© Thomas Shea | 2019 Aug 22
The San Francisco Giants are a few months away from entering a very interesting offseason. After surprising just about everyone by briefly turning into playoff contenders following a dismal start to the 2019 campaign, VP of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi has shown skill in getting the most out of a roster that lacked both top-end talent and depth. He’s also done an excellent job revamping a middling farm system in less than a calendar year.
Come this winter, we will get to see what Zaidi’s true vision is for the Giants moving forward, and if he’s willing to break the bank to bring in top tier free agents, a la the Bryce Harper sweepstakes last offseason. One area where San Francisco could use reinforcements in the starting rotation, after using a plug-and-play philosophy this season with Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija as the only healthy veteran presences.
Bumgarner, 30, is of course set to hit free agency, and rumors are that he’s open to returning on a short-term deal. The biggest name on the market, however, will be Astros ace Gerrit Cole, who is coming off back-to-back All-Star appearances and will be 29 years old this winter. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on Wednesday that the Giants could be one of the team’s interested in signing Cole, who is the brother-in-law of San Francisco shortstop Brandon Crawford.
Teams that want Cole understand that he’s getting more than $200 million this offseason. How much more is the question. The record deal for a starter is David Price’s $217 million. The record per year for a pitcher is Zack Greinke’s $34.4 million (or, for the pedants who factor in the price of deferred money in Greinke’s deal, Justin Verlander’s $33 million). Cole seeking Price’s seven years at Greinke’s average annual value is not out of the realm of possibility, not with the Astros, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Angels, Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves all positioned and motivated to explore adding Cole.
Will the Giants be willing to break the bank for Cole with already $39 million tied up in Johnny Cueto and Samardzija for next season? If they do, would they also then be willing to re-sign Bumgarner to a lucrative deal? Zaidi’s track record would indicate he’s not the most gung-ho when it comes to throwing large sums of money at free agents. But if he believes Cole is a generational talent, like Harper last offseason, the Giants could see their rotation as one of the most expensive in baseball come 2020.