The Carlos Correa era in San Francisco is over. Lasted about 10 minutes.

[usonian]

Apparently, the Giants found some medical issues that made them leery about a 13-year contract.
Press conferences and talk show interviews were cancelled Tuesday without explanation.
Mets jumped in immediately.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/35296396/carlos-correa-spurns-giants-mets-mlb-free-agency

It's a staggering outcome that continues to reshape the baseball landscape this offseason -- and would make the Mets the most expensive team in North American sports history.

Didn't the Mets already spend a whole bunch of money this offseason? And don't they already have a shortstop?!

Sure do. Last year, Mets owner Steve Cohen signed Francisco Lindor to a 10-year, $341 million deal after trading for the star shortstop in 2020. Correa is expected to move to third base in New York to play alongside his friend and Team Puerto Rico teammate Lindor.

Two shortstops? Why not three?
So much for "Money Ball".
It's how much can you spend.
Unless you're Billy Bean.
https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/oakland-athletics/payroll/
Athletics projected to pay $46 Million TOTAL in 2023, if I read it right.

[ificandream]

1. As a Giants fan, I'm hoping the Giants will look good after this is over. They sure don't now.

[303squadron]

2. Maybe

The Giants only look bad now because they didn't land a franchise player in the off season. Balking at signing a $350 million dollar contract over health concerns is actually smart. Let's see what the Mets find in their medical exam.

Correa is 28. The peak age of performance for baseball is 29, after that there is a decline. I thought the deal sucked from a GM point of view. Put $350 million in the minor league system and you'll do better. Besides, Correa's 5+ WAR is not going to improve the Giants position that much, and that WAR is likely to decline. 3 years from now when Correa's producing 2+ WAR the deal will look like an albatross.

Let the Mets have their next Bonilla and walk away smiling!

[usonian]

4. No doubt. But the issue is that the Giants gambled (and lost) on two super-stars

and some all-star talent got away (from lack of interest?) that they seriously needed.

Rodon left. Swanson, Bogaerts, Contreras, Bellinger, Turner, deGrom got away. (not saying that they fit)

And previously, Harper was courted and didn't sign.

The Giants' GM Pete Putila came from Houston and may have had qualms. (speculation)

[usonian]

3. There are no big free agents left this year. And the team has no "star".

Brian Murphy called into KNBR from home and ripped the Giants front office a new one.

Compared them to the Chris Cohan Warriors (ouch!)

Rookies don't seem ready. Gaping holes in the middle of the lineup and outfield still remain.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/12/21/kurtenbach-the-giants-failure-to-sign-carlos-correa-is-the-ultimate-embarrassment-from-a-disastrous-defining-offseason/
Kurtenbach: The Giants’ failure to sign Carlos Correa is the ultimate embarrassment from a disastrous, defining offseason

The world we live in now is one of complete, abject embarrassment for the Giants.

There was a good way for this offseason to go. There was a bad way, too. Then there was this way, which is the bad way covered in a metric ton of excrement.

Weird things happen in baseball all the time, but this saga is unique, and that’s what makes it so disastrous for the Giants.

They’re an organization that was looking to prove it was big-time this winter, only to be big-timed in an almost unimaginable way.

I didn't run into a subscriber paywall, but here's the archive in case you run into one.
https://archive.ph/RCXQf

[303squadron]

5. Having read the link I still insist

"There are only two tragedies in life; not getting what you want, and getting what you want."

Or

"What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise."

There was a Bill James study in an old abstract where he noted that 80+% of free agents decline in production with their new contract.

I prefer the Braves method: bring the kids up, find out who can play, then sign them to long contracts at age 20.

One final note: The game has changed so much in the last 20 years with more and more pitchers throwing 95+. In consequence, at bats given to 31 year olds and older is declining. The older you are, the harder it is to see and catch up to 99mph. Look at Markakis a few years ago - a pure hitter and a doubles machine. As soon as he couldn't catch up to 95+ he retired!

Long term contracts for players in their late 20's are a crap shoot. Put that $350 million into youth!

[usonian]

6. But of course! 👍

Farhan's reputation, and job coming to the Giants (from Oakland and the Dodgers) was to build the farm system.

The three world series titles were won mainly on home-grown talent. Posey, Cain, Lincecum Mad Bum (?) and others. The farm system had fallen into disrepair. Enter the magician.

He, as we say, failed.

In all his years here, the farm system has produced only Joey Bart, who, being a second overall pick, was as sure a bet as you can get. The others have not shown in 4 (?) years. I am pretty sure that this is his "contract" year, so he had to make a splash or look pretty incompetent. Failed to do that. Years and years of reclamation jobs (mostly coming back from surgery) and rotating players ( "We want versatile players" ) through positions only worked in the 107 win season, when several veterans simultaneously had career years.

I think that people were pretty fed up when they put a catcher in left field for reasons I forgot, deliberately.

So, if your farm system is really, really late to produce, and the bartender is flashing the lights, what do you do?

We shall see!!

My entire philosophy is that people mostly get things 180° wrong.

[303squadron]

7. Now the Mets are backpedaling

Imaging on Correa's lower leg injury from his minor league playing days caused the Giants to back out of the signing. Apparently the Mets have seen the same thing!

Giants dodgered a bullet!