Giants general manager Bobby Evans joined Gary and Larry on KNBR Wednesday to discuss the looming trade deadline and the team’s plans for the future. Discussion began with a chat about Pablo Sandoval – it’s since been reported that he will sign with the Giants on a minor league deal – and moved all the way to some prospects Evans has his eye on for the future. Here is the full transcript of the interview:
G/L: Any chance that Sandoval some way, somehow, could work his way back into this organization?
BE: “It’s possible, we will just have to see what the Red Sox ultimately do and see how it plays out. It’s probably just premature.”
G/L: A guy like that who washes out on $92 million, he would have to start in the minor leagues and prove himself there. I would imagine he doesn’t come right up to the big club?
BE: “I think that’s fair. It’s not something we’ve spent a lot of time on. Of course with the trade deadline there are a lot of other focuses. I can imagine if he was available in that context that something like that would be possible.”
G/L: “Obviously the results have changed dramatically from what he was here to what he was in the American League with the Red Sox. Is there anything that you see in his game that’s gone and not coming back or do you think he’s just in a down spot, has he lost his skills?
BE: “I can’t say that I’ve spent a lot of time talking through his situation but I have heard things and read things. He’s not switch hitting a lot anymore, he’s going all left handed but I heard the same things you heard going into spring training. I think the Red Sox thought he was going to be their third baseman, that was one of the reasons they traded [Travis] Shaw to the Brewers. E’ll find out if he becomes available in that context but right now I don’t have a lot of information.”
G/L: “Have you had a lot of teams inquire about players on your squad where they initiate the conversation for one of your players?
BE: “We’ve had a fair number of calls but that’s pretty customary at this point in the process. We’ve got a pretty good idea of what clubs we will be dealing with in terms of the context of our guys. Which we feel like have a possible fit and which don’t. The calls are getting more and more frequent and that happens as we get down to the wire.
G/L: “It seems like it’s a market where there is a lot more teams sell players to contenders than there are contenders on the other end willing to buy. So it sounds like it will be difficult to get a deal consummated, do you think that’s an apt description of the market?”
BE: “I think it’s a buyer’s market, with the National League I think there’s a couple teams who are starting to get their hopes up possibly for a wild card. Even those clubs are not clubs who are necessarily going to be huge buyers because they are fringy in terms of their playoff opportunity and I think that creates some limitations. Buyers are much fewer this year, it’s a good opportunity for them.”
G/L: “Is it an overstatement to say you’ll be looking at a new Giants team next year?”
BE: “I don’t expect there is going to be a new Giants team. We will have made improvements in hopefully multiple areas. We believe in our core and I don’t expect to turn over our core of our ballclub. We will make adjustments and you never know what opportunities transpire in the offseason and even at the deadline here. You’ll be looking at a club that hopefully will be positioned to get us back into the running of the postseason and that depends on how we finish. A lot of what I can anticipate in 2018 will be dictated by how these guys do in the second half.”
G/L: “The guys who you expected to do well and didn’t, you’re not going to be able to give up on them, they just have to come through next year or else, God forbid, you go through another season like this.
BE: “Our core of guys maybe haven’t played to the level we expect, and we are going to do everything we can to get them back to where they should be and also put a supporting cast around them that will give us a stronger chance to win.”
G/L: We know you can’t name names but position-wise what are you looking for specifically and how likely do you think it is that you get something done?”
BE: “I think with this deadline there will be opportunities that we will have to make decisions about whether the value coming back justifies the move. I wouldn’t expect at this deadline that we are necessarily going to see deals that satisfy areas that we need to address immediately with our club. A lot of these deals invariably end up being players who go into your system and are a part of your pipeline. Clearly one of the areas we’ve struggled the most, and there’s a number of areas in which we’ve struggled, our outfield defense has got to get better.”
G/L: “Can you list the quote ‘untouchables’?”
BE: “Garry and Larry, you guys are the only untouchables I have right now, but I’m open to increasing the size of that list. But we are keeping our minds open. I don’t think it’s fair to single out anybody on this roster. They all know they have a place on this roster for a reason, we value [our players] all highly and none of them are going to walk out the door easy.”
G/L: Obviously you guys are having a really ugly year and in LA your number one competition is having a historic year with all this burgeoning young talent. Have you had that internal debate on what’s the best thing, to tinker with what you have or maybe try to sell off some pieces, take a few steps back and get some high end younger prospects and think maybe not five years down the road but maybe two?”
BE: “We need to address our shortcomings for sure and whether that’s taking a step back or two steps back is all a matter of reacting to the market and the opportunities that we have to improve the roster. We’ve never discussed tearing this thing down. We look at ourselves as a year removed from what we did last year. We improved the club from last year, in small ways, or you could even say significant ways with Melancon, yet that hasn’t been our core issue. The question is whether we can readdress issues this offseason to get us back to where we need to be. To tear it down is just a hard thing to consider since these guys are in their prime.”
G/L: Let me give you a fan reaction here. You guys are 30 games back of the Dodgers. How the hell with just a little tinker are you guys going to catch up?
BE: “It ultimately comes down to performance. Our players have to perform at a level that we anticipate them to perform at. And ultimately if they don’t, it’s going to take a lot more than a tinker. So I think ultimately we recognize our struggles, but we also believe in our guys. Despite the fact that they’ve struggled, I don’t think it’s the first time guys have struggled and come back and had better years the next year. For us, you’re talking about Crawford, Posey, the time Bumgarner missed, we do have very glaring weaknesses we have to address. But just in terms of our core, those guys, despite whatever struggles they’ve had, I believe there is a lot more in the tank.”
G/L: Bobby, how about budget-wise. If you’re looking at this thing from afar, you ask ‘what do they really have to deal?’ I don’t want to say the farm system is totally bare but it’s not bursting at the seams with tradable commodities from afar at least, you can correct me if I’m wrong. But it seems like the one area where you guys do have an advantage on these other teams is that you do have 3 million people coming through your yard every year. You do have a pretty good reservoir of money. Has there been any discussion of upping your budget so that you have greater flexibility, and you can use some of that resource to get the better hand or edge in some of these trades.
BE: “We have discussed the fact that ownership is not looking to shed money, so ultimately whatever deal is made will be the best baseball deal we can make. We have flexibility that ownership has given us, and we have not succeeded in using it to put us in a more competitive place. We’ve got to find ways to get better and stronger, and our system needs to get better and stronger, but we also need to produce with the guys that we’ve built around.”
G/L: You’d rather have people complain than be apathetic, but I am curious – are you aware of the fans’ cry right now?
BE: “Their cry is not all that different from ours. We share in their frustration and disappointment. We’re trying to figure it out along with each other and being mindful of our options and all the scenarios that are out there. Their cry is our cry, we know what we’re here to accomplish, and we recognize the struggles. It’s not lost on us. We can’t also pretend that it can get fixed overnight, but we’re going to do the best that we can to get it right.”
G/L: Are there any internal solutions to this thing? Are there guys in your system, I’ve heard people talk about Chris Shaw this summer. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Andrew Suarez, a young lefty. Obviously we’ve been hearing a lot of things about Tyler Beede this season. Are these guys on the verge of stepping through at the big league level and maybe creating a significant impact? What’s your projection on those three guys?
BE: “Those are three guys that are at the front of our minds in terms of being able to help us up here. They’re at the minor league level for a reason, in terms of things they can accomplish and be more prepared when they get there. But yeah, I think their timeline is very immediate, and whether that’s the end of this year, or some point in the middle of next year, I think it’s just a matter of time, and I think their progress has been good, but we still want to see more from them before they come.”
G/L: Just to sum this thing up, for the audience of passionate Giants fans. We’ve got a couple weeks until the deadline. Would you characterize it’s better than 50-50 that you guys get something done? And is there anything, as we’re speaking to you on a Wednesday morning that’s in your mind imminent?
BE: “Just based on interest, I see that there’s going to be opportunities for us to make deals if we feel that they are the right returns. But as far as reaching or how far it is (along), I couldn’t speculate. I think the mindset for us is that we’ve got to make sure we’re as strong as we can be for 2018, so anything that is not with us after this deadline, we have to make sure is going to give us the makings of next years club with what we have to work with.”
Listen to the full interview below.
