That likely means accepting a one-year contract for something in the high seven figures on a short season deal. Former stars who have lost some shine in the years leading up to free agency have been vulnerable in recent markets – they saw their peers sign huge deals in the first half of the last decade, but those deals have largely dried up for mid-tier veterans.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig (66) high-fives a teammate after scoring a run off of a Los Angeles Dodgers’ Matt Kemp (27) single against the San Francisco Giants in … Using the best public research available, I seek to understand the game at a macro and micro level, then deliver that understanding to my readers in a way that offers something to casual fans and students of the game. https://sports.yahoo.com/gabe-kapler-downplays-yasiel-puig-023535156.html
A team thinking about signing him will see a good hitter, iffy but not terrible defender and an eccentric personality.It’s unclear how much that last point has led to Puig remaining unsigned to this point, or if he’s simply asking more than teams want to pay for something like a league-average contributor. Alex Dickerson and Mike Yastrzemski are penciled into regular lineup spots (Fangraphs’ depth charts actually have Yaz getting the plurality of plate appearances at both center and right field), but after that, it’s a collection of prospects that haven’t quite figured it out, and spaghetti-at-the-wall veterans.
He plays with energy, though, and that’s undeniable. But then again, we don’t really know what the Giants deem to be a perfect fit these days, and when it comes down to the 2020 season, throwing warm bodies on the field who have a vague idea of what they’re doing might be the only goal.Not suggesting that the Giants saw that go up and felt pressured to make these moves, but it’s a fine coincidence that since we learned that one of the more accurate public projection systems showed the team going 71-91, they’ve added reigning AL second base Gold Glove winner Interest doesn’t mean it’s a done deal, but let’s assume that it’s a lot closer to reality than a rumor. Ownership won’t allow them to lose 140 games or whatever it’ll take to secure the #1 pick, either. Puig still has good tools, and perhaps he can get a boost from a new environment, especially one like San Francisco that enjoys a good character, and a new coaching staff.And if it doesn’t work out, he won’t cost the Giants much. FILE - In this Friday, Sept. 27, 2019, file photo, Cleveland Indians' Yasiel Puig walks out of the Last week, there were some rumblings that the San Francisco Giants had a deal nearly completed with free agent outfielder Yasiel Puig. On New Year’s Eve, I wondered if the Giants signing Yasiel Puig this offseason was inevitable.My conclusion? . For one thing, they’re a decent match: the Giants’ outfield can use the upgrade. Will it be worth having him in a Giants uniform for a few months for the 10% chance of acquiring a prospect who could be a 2-win player in a few years? Farhan Zaidi believes that the absolute worst possible win total for a team that follows “There are a lot of obvious and some non-obvious reasons for that. His defense has also slipped a bit, as his range in the outfield has faded, though his arm still gets plus marks. Since the second half of 2016, the Giants have played like ash from a spilled urn. The contract amount is unknown, but would have a one-year option. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Those are the sorts of deals that high-budget teams should gamble on in down years.
I’m not really a fan of his energy and don’t think he’s one of those cases where “if he’s on your team, that stuff won’t bother you”. The rumors didn’t bear out, so far anyway, and Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi offered only a non-committal statement about how the team is always exploring a range of options. Kurtenbach: Yasiel Puig is exactly what the Giants need With a 60-game Major League Baseball season on deck, the San Francisco Giants need to take advantage by signing Yasiel Puig… And “managed” is all you can really do with him. I love uncovering new team strategies and players primed for a breakout.Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. They’ve been less than lifeless, and I can appreciate Farhan Zaidi’s year of review determining that beyond all the contentment that comes with unbelievable success and players coasting on generational wealth-affirming contracts the organizational culture needs a jolt. My coverage looks both at the game we can see on the field,…I have written about baseball from an analytical perspective for The Athletic, Slate and The Hardball Times.
He’s a bull in a china shop, after all.
While I often focus on the Giants and A’s, I also explore roster construction, baseball’s salary structure and how the two interact, often in strange, unexpected ways. Puig was involved in that three-team Still, that means rooting for a player to be good for the team in hopes of getting prospects who probably won’t pan out. We can’t say for sure if those rumors are true, but it’s a sensible gamble for a Giants team in transition.I have written about baseball from an analytical perspective for The Athletic, Slate and The Hardball Times. Teams would rather see what they have with young players who are making less than the manager, who may well be better than the expensive player entering his thirties.Which brings us to the San Francisco Giants. His projection has him closer to a 2-win player. Let’s look at the list of players the Giants have added recently with their WAR projection:There isn’t a ZiPS projection for Pence right now, so I’m rounding down to what his Steamer projection says, but ZiPS probably won’t be anymore bullish on him given his 2017 and 2018 and age. Pence is probably somewhere between replacement-level and one win.
Let me undo my tie and unbutton this collar and really loosen up a bit.