10-20-2021, 02:34 PM
The elephant in the room is the CBA. Until we know what teams can and cannot do, it is very difficult to predict the makeup of next season’s roster.
Having said that, let’s assume there will be no significant changes to the rules governing high spending teams. Therefore….
Offer Belt a short term extension similar to that signed by Crawford. If he accepts, great. If not, give him a QO. If he accepts the QO, great. If not, SF receives a draft choice and uses the Belt savings to acquire a 1B.
Tear up Buster’s existing contract and offer him a two year extension for $45-$50 million.
Replace Casali with Bart OR trade Bart for starting pitching help and bring back Casali.
Put Estrada at 2B. He has a bright future as a regular infielder.
Wish Bryant well as he seeks employment elsewhere.
Dump Dickerson.
Sign Starling Marte and put him in CF. Yaz, Slater, Duggar, Wade can rotate around him in LF and RF.
Say goodbye to Solano with Flores, LaStella, and Longo still under contract.
That sets up the non-pitching roster.
Starting Pitching - re-sign Gausman, wish DeScla and Wood the best as they depart and buyout Cueto.
That means three starters must be added - search the refuse pile for hidden gems and make a free agent contract offer or two (I haven’t taken the time yet to see who will be available) and, as noted earlier, use Bart as trade bait. Note: I would only consider trading Bart if the return is a #2 starter. That sets up the rotation - Webb, #2, Gausman, FA acquisition, FA acquisition and/or hidden gem(s).
Relief Pitching - I like the guys they have, especially now that Doval is the closer. However, I anticipate more churn but have 100% confidence in Zaidi’s ability to find quality guys.
Add to all of this, the potential blossoming of the farm system. Over the next couple years, we will begin to see new names coming up to supplant the old guard…..
Having said that, let’s assume there will be no significant changes to the rules governing high spending teams. Therefore….
Offer Belt a short term extension similar to that signed by Crawford. If he accepts, great. If not, give him a QO. If he accepts the QO, great. If not, SF receives a draft choice and uses the Belt savings to acquire a 1B.
Tear up Buster’s existing contract and offer him a two year extension for $45-$50 million.
Replace Casali with Bart OR trade Bart for starting pitching help and bring back Casali.
Put Estrada at 2B. He has a bright future as a regular infielder.
Wish Bryant well as he seeks employment elsewhere.
Dump Dickerson.
Sign Starling Marte and put him in CF. Yaz, Slater, Duggar, Wade can rotate around him in LF and RF.
Say goodbye to Solano with Flores, LaStella, and Longo still under contract.
That sets up the non-pitching roster.
Starting Pitching - re-sign Gausman, wish DeScla and Wood the best as they depart and buyout Cueto.
That means three starters must be added - search the refuse pile for hidden gems and make a free agent contract offer or two (I haven’t taken the time yet to see who will be available) and, as noted earlier, use Bart as trade bait. Note: I would only consider trading Bart if the return is a #2 starter. That sets up the rotation - Webb, #2, Gausman, FA acquisition, FA acquisition and/or hidden gem(s).
Relief Pitching - I like the guys they have, especially now that Doval is the closer. However, I anticipate more churn but have 100% confidence in Zaidi’s ability to find quality guys.
Add to all of this, the potential blossoming of the farm system. Over the next couple years, we will begin to see new names coming up to supplant the old guard…..