It’s a simple question: if you could’ve made one move to radically alter the balance of power in the Giants’ lineup would you have done it if it meant giving up one of the organization’s few remaining good pitchers?
Today, we found out the full trade proposal the Giants made to Derek Jeter to get Giancarlo Stanton:
Sources: #SFGiants' actual offer in the offseason to the #Marlins in exchange for Giancarlo Stanton: LHP Andrew Suarez, 3B Jacob Gonzalez and OF Denard Span. https://t.co/4NPVcbyK3N
— Robert Murray (@RobertMurrayFRS) April 16, 2018
Jacob Gonzalez is, of course, the son of Luis Gonzalez, famous for being a Diamondback, but who was born in Florida and played his final season with the Marlins. Jacob was the Giants’ 2nd round pick last season and is only 19 years old. He popped up in Minor Lines just last week and his inclusion in this deal feels like it scratched both a baseball legend itch that Jeter would like and a raw potential aspect that his scouts would be able to stomach. After all, nothing the Giants could offer could even remotely equal what the Marlins would be giving up in Stanton, so the least the Giants could do is add someone interesting.
Now that we’ve gotten a glimpse of Andrew Suarez, would you say that he might qualify as someone “interesting”? As I said on this week’s McCovey Chroncast, Suarez’s debut last week was easily the best debut by a pitching prospect in the past 5 years, and when factored into the past 10 years, it was perhaps the 2nd-best debut behind Madison Bumgarner’s.
With Tyler Beede being sent down after a rough outing yesterday (and the Giants’ lack of need for a fifth starter for awhile), it makes sense to question whether the Giants made the right move in keeping Beede up while sending Suarez back. Should that have been reversed? A part of me wants to believe that the Giants know what they have in Suarez and want to take their time with him, but Beede is so tantalizingly talented but also so inconsistent that they just thought, “Ah, screw it. Let’s roll the dice and see what happens”. They might be willing to burn Beede if they don’t think he’s going to pan out. Perhaps the opposite is true of Suarez: too valuable to risk at this early stage.
There’s absolutely no reason for me to focus on one measly start by a rookie barely half a month into the season, but today is small sample size Monday, I suppose, and after the Giants’ extended track record of abject failure (the Giants are 100-149 since after the 2016 All-Star Break), I’m thinking, “Ah, screw it. Let’s roll the dice and see what happens, content-wise.” Would the Giants have regretted trading Andrew Suarez for Giancarlo Stanton?
After you stop laughing, let’s think about this: the Giants are... really thin... in the pitching department. When Bumgarner leaves after next season (or, based on the steady progression of his injuries, is eaten by a bear after losing a fist fight to said bear), it’ll be Cueto and Samardzija left to go with (maybe) Chris Stratton and Ty Blach. Even if/when they sign Derek Holland to a 3-year deal, a guy like Suarez — a promising pitching talent with upside! — could come in handy! Giancarlo Stanton wasn’t going to help the Giants beyond selling tickets, particularly if the cost of acquiring him gutted whatever meager talent they had beneath the major league roster.
Of course, the Stanton move was all about the short term, to keep the fan interest train running on the hot coal power of dingers and the 80-ish win projection they bring... but aren’t the Giants better off having more in the future of what they’re sorely lacking now? Above average starting pitchers in the minor leagues? Is this another situation where the Giants were saved from themselves by a weird baseball energy, or do you think Giancarlo Stanton is dumb for not joining the Giants?
Poll
What do you think about this proposed Stanton deal?
This poll is closed
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54%
The Giants made the right move by being so bad that Stanton never seriously considered them, thereby allowing them to keep Andrew Suarez
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45%
Giancarlo Stanton is dumb. He should’ve joined the crew aboard this sinking ship and grabbed a bucket.