by
Greek Giant

Don’t kid yourself. This is what a hardcore Analytics-based Major League re-build looks like:

 

Let’s recap:

  • Dump last year’s leader in homers, RBIs and Charisma (Pillar)
  • Dump the greatest pitcher in postseason history and team icon (MadBum)
  • Hire a failed Manager and former friend “Yes Man” (Kapler) to oversee losing seasons
  • Install two unproven Minor League washouts in as your corner outfielders on opening day (Joe & Reed)

Ok, so the list is all negatives. There have been positive signs too but my point is this: Ignore all the talk about “playing meaningful baseball deep into the season” and “We’re not rebuilding.” The Giants have entrusted Farhan Zaidi with the keys to the kingdom and boy is he making sure he is opening up all the rooms…

The Pillar decision non-tender tells us many things, beginning with the belief that Superman’s numbers are not what his salary deserves. It is now clear the Giants want to go with a total youth movement (Jaylin Davis, Steven Duggar…?) in center field. This decision reeks of an Oakland A’s moneyball philosophy and ignores so much of what Kevin Pillar brought to the team. Unless Zaidi has some tricks up his sleeve like trading for Mike Trout and signing Anthony Rendon, I don’t see how the Giants score any runs in 2020, on the way to 100 losses, or worse.

 


When I think about Bumgarner not being signed and Pillar walking, I wonder if the Giants consortium of owners is in unison. Does anyone in ownership want to win? Does anyone in ownership care about the coming seasons of 12,000 fans in the stands? Does anyone care about the optics of dumping an icon like Bumgarner?

What about the Kapler hiring? To me this move seems to indicate a tightening of the nepotism ethos and a strategy for a fall guy to “Manage” the Giants as they rebuild from the ground up, only to be replaced after the second or third 100-loss season…

Maybe I am wrong about all this but I can say one thing for sure: This is not Brian Sabean’s Giants team anymore and boy does it show!