the same thing, even if I planned on eventually signing with the Giants long-term. Why take a chance at mitigating your value to just sign a deal? Granted, a 5 year, $100 million deal isn't anything to sneeze at, in this market, if he were a free agent, Lincecum could probably easily command a 8 year, $200 million deal. If he could get something like that in 2 years when he hits free agency, why would he sign a deal now that potentially takes a bunch of money from his pocket in the long term? At the same time though, you look at a guy like Matt Cain, who's made no bones about it, he wants to stay here, and he'll likely give the Giants a hometown discount in order to do so. People keep mentioning Jered Weaver as a comparable player to Cain and they do matchup very well. Weaver signed a five year deal with the Angels last year for just $85 million, which is probably $25 million less than he'd get on an open market, but he was more concerned with staying in Anaheim. What Lincecum's deal does do, is give this team financial certainty for the next two seasons, and now that they have that with both Sandoval and Lincecum, they can more easily assess what they can spend on someone like Cain, who'll be a free agent after the season.

I just see Lincecum as a guy who's taking his agents advice and going as close to year-to-year as possible until he'd be free to have teams compete for his services. He probably sees these 200 million dollar deals that are getting tosses out now seemingly every winter, and figures he's as sure of bet as any to land one of those when he's able and that means Lincecum will be more focused than ever over the next 2 seasons. Don't worry about Timmy, he's not going anywhere, at least anytime soon. On the other hand, we can't say the same about 2010 postseason hero Cody Ross, who Brian Sabean blatantly said would not be back after the season, then stubbornly stuck to his guns, even though Ross signed for only 3 million with Boston, less than 1/2 of what he made in 2011. I'm sure if you told Sabean back in October he could get Ross on a1 year, 3 million dollar deal, he would have been open to it, but instead it's like he wrote Ross off and never even bothered to follow up with him and see if they could come back to him later in the winter. I mean, $3 million isn't a bad deal for a league average 4th outfielder, let alone a guy like Ross who can be a legit starter and was one of the more clutch hitters the Giants have had recently. I'm having a bit of trouble getting over this one, cause right now, this team has now 4th outfielder, let alone one as versatile and talented as Ross. Heck, I kept saying all year that I think a healthy Ross would beat out either Pagan or Schierholtz for a starting spot, and at $3M, how does a team desperate for offense ignore that?

So yes, there was some good for the Giants over the last week, buying Sandoval and Lincecum through their arbitration years, but there was also some missed opportunities if you ask me. The Giants offseason business is now essentially finished, though they could still scrape the bottom of the barrel for spring training invites, and I think they could have done a better job at filling out their roster. There were some good players out there that went cheaply that could have been upgrades over players who will be on this teams' 25-man roster, and for a large market team with Championship aspirations, you look to improve your roster at every chance you get, whether it's adding additional outfielders like Ross to create competition or a utility guy like Jerry Hairston Jr. who could have really solidified the bench. The Giants were too content this winter, for a team coming off a putrid offensive season.

Again, be sure to check out The Baseball Page tonight, as I join Phil Naessens' podcast to talk about the upcoming Giants season and some of the things they did, and didn't do, this winter. I'll get a link posted up to the interview tomorrow, but they'll have it on their site tonight at 9 PM.

Lincecum Says No to $100MM, 5-Year Deal

If the Giants were counting on Lincecum giving the team a hometown discount, they may want to think again, after reports surfaced Monday that the ace right-hander turned down a 5 year, $100 million contract.

Now, that deal would have only bought Lincecum out of 3 years of free agency, and would have freed him up when he turned 32. At that age, he'd easily be up for another long-term, big money deal as long as he keeps up his dominant ways, so it is a little bit concerning. However, I don't at all see this as a sign that he wants out of San Francisco like everyone in the media is trying to make it out to be. All this really tells me, is that Lincecum isn't going to give the team a hometown discount, and after the numbers he's put up, he's got the right to do so. He's arguably one of the most valuable pitchers in the game right now, based on the fact that he's not only a dominant ace with 2 Cy Youngs already at 27, but a fan favorite who will fill up a ballpark every single time he takes the mound. If he were a free agent in this 2011-12 class, after seeing the deals Pujols and Fielder each fetched, it's conceivable to think he could have easily gotten that 8 year/$200 Million deal he's seeking, so why settle for 5 years and a measly $100 million if your in that position? At the same time, I think it was a perfectly legit offer from the Giants side, and I actually suggested the make that exact offer in our last post after the two exchanged arbitration numbers. They made the offer, and they couldn't get him to bite, and I'm not surprised by either of those happenings. It just tells me that, unless he's blown away by an offer, Tim Lincecum wants to go into free agency. Doesn't mean he wants out of San Francisco, in fact, I think he very much wants to remain a Giant. I think in the end, it may be a good thing too, as it gives the Giants financial stability over the next 2 years and gives each party a huge window of time to either hammer out something long-term. Tim's a great young arm, but you hardly ever see long-term contracts given to starters work out really well. Sabathia and Halladay have been exceptions lately, but outside of those two, there aren't many pitchers who've signed big $100 million deals and had it work out so well for their respective ballclub (Zito, Santana and Burnett are a few).

So no, I'm not ready to panic at all, and start thinking of scenarios in which you trade Lincecum just yet. However, if the Giants aren't able to come to terms with Timmy on a longer term contract by the time the 2013 season gets going, then you start thinking about the "what if's" and get into possible trading scenario's, but regardless, I just have a hard time seeing Lincecum in any other uniform any time soon, including the 2014 season. Whether it's 1-2 years, I still see the Giants buying Lincecum out of at least 1-2 of his free agent years. I wouldn't be surprised if they expanded on their offer of 5 years, and maybe added another $15 million or so onto the total. At the same time though, they need to keep in mind they have their other ace scheduled for free agency after this upcoming 2012 season, and they absolutely need to figure out a way to keep both. I mean, Brian Sabean has done next to nothing in free agency the last few years, outside of retaining Aubrey Huff, and the thinking was that they're tucking some money away to ensure they sign both Cain and Lincecum, and if they don't end up keeping both beyond 2013, I'd consider the approach Sabean's taken a complete bust. They could have spent $30 million or so and gotten themselves an all-star outfielder for another two years in keeping Beltran, but they decided to save that money for Lincecum and Cain. They could have went after Yeonis Cespedes or even Michael Cuddyer or Josh Willingham to get some more offense, but instead ruled out all impact free agents because they're plan to sign Cain and Lincecum.

To sum it up in a few short sentences I'd just say this to Sabean and the Giants' brass: You've shyed away from being active in the free agent market, really ever since the Zito and Rowand debacles, and you guys kept saying the long-term goal was to retain your pitching. And since you've passed on free agent, everyday players who can help your team now (when you know you have Lincecum and Cain) in order to ensure you have money freed up for guys like Lincecum and Cain when their time came, you better make darn sure your able to keep both of them long-term. If they fail to do so, that plan blows up in their faces and they end up blowing their window of opportunity while Timmy and Matty are still together. That's why I hate the strategy of putting, essentially, all your eggs in one basket, which is the approach the Giants are openly taking.

I also wanted to give you guys a heads up that I'll be joining Phil Naessens from The Baseball Page on Thursday night at 7 PM on his show, talking Giants baseball and the upcoming 2012 season. Be sure to check that out, we'll also be posting up a reminder Thursday afternoon as well as on our Twitter and Facebook pages so follow us if you aren't already!

NOTE: The Giants have come to an agreement with Tim Lincecum, buying out his last two years of arbitration with a 2 year, $40.5 million deal. This doesn't necessarily change the status of his long-term plans, though it is good to see the two parties come to an agreement on something, finally.

Lincecum Now Last Giant Seeking 2012 Contract

After the Giants came to deals with nearly all their arbitration eligible players this week, including signing Sergio Romo to a one-year deal Friday, the teams final arbitration eligible player is also their biggest. Even though their preliminary figures were $4.5 million off, I still expect the Giants and their ace to come to terms before they'd be forced to go before an arbiter.

The Giants gave one of the premiere set-up men in the game in Sergio Romo, a one-year, $1.5 million deal. That's more than double what he made in 2011, but the right-hander has really earned it as he's become one of the games premiere set-up men. The only minor concern I have with Romo is his durability. At such a young age (28), you'd expect him to be able to take on more of work-load than the 49 innings he threw in 2011, but none the less, the 49 innings he threw in 2011 were pretty darn dominant. He ended the season with a 1.5 era, 70 K's, 5 BB's, and a 0.71 WHIP over those 48 innings, which are some pretty gaudy numbers. Anytime your over 1.5 K's per inning, that's something special, and Romo is right there, but what's even more impressive is his uncanny command. Five walks in 20 innings isn't bad, let alone 48, and when you couple that with 70 K's, the ratio is ridiculous. He gave up some big home runs during the 2010 championship run, but kept his composure enough to finish off well during the championship run, then just destroy National League hitters in 2011, his first as a full-time set-up man. Again though, he had some arm troubles in September that hopefully came from all the work in 2010, pitching until November, then all the K's early on in 2011. And with the signing of Romo, the contract the given to Sandoval and the one-year deals dished out to Nate Schierholtz, Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan in the last few days, the Giants have taken care of all their arbitration players except Lincecum.

I mentioned in the last post that I thought Lincecum would wind up at $18+ million, and I still think he' gets around $18-19M. As good as he's been during his young career, it's tough for any arbitration player to ask for north of $20 million, even one as accomplished as Lincecum. Heck, it's tough to net $20 million per year as an accomplished free agent in his prime, let alone a player in his arbitration years. That said, if anyone is worth it, Lincecum is, with his 2 Cy Young's and incredible numbers he's piled up since 2008. The thing I think that's holding the two parties up, is the Giants trying to encourage Lincecum's party to take a multi-year deal, like they were able to do with Pablo Sandoval. Whether it's a 3 year deal that buys out a year of free agency or a 5-year deal (which is what I think the club really wants to do), I think the Giants are trying to persuade Lincecum into taking one or the other, but I see Timmy sticking to his guns and taking only a deal for the 2012 season for now. It's just a question as to how much he'll end up getting. If I'm the Giants, I show some good faith now, hoping it comes back to help them in the end, and give Timmy his $20 million and let him set a new record. They don't have to go $21.5M like Lincecum's asking, but I bet if they offered $20M, Lincecum's agents would jump all over it. They shouldn't let the difference of $2-3 million bucks cause any ill will with their star pitcher when they're trying to sign him long-term.

Giants Agree to Terms with Pagan, Cabrera

Well, you can mark off the two newest Giants on the list of arbitration eligible players who still need deals. The Giants inked each outfielder to one-year deals and avoided any hearing with Santiago Cassilla by inking the reliever to a one-year deal as well.

Melky Cabrera, who the Giants shipped off Jonathan Sanchez for, ended up getting a one-year, $6 million deal, and will become a free agent after this upcoming season. After the season Cabrera just had, I have to consider Cabrera's figure pretty reasonable. Dude hit over .300 with over 200 hits, 20 homers, 20 steals, and had over 100 runs scored, all of which are very good benchmarks in terms of arbitration. With Pagan, the Giants may end up getting a steal at $4.85 million for 2012. It's been said more than once this offseason, as long as the Giants get a determined Pagan, and get him back closer to his 2010 form, then they'll have themselves a very affordable, legit leadoff hitter (something they didn't have at any point in 2011). So the Giants ended up locking up their two big offseason acquisitions for about $10M total, and that's not a bad figure. I honestly thought both would get at least 6 million, so this is a pleasant surprise and may free up some extra cash for another addition or two. We talked at length in our last post about the options that still remain for the Giants to upgrade their roster, and none appear any closer to deals now than they have all offseason. Cassilla, who filled in at closer at times last season for a banged up Brian Wilson, ended up signing for a very affordable $2.2M for 2012. All Cassilla has done since dawning a Giants uni in 2010 has rocked a 1.84 ERA and notched nearly a K an inning while filling in admirably for B-Weezy when the closers needed a rest or been shelved.

Now, the Giants did end up getting three, very key guys locked up and taken care of for 2012, but they still have some very important pieces still waiting to figure out their 2012 contracts. The two most notable are obviously, Tim Lincecum, who's bound for a record figure and should net around $18 million or more for 2012. Also, Pablo Sandoval remains without a 2012 contract, and while he won't be nearly as costly as Timmy, it would be in the Giants best interest to try and get him locked up long-term right now. I don't know what Pablo is looking for but I know he loves San Francisco and wants to remain a Giant, so he'd probably be very open to a long-term contract, which in the end, would probably cost the Giants less than going year-to-year through arbitration until he's a free agent in 2015. I'd try and give him a 5 year/$40 million offer and see if he bit. That would come out to be around $8M annually and keep Pablo in Orange and Black until he was a 30 year old, and buyout a year of free agency. It's a figure I could definitely live with, especially when you consider all Pablo has accomplished at his young age. He's been an all-star, he's had 3 really successful seasons in the bigs, granted one was only a two month stint, and he's still a ways away from even entering his prime (25 years old). As much as the Giants need Lincecum and Cain around long-term, they also need to make sure they have quality guys surrounding them, and Pablo should be right there after Timmy and Matty in terms of players needing multi-year deals. I really think that if the Giants play their cards right, they can probably get Pablo now for a fraction of a price that he'll end up costing them on a year-to-year basis through arbitration. He puts up another season like last year or 2009 and he can go into arbitration next winter and already start asking for double-figures ($10+ million).

Also hitting arbitration for the first time with Pablo, are Nate Schierholtz and Sergio Romo, and the Giants still have to figure out Mike Fontenot's figure for 2012. Of the three, it wouldn't surprise me if the Giants ended up giving Romo a multi-year deal after the success he's shown over 2010 and 2011. He's established himself as one of the leagues premiere set-up men as evident by his 1.50 ERA, 70 K to 5 BB ratio and a 0.71 WHIP over 49 innings in 2011.

NOTE: Since the post, the Giants have exchanged figures with Lincecum, coming up with a $4.5M difference ($17M to $21.5M). As I thought, he'll probably end up getting right around $18-19M. The Giants also signed Nate Schieholtz, knocking another off the list, to a very reasonable $1.2 million dollar deal. I thought he'd wind up getting closer to $2-3M, but I'll take it. I expect a resolution with Timmy soon as well..... Also, the team must have read my post, because literally hours after I wrote this suggesting they extend Pablo Sandoval, they sign him to a 3-year extension for just over $17 million which is huge in terms that the Giants won't have to deal with Pablo in arbitration any more. In all seriousness, I knew nothing about an impending extension when writing this, but I knew the Giants were interested as was Panda. This is a lot like the deal they gave Brian Wilson, only they're only giving Pablo about $5.75 million per season when I thought he'd get at least $5-6 million in arbitration this year, and possibly double that next winter with another .315/25/90 campaign. Great signing and deserving recipient!