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Wilson non-tendered, Pagan wants four years

And other assorted tidbits.

By Grant Brisbee
Ezra Shaw

After a morning on the phone, checking in with my sources, there are a couple of tidbits to report. And by "on the phone", I mean on the Internet, and by "checking in with my sources", I mean waking up hungover at 9:30 and checking the MLB Trade Rumors app on my phone. And in the Giants world, there are two notes:

1. Brian Wilson was officially non-tendered, and he's not happy with the Giants

Henry Schulman actually used the word "pouting." As expected, a lot of people are jumping on Wilson for this one, calling him a baby or a whiner. And that's not fair, of course. He doesn't have the benefit of a wide perspective. From where he sits, he won a World Series, put his face and facial hair on all manner of promotional items, blew his arm out trying to get back to the playoffs last year, and cheered his teammates on from the dugout throughout the postseason. He's been a good Giant. What's an extra couple million for services rendered?

It's easier for fans, who have decades of break-ups, non-tenders, and departing fan-favorites to steel them against the realities of baseball. This is the first time in his life that Brian Wilson was told he wasn't worth it. It certainly didn't happen in high school, and it didn't happen at LSU. After six years with the Giants, they just told him that he wasn't worth the money.

I know why the Giants did it, but damn straight he's pouting. I'd pout too.

2. The Phillies want Angel Pagan, and they're believed to have offered four years

That's the bad news. The good news is the Giants have also offered a similar contract. Unless that's also the bad news. Four years is right on the just-back-away-slowly line. Five years conjures up Aaron Rowand demons, and we shan't have that. Four years will be a mistake -- Pagan has something like a seven-percent chance of being a good starter in 2016 -- but if it's the only way to get him for the next couple seasons, someone will give it to him.

And this makes me realize I was all wrong about the glut of center fielders on the market. Yeah, it's a buyer's market, but only for other teams. The Giants desperately need an outfielder. They really need two. With every move around the league, they're getting closer and closer to Todd Linden and Calvin Murray starting on Opening Day. There is no buyer's market for the Giants. Every time an outfielder's agent gets on the phone with the Giants, it's a seller's market.

Which is scary, especially when you read things like Scott Boras expecting Michael Bourn to get more than $100 million.

Man, it would have cool if Gary Brown kept hitting after he was drafted.

3. You promised other assorted tidbits

I did? Let's see, uh, Nate Schierholtz is a free agent after the Phillies didn't tender him a contract. If the Giants didn't dick him around for four years, he might have considered coming back. And considering the state of the Giants' current outfield, that wouldn't have been the worst fallback plan.

That's all I got.

oh dammit so much

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