The Giants probably could have done with the offseason ending in mid-December, as they really haven't doen much since. However, with Spring Training just over 2 weeks out, and players still waiting for 2013 contracts, I expect things to start picking up in this final phase of the offseason.
One thing I was curiously waiting for all offseason was to see what kind of money the Giants' top two arbitration eligibles would get, and we got the answer a few days ago when Buster Posey and Hunter Pence each inked their 2013 contracts. That leaves only Sergio Romo and Joaquin Arias as the last two guys without a deal for 2013 (though both are expected to avoid arbitration). For Buster to get that high of a figure with basically just one full major league season under his belt tells you plenty of how much the Giants value this kid and he's got to be grateful to SF for showing the willingness to go that high. The Giants goal is to get this guy signed to a long-term deal, and although it may not happen before the season starts, I think it's something we'll see by next winter. The guy who protects Buster in the lineup, Hunter Pence, got a little bit higher of a figure than I was anticipating as well. I guessed $12.5M but he'll be up closer to $14M in 2013. I know he was a nice presence in the playoffs and fit in tremendously well with this team, but that money has got to get the Giants some better production in 2013. I do expect that to be the case too. This is Hunter's walk year, and he's got to envision this season as the one that really could make his career.
Elsewhere, most of the Giants news this month has been about Pablo Sandoval's minor health scare in the Domincan Republic as well as Sergio Romo's issue with the Las Vegas airport. As far as Romo's little spat is concerned, I don't really consider it an issue in the least and don't really feel the need to discuss it further.
Pablo's situation, however, could play a factor into whether he decides to play for the Dominican in the upcoming WBC, or whether he'll withdraw from the even and focus on getting in shape in Giants' camp. I personally would like to see him come in early to Scottsdalle and work his tail off like he did before the 2011 season and avoid the WBC at all costs. The expectations are going to be huge for Panda this year, I know mine are, and if this is the year he can stay in shape and avoid those nagging DL stints, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a career year out of the Panda. He's got legit protetion in Posey and Pence, and he's got the table setters in front of him with Scutaro and Pagan, so Panda is going to have a large say in whether the Giants offense thrives or not. We saw how well he played in October and how he we able to carry the team at certain points. I expect a lot more of that in 2013.
As for the other Giants expected to take part in the World Baseball Classic, Ryan Vogelsong has agreed to be part of the US squad, Marco Scutaro is expected to suit up for his native Dominican Republic team and Angel Pagan will play for Puerto Rico. Also, over half the Giants bullpen will take part in the tournament with Sergio Romo pitching for Mexico, Javy Lopez for Puerto Rico, Santiago Casilla for the DR, Jeremy Affeldt for the US and Jose Mijares for Venezuela. The one name that I'm looking most forward to watching compete from the Giants' oranization though is prospect Clayton Tanner. The right-handed pitcher solidified his spot amongst the Giants premiere prospects with a great 2012 season, and was named to the Italian team as a projected starter.
One thing I was curiously waiting for all offseason was to see what kind of money the Giants' top two arbitration eligibles would get, and we got the answer a few days ago when Buster Posey and Hunter Pence each inked their 2013 contracts. That leaves only Sergio Romo and Joaquin Arias as the last two guys without a deal for 2013 (though both are expected to avoid arbitration). For Buster to get that high of a figure with basically just one full major league season under his belt tells you plenty of how much the Giants value this kid and he's got to be grateful to SF for showing the willingness to go that high. The Giants goal is to get this guy signed to a long-term deal, and although it may not happen before the season starts, I think it's something we'll see by next winter. The guy who protects Buster in the lineup, Hunter Pence, got a little bit higher of a figure than I was anticipating as well. I guessed $12.5M but he'll be up closer to $14M in 2013. I know he was a nice presence in the playoffs and fit in tremendously well with this team, but that money has got to get the Giants some better production in 2013. I do expect that to be the case too. This is Hunter's walk year, and he's got to envision this season as the one that really could make his career.Elsewhere, most of the Giants news this month has been about Pablo Sandoval's minor health scare in the Domincan Republic as well as Sergio Romo's issue with the Las Vegas airport. As far as Romo's little spat is concerned, I don't really consider it an issue in the least and don't really feel the need to discuss it further.
Pablo's situation, however, could play a factor into whether he decides to play for the Dominican in the upcoming WBC, or whether he'll withdraw from the even and focus on getting in shape in Giants' camp. I personally would like to see him come in early to Scottsdalle and work his tail off like he did before the 2011 season and avoid the WBC at all costs. The expectations are going to be huge for Panda this year, I know mine are, and if this is the year he can stay in shape and avoid those nagging DL stints, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a career year out of the Panda. He's got legit protetion in Posey and Pence, and he's got the table setters in front of him with Scutaro and Pagan, so Panda is going to have a large say in whether the Giants offense thrives or not. We saw how well he played in October and how he we able to carry the team at certain points. I expect a lot more of that in 2013.As for the other Giants expected to take part in the World Baseball Classic, Ryan Vogelsong has agreed to be part of the US squad, Marco Scutaro is expected to suit up for his native Dominican Republic team and Angel Pagan will play for Puerto Rico. Also, over half the Giants bullpen will take part in the tournament with Sergio Romo pitching for Mexico, Javy Lopez for Puerto Rico, Santiago Casilla for the DR, Jeremy Affeldt for the US and Jose Mijares for Venezuela. The one name that I'm looking most forward to watching compete from the Giants' oranization though is prospect Clayton Tanner. The right-handed pitcher solidified his spot amongst the Giants premiere prospects with a great 2012 season, and was named to the Italian team as a projected starter.
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