Pablo Sandoval, Michael Morse, and Other Free Agent Questions for the World Champs

Oct 29, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman

celebrates with the Commissioners Trophy in the clubhouse after game seven of the 2014 World Series against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

All season Giants fans have been wondering if Pablo Sandoval would be brought back for 2015. After a slow start in 2014, some even debated whether or not the Giants should bring him back. Following another World Series run by San Francisco, the Giants payroll will likely increase substantially. With the lack of talent on the market covering third base, Pablo Sandoval will cost the Giants not just one, but many pretty pennies.

Is he worth it? Only if you like winning Championships. A career .294 hitter, Sandoval has an extra gear for October. It must be his bear-like nature of storing food for the winter that propels him. Sandoval was rumored to be asking for $100M before the season started. After we all laughed initially, it now seems like he’s going to be worth even more than that. Possibly even as high as $125M over five years.

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There are two more free agents that the Giants have that could become very intriguing to watch this winter. The first is Mike Morse. Many may be saying “YES!” but the Giants may be saying “MAYBE!” Morse had a decent postseason, hitting .282 and providing a huge home run in the clinching game of the LCS, while also delivering the game-winning rbi in the World Series.

It is those hits that could drive up his price tag however, and for a player that had a -1.9 dWAR (defensive wins above replacement), it would be hard for a National League team to overpay for his bat, given his injury history (102 games in 2012, 88 in 2013, and 131 in 2014).

That being said, the Giants do tend to reward their players after a World Series run, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility that Morse could be back in the orange and black for 2015. Would it be wise? Only time will tell on that one.

The second intriguing free agent for the Giants is Sergio Romo. Yes, he lost his job in the closer role in 2014, but that shouldn’t be the worrisome issue. What is worrisome is that Romo has seen his ERA grow each year since 2011. Granted, his ERA in 2011 was a spectacular 1.50, so the likelihood of an increase is high, but his ERA has increased to 3.72 in 2014. Again, that production may not be worth the money that Romo is likely to command on the market.

In the postseason, Romo went seven innings, giving up a single run. Postseason success drives up the asking price, but his regular season struggles may lower it enough to keep him in the city by the bay. He would be a nice insurance policy to have for Santiago Casilla in 2015.

If the Giants sign all three players, their payroll will jump dramatically, from roughly $148M to start 2014, to at least $190M to start 2015. Add in that Ryan Vogelsong and Jake Peavy are free agents, and there will be a lot of shopping to be done this offseason. Yes, the Giants just won the World Series, but there are still some holes that need to be filled to contend again next season.