The San Francisco Giants Open the 2018 Season!

Johnny Cueto, R

Johnny, we hardly knew ye last year-- let's fix that

Ty Blach, L

Gets Opening Day start at Chavez Ravine 

Derek Holland, L

Circumstances give veteran last-minute chance

Chris Stratton, R

All of a sudden, a lot is riding on his success

Tony Watson, L

Might be the "sleeper" key to this bullpen

Hunter Strickland, R 

Numbers are there, but how's his confidence?

Josh Osich, L

Can't ignore great ST numbers after tepid early career 

Cory Gearrin, R

Another "jabroni" who looked great in Arizona

Sam Dyson, R

Last year's closer may be first man out the door 

Pierce Johnson, R

Struck out 9 in seven ST innings, so why not? 

Roberto Gomez, R

Makes team because 4 pitchers are on the DL
Reyes Moronta, R
"MiniCueto" has great stuff but must control it

Madison Bumgarner, L (DL)

Was looking every bit the ace 'til that wicked line drive

Jeff Samardzija, R (DL)

Let's hope three to four weeks is all he'll miss

Mark Melancon, R (DL)

Will the ten-day DL be enough for his recovery?
Will Smith, L (DL)
Hasn't pitched in a game in over a year 

Buster Posey, c

Giants' all-time greatest catcher wants a 4th ring  

Andrew McCutchen, rf

2013 league MVP may be the key to this season's success

Evan Longoria, 3b

Tampa's marquee player subject of SF's biggest trade in years

Brandon Crawford, ss

No one on this team has more to prove in 2018

Joe Panik, 2b

If early returns any indication, he's going to have a good year

Brandon Belt, 1b 

Keep him healthy, bat him second, and he'll be fine

Austin Jackson, cf

Opens season as starter, should eventually platoon

Hunter Pence, lf  

Expect he can do well if limited to 100 starts or so

Gregor Blanco, of

Giants welcome him back and hope he's got something left

Kelby Tomlinson, if

"Clark Kent" is team's "Swiss Army Knife" across infield

Pablo Sandoval, if

Former team MVP can play first, third, and, we hope, still hit

Nick Hundley, c

One of Giants' quiet pickups that has paid off handsomely

Gorkys Hernandez, of

Why was he kept instead of rookie Steven Duggar?

The Giants know they were caught with their pants down last year, and they were definitely embarrassed by that 98-loss debacle. They went in to 2017 thinking that if only they'd had a closer, they'd have beaten the Cubs in the NLDS and might be defending world champions for a fourth time. Signing Mark Melancon gave them the arrogance, or ignorance, take your pick, to think they could start the season with a committee of has-beens and never-wases in left field, and that they were immune to the aging process in center and right. The opening-day loss was the season in microcosm, as the team looked fine at the start and quickly got worse and worse until the bitter end. We need not recount all the individual failures and disappointments. Drastic action was taken as soon as the World Series ended.  

Those who've been calling for a complete rebuild in the wake of 2017 have, of course, been disappointed. The Giants' message regarding this edition of the team-- the one that began in 2007 and reached full glory early in this decade-- has never changed. Brian Sabean and the front office believe the core of this team is enough to contend for a fourth title before the decade is out, and that core-- Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner, and Brandon Crawford, at a minimum-- is untouchable for at least two more seasons.

Adding Evan Longoria, Andrew McCutchen, and to a lesser extent, Austin Jackson, signals the team's determination to address last year's main weakness, which was the offense in general  and specifically the outfield. Longoria, a legitimate star player, was considered worth the potential seen in Christian Arroyo, and over the long term Tampa may indeed win that trade, WAR for WAR. But if Longoria helps the Giants win now, the trade will have been worth it from our perspective. McCutchen, a truly great player, was the best available to fit the Giants' specific need, and cost less in trade than did Longoria. Jackson was a good value for a team determined to keep its payroll under the luxury-tax threshold.

We hate talking about money, but money is a key to the Giants' immediate plans. By avoiding the luxury-tax penalty this year, the Giants' payroll threshold is reset to a newer, higher level, which will enable them to go after 2019 free agents with a great deal more aggressiveness than they showed his year-- and the 2019 free-agent market is expected to be rife with outstanding players and pitchers. 

Seeing Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija on the DL to start the season forcibly and unpleasantly reminds us how thin the starting rotation remains. Overall the team's pitching was right about league-average last year, which is not good for the Giants, but it was not the disaster that the offense was. They jettisoned their worst pitcher, then spent the rest of their time addressing their biggest weakness with an eye on the budget, knowing that a year from now, they will not be so constrained, and will have a much better market from which to choose.

So the plan is, and has been, to put together a 2018 team that will rebound sharply from last year, but will likely remain a piece or two short of real contention. Before "Bum" and "Shark" went on the DL this past week, we had mentally pencilled in a 81-win expectation for the 2018 Giants-- a significant recovery, sure, but not enough to threaten the Dodgers. With a few breaks, maybe an outside chance to contend for the second wild-card, though little hope for post-season advancement if things went really well.  Even with the sudden injuries, that's not an outlandish expectation. The Giants will improve, and they will look better on the field and at the plate.

And that improvement will be enough to grease the wheels for 2019. It would signal to the baseball world that the Giants are back, that they know what they're doing, and that San Francisco is, once again, a place to go if you want to win. With that attitude and some major moves in the offseason market, the Giants would expect to contend for the world championship in 2019.  After that, succeed or fail, perhaps the rebuild begins. Keep in mind the Giants also made sweeping changes to their minor-league system this past winter, including hiring David Bell, once a Giant, to oversee player development as he has done with the Cardinals' excellent organization for several years.

We've never met anyone in the Giants front office and we have nothing resembling insider knowledge, especially as we sit 2500 miles from AT&T Park typing this. But we absolutely believe the Giants' plan is, and has been, to make 2018 a consolidation-of-gains year, and 2019 the year they go after the big prize one more time in earnest. After that, who knows?

Roster Notes

Gorkys Hernandez and Gregor Blanco? Well, as they say on social media, "SMH."   We tell ourselves, "This, too, shall pass," and the only reason we're not fuming is because we think the team realizes it too. 

All three starting outfielders are over thirty. Jackson and Pence are not equipped to play a full season above replacement level. At his age and with his injury history, Pence should be limited to about 100 starts, and Jackson has always done better in a platoon role. We believe this will become obvious by the end of May, and as a result, there will be plenty of opportunities to start in the outfield. Neither Blanco nor Hernandez should be considered capable of taking a regular starting role at this point in their careers. Therefore,  we should see Duggar soon, as well as opportunities for Austin Slater, too, and perhaps-- perhaps-- Mac Williamson.  

Duggar, we hope, will be in the lineup just about every day by July or August.  Remember, Matt Williams started 1989 at AAA while Earnest Riles opened the season at 3B. That wasn't meant to last, and neither is this.

We're glad to see Tomlinson on the roster, and Sandoval earned his spot. The Giants kept the most versatile guys, who cover the entire infield between them, and both have Giants pedigree. 

Of course 12 pitchers is too many, but it looks as though they kept the right ones, at least based on spring numbers. And when Shark, Bum, and Will Smith return to action, let's hope performance alone-- not status, seniority, or sentiment-- dictates who gets the proverbial axe. This bullpen has potential, but just about everyone in it is replaceable.