Trade Interest for Brandon Belt

Apparently, a number of GM's were inquiring about the availability of first baseman Brandon Belt during last week's GM meetings. While I highly doubt that the Giants are considering trading Belt, it is interesting to note that many teams have expressed interest. While struggling in his rookie year and much of the first half of this season, Belt showed glimpses of the promise he still has in a strong second half. At just 24 years old, there is still plenty of time for Belt to develop into the star that many expected him to be. He hit 293 in the second half and through all of his offensive struggles he has continued to play gold glove caliber defense at first base. I don't expect much to come of this but it is certainly a card that Sabean will keep in his back pocket.

Marco Scutaro Next to Sign

Reports suggest that the Giants are close to re-signing NLCS MVP, Marco Scutaro, to a two year deal worth a reported 12 million dollars. With the re-signing of Affeldt and Scutaro, along with the depth of this year's free agent outfield class, there is little doubt now that the Giants will have a very successful offseason coming off their second World Series crown in three years. Whether they re-up with Pagan or bring in the likes of Hamilton, Bourn or Ichiro, the Giants will certainly go into next year with a team that is well equipped to defend their title.

Free the Beard?

With the emergence of Sergio Romo last year, it appears that the Giants will not offer Brian Wilson salary arbitration by the November 30th deadline and allow him to become a free agent on December 1st. His recovery from his second Tommy John surgery is said to be on track but he is not expected to be ready to start throwing until late April at the earliest. So, where ever he pitches in 2013 he won't do it until around mid-season most likely. Even if he is not offered arbitration, he could still stay in San Francisco but he would certainly have to take a significant pay cut to do so.

I was somewhat saddened to read this but I understand that it is an unfortunate part of the business of baseball. Wilson will forever have a place in the hearts of Giants fans everywhere. He is a charismatic entertainer as much as he was a dominant closer. It is sad to imagine him ever pitching against the Giants. The beard was a big part of the 2010 title. While many saw his antics as entertaining and funny, don't forget what that may have meant to a young team under the pressure cooker of the playoffs for the first time. Wilson kept so much attention on himself that others could relax.

If he leaves, I will never forget him and I hope that he gets back to what he was before he got hurt. Please, just don't do it for the Dodgers.

Here Comes Hot Stove Season

I do miss baseball games, there is no doubt about that but I love the free agent season as well. There are so many stories all the time that develop and so many twists and turns. I will try to be on top of everything here on my blog. Even non Giant related stories. This is a fun time of year for me and I will keep you all up to date on the rumors and what not.

As for the Giants, I really expect the Scutaro contract to be worked out soon. Free agents can begin signing with other teams as soon as midnight eastern time tomorrow and I would not be surprised if this deal is done before that time. However, even if it isn't, I fully expect it to be done by the end of the weekend. Scutaro is easily the biggest free agent for the Giants this offseason.

Around the league, it will be very interesting to see how many teams step up to the forefront of the Josh Hamilton sweepstakes this weekend. I expect this one to take some time to get done however. My prediction is that Hamilton signs during the winter meetings in a little over a month. That is where superstars usually get deals done, if not soon afterwards. One way or another, it should really be fun to see it all play out.

Understanding Arbitration

Okay, so I went over the Giants free agents for this off season here. I then went on to go over the list of Giants players eligible for arbitration in my last post. Then, I could not figure out what I would write about next until it occurred to me that the MLB arbitration rules are pretty complex. So, if you are like I was for most of my life as a baseball fan and just don't get it, I will try to break it down as easily as I can.

• Any player with between 3 and 6 years of major league experience is eligible unless they are already signed to a contract for the next season.
• The team must declare that they would like to re-sign the player for them to be arbitration eligible or the player becomes free to sign with other teams.
• So, if you are still confused, it can be broken down this simply. Any player with between 3 and 6 years of experience in the majors is eligible for arbitration if their current team decides to offer them a contract.

How does arbitration work? This is easy to explain.

• A team decides they want to keep a player who is arbitration eligible so they offer them a contract
• If the team and player can't agree on a salary then both sides sit down with an arbitrator and work it out.
• The team presents what they feel the player is worth and why. The player presents what they feel they are worth and why. The arbitrator then typically settles on something in between.
• Both sides are bound to whatever salary the arbitrator decides upon.

That is it, really confusing but I think it can be understood.

Giants Arbitration List

Well, now that the parade is over, it is time to continue taking a look at the offseason schedule for the San Francisco Giants. I have already gone over the upcoming free agents here. Now, I will cover the players that are arbitration eligible.

• Hunter Pence-One reason the Giants were excited to get Pence is because of the fact that he is under their control for more than one season. Look for Pence to bump up to about the 12-13 million range.
• Brian Wilson-Coming off of Tommy John surgery, the beard is arbitration eligible. I expect them to sign him to a one year deal without the use of arbitration.
• Buster Posey- After Posey's MVP year, it would be a good time to lock him up through the remainder of his arbitration years and perhaps a year or two beyond that.
• Santiago Casilla- A key man out of the bullpen, I expect the Giants to bring Casilla back for another year or two.
• Sergio Romo- Romo could be in line for a huge increase in salary, the Giants may try to ink him to three or four year deal.
• Jose Mijares- another brilliant Sabean move, look for Mijares to be back.
• Clay Hensley- I don't expect to see the Giants bring Hensley back. The pen is deep and the emergence of Kontos was bad news for Hensley. 
• Gregor Blanco- Blanco will certainly be back, I would not be surprised to see the two sides agree to something without the arbitrator being involved.
• Joaquin Arias- Another key member of the bench, Arias will be back next year it is just a matter of agreeing on the price tag.
• Emmanuel Burriss- I think Burriss' future depends on whether or not they bring back both Theriot and Scoot (who is almost a lock to return).
• Eli Whiteside- I like Whiteside a lot because you can see the effort he puts in but the emergence of Blanco is not good for him. I look for the Giants to let him go.

So, to summarize, I expect all of these players back except Hensley, Whiteside and Burriss.
Do you disagree with the players I would keep around off this list?

Hamilton to the Giants?

I will have more on the upcoming free agency period in the coming days but I found this interesting and it makes sense to me. Below are the odds for where Josh Hamilton will end up signing.

Who will sign Josh Hamilton next?                    Amazon World Series Gear
        

San Francisco Giants 3-1
Atlanta Braves 5-1
Texas Rangers 5-1
Philadelphia Phillies 7-1
New York Yankees 9-1
Chicago Cubs 9-1
Boston Red Sox 9-1
Pittsburgh Pirates 10-1
Toronto Blue Jays 10-1
Los Angeles Dodgers 15-1

Amazon World Series Gear