The Giants Baseball Blog

On Friday, the Giants completed what very well may have been their last major league free-agent signing of the offseason, returning free agent right-handed Ryan Vogelsong to the Bay Area for one more season on a $4M deal. Now, it was quite a change of events over that 72-hour period last weekend. There were multiple sources that had Vogey just inches from inking in Houston with him making the trip out there and spending significant time with Astros' brass. Instead, the Giants persuaded Vogey back with a base salary of $4M that will keep the 37 year-old in 2015. Right now, however, it's not quite certain as to what the popular right-hander's role on the staff will entail. With questions surrounding 3/5 of the Giants rotation heading into February though, having Vogey around as insurance and possibly someone to stretch the rotation when need be may not be such a bad plan. I could see Vogey and Lincecum in a private battle (to avoid an publicity) for the fifth spot in spring...

Well, with the free agent market dwindling and the Giants trying to avoid going the trade route to fill their left field void, there weren't a plethora of options for Brian Sabean to choose from. That being said, the decision to bring in Norichika Aoki on a one-year deal at $4M doesn't look too shabby at all. Giants introduce Aoki Tuesday No, it wasn't a big splash for Justin Upton, Yasmany Tomas or Ben Zobrist (who were all linked to the Giants at some point this offseason) but the Giants got themselves a player who's skill-set should translate well at AT&T Park. He may homer just a handful of times in 2015, but with his speed and contact ability, a 20-triple season may not be out of the question. He gets on base at an above-average clip, puts the ball in play with frequency and is lightening quick on the base-paths. He'll bring some versatility to the lineup as well, as can hit both atop the order or at the bottom. He gives Bochy a legit leadoff option ...

With a little over a month now until pitchers and catchers file into Scottsdale, the Giants reported that Tim Hudson will undergo surgery to remove bone spurs from his right heel. He is expected to be out at least 8 weeks but the Giants are expecting him back in time to start the season. Anyhow, it has sort of enhanced their search for rotation depth again. I mean with Huddy pushing 40 and the workload his small frame has endured the last 16 seasons, it's probably not a bad idea to look into adding some rotation depth. This guy was pitching for the A's when the Giants were still playing at Candlestick Park after all. Add that to the fact that Tim Lineceum couldn't get anybody out in the second half of last season and the Giants have major question marks surrounding at least 2 of their 5 starters heading into spring. They do have Yusmiero Petit as a fallback, but the Bochy prefers being able to use him in different roles and would rather not tie him into a rotation spot if...

January 2015 is here and that means we're only about 6 weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Scottsdale and the Giants begin their quest to repeat but they still have some work to do before then. After the re-signing of Jake Peavy and the trade for Casey McGehee, the Giants may have put a wrap on their offseason. However, they remain linked to James Shields and continue to scour the market, mainly via trade, for a possible solution in left field. The Giants obviously still have some money set aside that they were intending on giving to either Pablo Sandoval and/or Jon Lester, but they're not about to give it all away to Max Scherzer so you can give up on that dream. They have, however, stayed relevant in the James Shields sweepstakes, making us all wonder what would possibly happen if the Giants did somehow add the former Royals' ace. Talk of running out a possible 6-man rotation have been brought up, also a possible full-time move of Tim Lincecum to the bu...