The Unit is a Giant. It's a one-year contract for $8 million, plus as much as $5 million in incentives, according to reports. Until further notice, we'll call it $8 M on the handy-dandy 41-man roster salary tracker to the right. Given Johnson's general competitiveness and the added motivation of getting to 300 wins, he should be able to give the Giants their money's worth.
[Yes, you did see 41-man roster. Seems the Giants haven't dropped anyone yet as of noon Saturday. Might they lose a Bocock and gain a Johnson?]
The contract is well worth the risk, not just for Johnson's on-field potential, but also for the attendance boost and the trade flexibility. I didn't realize it, but the Giants failed to crack 3 million fans in 2008, the first time at Mays Field. Let's say Johnson makes 30 starts in 2009, half at home. That's 15 home games. Average attendance in '08 was 35,356, but without going back to look, I'll bet that number was below 35,000 when Kevin Correia or Pat Misch started. Short of predicting sellouts whenever the Unit pitches, let's at least assume he provides an uptick of a few thousand per start. That's perhaps 50,000 more fans through the turnstiles (and at the concession stands) when he pitches, and more on the days he rests if the Giants become competitive and even contend into the second half of the year. Laugh if you want: these guys, much smarter than I, think the Giants are now in the running for the division.
Don't forget the merch: it'll be easier to sell "Johnson 51" jerseys than "Correia 32" jerseys. (Side note: what uniform number do you think Noah Lowry will take? Or will he pull a Shawn Estes, who refused to give up 55 when Orel Hershiser briefly pitched for the Giants in the late 1990s?)
Better rotation (Barry Zito, Fifth Starter!), better attendance, better marketing, and last but not least, better position to make a big trade. If Lowry pitches well in spring training, the Giants will have six rotation candidates, with Kevin Pucetas waiting in the wings in Fresno. (Though I'm convinced all the Pucetas talk from the Giants as a possible contender for the rotation was to get him on as many radar screens as possible.) I don't see a big trade happening until spring training or into the first month or two of the year. Lowry has to prove himself healthy, Johnson's health is a question mark, and Pucetas probably has to show he can thrive in AAA before anyone gets serious about trading for him.
So let's drop "trade flexibility" down to fourth on the list of benefits. What's really more important at this moment is pitching depth. To preserve it, I wouldn't be surprised if the Giants try to sign Joe Crede to a cheap one-year deal. If healthy -- and that's about the biggest "if" this side of "If Rod Blagojevich can get me a job at the Chicago Tribune" -- Crede would at least help on offense, plus do wonders for the defense, as explained here. First he'll have to prove he can bend over and touch his toes 500 times in a row without grunting.
Weekend discussion: How will the Giants order their rotation to start the year? 1) Lincecum, 2) ???....
