sycasey said:
tequila4kapp said:
sycasey said:
oski003 said:
The losers
1. San Francisco Giants. First, they lose out on Aaron Judge. Then they lose out on re-signing Carlos Rodon. Now they lose out on Correa. With all the top free agents off the board, that leaves their top signing as pitcher Sean Manaea - in an offseason when the Giants wanted to spend money and had gobs of it available. So it ends up as a complete disaster. They wanted a foundation-type face of the franchise and didn't get one. The rotation is now worse. The music stopped and the Giants were the ones left standing without a chair.
I've been patient with the current regime, knowing they are still in a rebuilding cycle (despite the miraculous 2021 results with an aging core).
This makes the Giants look cheap. I acknowledge that I can't possibly know what the "medical issue" was they flagged that made Correa look elsewhere. But it didn't seem to bother the other clubs so you really have to wonder.
FWIW this Dodgers fan thinks they look smart. If there's any medical issue for a guy getting a 13 year contract pause and take a look. Especially with a guy who has played 150 game exactly 1x in his entire career. If anything, I'd say this makes Correa look skittish and not committed to the Giants, and it makes Steve Cohen look impetuous. I bet a top dog Giants fans will be happy about this within 2 years.
Well, if they had just not gotten Correa then that would be one thing. The issue is that they got him to sign an offer letter, had it announced all over the media, scheduled a press conference to announce the signing, and then on the day they cancelled it and a day or two later he's gone. That's more than just being frugal with money, that looks like plain old bungling. The existing players and any further prospective free agents can't think any of that looks good.
I was excited about the Correa signing, because obviously the Giants have some catching up to do. But I was worried for a few reasons.
It never felt like a great fit. I don't know Correa that well, but the quick bolt to the Mets when the Giants wanted to re-negotiate sounds right. He didn't seem like an obvious Giant. To support this feeling, I think it's telling to consider how the Giants and Mets were going to play Correa defensively. The Giants were going to put him at short, despite the fact that Brandon Crawford has one more year on his deal and is expected to retire after that point. He is something like fifth all time in innings played exclusively at short stop. It struck me that they didn't tell Correa that they've got a short stop for one more year, and we are paying you a boat load of money, you can play third one one season. Nah, they were ready to kick Crawford to third or second or both. He then signs with the Mets, who already have his buddy Lindor, and now Correa has no problem moving to third - not just for one year for twelve. That screams "not a great fit" to me.
Also, I was concerned that the team thought this signing was IT. "We got a superstar!" First, he's not a superstar. He's very good and I still wish he was going to be a Giants, but he's a 2-time all star, not a superstar. However, to catch up with the Dodgers and Padres, the Giants need to do and spend
so much more. They should have gotten Correa AND Rodon AND Conforto. And honestly they have the money and should have thrown more years and money at Judge to get him, too, plus those other names. Correa made me happy but also felt like a band-aid on a much larger wound, while allowing the team to champion the band-aid.
Most concerning is the report that (although it's likely coming from Boras) the "medical issue" the Giants were "concerned" about is not serious. When the press conference was canceled Tuesday I texted my buddies, "This better be a serious medical issue because it smells of buyer's remorse." Sure enough, reports are that the medical "issue" is an ankle injury he suffered eight years ago, at age 19. If that's the issue, it's a lame excuse, way over Farhan's head, and we are in Maloof territory: bumbling ownership that needs to sell the team. It's bad.