After an elongated cold spell, the stove stayed hot for the Giants this week with the signing of outfielder Austin Jackson. The acquisition continued a pattern of aggressive moves from the Giants front office, that also included trading for multi-time All-Stars Andrew McCutchen and Evan Longoria, as a means to address massive holes in the lineup.
Following the acquisition of Jackson, it would seem that the Giants work is done, especially considering their payroll is just under the $197 million collective bargaining tax (CBT). But Giants general manager Bobby Evans wouldn’t necessarily say that was the case when he joined Murph & Mac on Wednesday morning.
“You never feel like your work is done,” Evans said. “Even when you get into Spring Training with the names that are still out there and clubs still talking about trade opportunities. So no, I wouldn’t want to define our work as done. I think we’ve done some heavy lifting, but there’s still work that could improve the club, even if it’s incremental.”
Interestingly, Evans said it has been the Giants’ goal for three years to stay under the CBT, but that they have failed to do so in every instance, instead prioritizing improving the roster over saving money. It appears the Giants will finally stay under it this season, but Evans made it clear that they don’t see the CBT as a hard cap.
“We’ve attempted to stay under for three years in a row, and each of the three years we did not stay under, and we are attempting to stay under again this year. Time will tell. I mean we’re not obsessed with it. It’s definitely an element of strategy for us, but it’s not a focal point of our offseason in every facet. There’s some advantages to us from a baseball side if we do stay under it, but it doesn’t become the obsession of our minds in the winter.”
Listen to the full interview below. To hear Evans on the offseason, start from the beginnning.
