When the Giants Come to Town, It's Bye-Bye Baby

11.12.2008
Setting the Market

Using the Yankees as a financial benchmark is probably cheating a bit, but here I go anyway. The Bronxians reportedly signed the useful but not earthshaking lefty middle reliever Damaso Marte to a three year, $12 M contract. Let’s assume the report is correct and play this out a bit more.

You could discount the benchmark because it’s the Yankees, as they’re usually willing to overpay, but you could also tilt the bias in the other direction because Marte was not yet on the open market. In two weeks, as the free-agent offers arrived, he might have found his value up a couple notches.

Maybe these factors cancel each other out, maybe not, but I think it’s safe to say that veteran set-up guys will be pitching their tents in the same ballpark — $3 M to $5 M a year, two or three years.

Which brings me back to the Derek Lowe question: Do you spend roughly $10 M on two relievers who will throw, at best, 150 innings combined, or do you spend that money on one starter who will throw 150–200 innings, hopefully more, and give you a better-than-average chance to win every fifth game?

Which, in turn, brings us to the CC question: If you’re going to spend $10M-plus on an above-average starter, why not up the ante and spend $20M-plus on the best pitcher in the game? That’s an easy one: because Sabathia will command a 5–, 6–, even 7–year contract. Do I really need to spell out why paying $140 M over 7 years for a 300–lb. pitcher — hell, for any pitcher — is a bad idea?

* At the end of yesterday’s celebratory post I mentioned the elephant in the room, Lincecum’s contract status. Baggs riffed on that in a blog post last night. 

* SMALL PRINT UPDATE: I’ve cleaned up the 40–man roster on the right and added 2009 salaries where available. Other than players under team control, the Giants are on the hook for $58.4 M, not including Barry Bonds’s deferred money, which is at least $5 M.



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10 Comments

| Leave a comment
obsessivegiantscompulsive | November 12, 2008 4:53 PM | Reply

No, we spend the money to make sure we win the games Lincecum and Cain (and other starters, sure :^) should win.

The 5th spot could take care of itself but if not, we can still sign somebody next off-season or, even better, maybe Bumgarner and/or Alderson are ready by 2010. 2009 is not about maximizing wins, it's about getting better incrementally and finding out more about the prospects we got, what they are capable of.

obsessivegiantscompulsive | November 12, 2008 9:29 PM | Reply

Say, have to account for Scott Eyre's $2M contract for one season into any calculations.

B | November 13, 2008 12:02 AM | Reply

I believe the Giants treat deferred players salaries as an expense in the year of the contract, so Bonds deferred money doesn't factor into their payroll decisions this year, or going into the future.

ELM replied to comment from B | November 13, 2008 11:56 AM | Reply

But it's still money they have to spend this calendar year, no? That's all I'm calculating.

Frank | November 13, 2008 1:19 AM | Reply

Has anone heard what progress Russ Oritz is making? Has he started rehab? Is he pitching in Winter ball?

Doug | November 13, 2008 1:24 AM | Reply

The reason I hope we focus on bullpen over adding additional starters is having a more reliable bullpen gives Bochy less reason to keep Cain and Lincecum in the game. Hopefully a better bullpen would allow us to cut down on pitches and innings for Lincecum and Cain so we don't burn them during years we're we aren't going to win anything.

Cyrus | November 13, 2008 3:08 AM | Reply

Lefty-- you forgot that everyone not making over 1M isn't free. Everyone else on the 25 man roster will be making 400K, which adds up. I have them at ~69M without Bonds' and Benitez's (what a waste) deferred salaries.

The idea of getting Sabathia intrigues me, but I agree that there's a greater chance it doesn't work out well. I would love to see them do something shorter term with Ben Sheets (3/45?) if the offers aren't out there for him.

ELM replied to comment from Cyrus | November 13, 2008 12:19 PM | Reply

I didn't forget -- I said other than the guys under team control. But thank you for doing the math, though I believe Jack Taschner is arb-eligible, which means he'll make more than $400K. Probably closer to $1 M.

As for Benitez's deferred signing bonus of $1.6M due this year, I wasn't sure if the Giants pay it or the Marlins, the last owners of his contract, pay it. Any ideas?

I've also added $1.05 M for Omar Vizquel. $750K is deferred signing bonus, $300K is his '09 buyout.

KM | November 14, 2008 12:28 PM | Reply

The Giants are coughing up every last remaining dime of the Armando contract. The Marlins had to pay only a pro-rated major league minimum (~$250K) when they had him in 2007. This 07 write-up from Baggs confirms "he will continue to be paid by the club through 2009, when the last of his deferred signing bonus will be distributed":
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_/ai_n19437885

50andstillfly replied to comment from KM | November 14, 2008 5:28 PM | Reply

KM, that's just wrong. Your facts are right, but having any part of our ticket, beer, and ballcap shell out going to Benitez is just, well, wrong.

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