According to reports, Angel Pagan will not give the Giants any kind of discount to retain his services. As he enters free agency at age 31, he is looking for the best available pay day. You can't fault him for this. He may never be in a better position in his career. He had a major impact on the Giants, in a career year. Given his age, it is time to cash in. Now it is time for the Giants to learn from history and move on.
After the 2010 title, I was apprehensive about re-signing Aubrey Huff but he was such an integral part of the title run that I accepted him back. He was over-payed, based off of his career numbers, but I hoped that his performance wouldn't drop off too dramatically. After his 26 homeruns in 2010, he had just 12 in 2011 and followed that up with most of 2012 lost to injury. In the end, the Giants thanked him for his services and paid off his 3 million dollar buy out. It was a mistake to re-sign him and the Giants need to remember that this time around.
Pagan reminds me a lot of Huff. He was a very good player before he became a Giant. When he got to San Francisco, everything clicked and he had a huge impact on a championship team. It was a perfect fit while it lasted. However, it is over now and you have to accept that. There are other options within the market and within the Giants roster. I have been preaching for the Giants to pursue Hamilton and I think they will. However, Michael Bourn would also be a good fit. Here are some lineups I think you could see if the Giants got either Hamilton or Bourn. By the way, they won't get both and they don't need to.
With Hamilton With Bourn
Marco Scutaro Michael Bourn
Brandon Belt Marco Scutaro
Josh Hamilton Pablo Sandoval
Buster Posey Buster Posey
Pablo Sandoval Hunter Pence
Hunter Pence Brandon Belt
Gregor Blanco Gregor Blanco
Brandon Crawford Brandon Crawford
I love the Hamilton lineup because it is so deep and I think Belt could blossom in front of Hamilton, Posey and the Panda. The Bourn lineup is the same as we had all postseason with Bourn replacing Pagan. Still not bad and I think Bourn would be a better leadoff hitter than Pagan was. With Bourn, instead of Hamilton, you would be left with money to try to extend Posey and bring back Lincecum. So, both sides have huge advantages. The Giants have the money, after the estimated 28 million in revenue they made this postseason, and I expect them to spend it on one of these two outfield stars.
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