Henry Schulman

[Rog]

Giants beat writer Henry Schulman appeared on the MLB Network last week.  He feels strongly that the Giants will land a top closer and that they might come up with an outfielder as well.

Others felt Ian Desmond would make a great offensive and defensive fit -- in ADDITION TO the closer.  That might be a bit too optimistic.  Look for someone to fall into a bit of a bargain situation.

[sfgdood]

You're full of crap. Why should the Giants settle for one of the other? They have the money to get both.

[rxmeister]

Randy, lighten up with the unprovoked attacks on Rog and let's talk baseball in a friendly manner. Anyway, back to the topic, there's rumors the Giants are close to signing Mark Melancon, perhaps they're waiting for the new CBA to announce it. I'm hoping we can add a quality LF too, but it won't be Yoenis Cespedes, who went back to the Mets today.

[Rog]

If a qualifying offer is refused, does that prohibit a player from re-signing with his former team? If not, maybe a dropping of compensation in the new CBA would lead to some players returning to their present teams for one season so that they can build a strong long-term deal next year when they could likely earn a higher price with no compensation being attached. That would be a gamble on the part of the player, but a confident one might choose to go that way.

Since the Giants don't have any players to whom they made a qualifying offer, this would seem to hurt rather than help them. And it might augur against as many players slipping through the cracks and thus becoming available on inexpensive and/or short-term contracts.

[Rog]

Another question: If a player to whom a qualified offer has been made doesn't sign with any team by a certain date, does the compensation factor go away? I guess maybe not, and that's part of the risk a player takes when he turns down a qualifying offer. Anyone know for sure?

[klaiggeb]

Not sure why you're so high on Desmond, Rog.

His power is a plus, for sure but...

.269, .253, .292, .280, .255, .233, .285...

An on again, off again career... that's not too encouraging.

What I see is inconsistency, and most likely, a guy swinging from the heels all too often.

I mean, I'd take him as my LF, surely... but there MUST be better options.

boly

[Rog]

I'm not necessarily sold on Desmond. I often merely mention what I have read. I'm not necessarily down on him, either.

One thing you should like, Boly, is that I have read that Desmond is a fabulous clubhouse guy. As you may have seen here previously, the writer said that he didn't necessarily believe in a high level of importance to clubhouse presence, but he said that if anyone deserved such credit, it was Desmond.

What I do like about Desmond is that he is something of a five-tool player. Not a great five-tool player, but a pretty decent one. Add in the clubhouse presence, and one could even say he's a six-tooler. In addition, he's very versatile. Finally, being a right-handed hitter, his power might not be as affected at AT&T as a lefty hitter.

Negatives would include his .233 average in 2015, as you mentioned. In addition, while he killed it at .322/.375/.524/.899 in the first half of 2016, he was limited to a poor .237/.283/.347/.830 in the second half. Finally, he doesn't walk nearly enough, which means if he isn't hitting, he's also not getting on base much at all. That .283 OBP in the second half is particularly damning. Oh, and he will require the loss of a draft choice as well.

Here's the thing. Except perhaps for the very top free agents, these guys have warts. And while they may be worth their keep early in their contracts, if the contract has a long term, they aren't likely to be worth the bucks in the later years. Desmond is somewhat attractive in that regard because he recently turned 31 and won't be 35 until the very final days of a four-year contract.

Lots of positives, and lots of negatives. If one gives a lot of credence to the value of clubhouse presence, perhaps he would be worth the 4/$66 or 5/$75 or so he is likely to cost. But assuming they sign one of the big closers, the Giants probably can't stay within budget if they also sign Desmond.

I expect the Giants to look for an outfielder who slips between the cracks, much as Dexter Fowler did a year ago. Or possibly even to wait until next year's trade deadline. I think they'll do something in the outfield though, even if it is simply to get a platoon partner for Span. Span's performance against southpaws over the past four seasons has been unacceptable.

[Rog]

As for better options, they're aren't a lot. Even J.D. Martinez is considered a horrible fielder.