San Francisco Giants: Adding Cliff Lee Makes Good Sense
By Gary Oversen
As we approach spring training and teams are starting to solidify their rosters, there are still a few questions that have yet to be answered. One important question mark surrounding the San Francisco Giants is the status of their starting rotation.
We all know that Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Jake Peavy and Tim Hudson are the first four starters for the Giants. But what about their fifth starter? The Giants could run out Ryan Vogelsong, Tim Lincecum or Yusmeiro Petit to fill that role. But why not Cliff Lee?
The Philadelphia Phillies are currently rebuilding. They are looking for any and all teams who are willing to take on their veterans — and their contracts — to help accelerate their turnaround. The massive spending spree the Phillies went on during their run a few years back has put them in a horrible place as far as depth in concerned. They tried to gain some of that depth back when the Giants sent Nate Schierholtz, Tommy Joseph and Seth Rosin to them in the Hunter Pence deal.
Given the way things worked out, the Phillies got the short end of the stick and the Giants got a deal. That sort of lopsided return might mean that they may not answer Brian Sabean’s call next time. But what if?
Lee is coming back from some elbow problems, so his value is not close to that of Cole Hamels. He is also older and has fewer years remaining on his contract. Hamels’ value is that he is considered a number one starter, something the Giants aren’t desperate for. But a strong number three or four would be a perfect compliment to what San Francisco already has.
Oct 22, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum (55) reacts after suffering an apparent injury against the Kansas City Royals in the 8th inning during game two of the 2014 World Series at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
A rotation of Bumgarner, Cain, Lee, Peavy, and Hudson sounds a lot scarier than having Vogelsong thrown into the mix. That is absolutely no knock on Vogelsong, but he could become an absolute beast in the bullpen.
A trade for Lee could also address a huge elephant in the room for the Giants as well as their fans. What about Timmy? Well, this one probably isn’t going to end gracefully either way. Whether Lincecum heads to the bullpen going into, or out of spring training, an $18MM bullpen arm that doesn’t throw the last pitch of the game is expensive. Perhaps too expensive.
A way to make the situation work is to send him in a deal to a team that would allow him to remain a starter, and maybe resurrect a career that has become somewhat stagnant.
As stated earlier, the Phillies are looking for depth as well as youth. They need some help behind the plate as Joseph is still working things out in the low minors. One solution would be to send them Hector Sanchez who will most likely not make the big club this year with Andrew Susac aboard. Also, Freddy Galvis is scheduled to play shortstop for the Phillies next year. He hit .176 last year and is a lifetime .218 hitter. It makes a lot of sense to send a guy like Joaquin Arias to Philadelphia. Arias is a lifetime .269 hitter who plays excellent defense. And as does Sanchez, Arias deserves to start for someone.
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The Giants would probably have to throw in a lower minor league piece or two to make it all work, but here are the important details. Lee makes $25MM this year and has a vesting option of $27.5MM for 2016 with a $12.5MM buyout. He needs to pitch over 200 innings this year for the option to vest. Lincecum ($18MM), Arias ($1.45MM), and Sanchez ($800,000) combine to make just over $20MM.
An extra $5MM to turn a long reliever, a backup infielder, and a minor league catcher into Cliff Lee sounds like a good buy. For the Phillies, they should roll the dice and hope Sabean isn’t pulling the wool over anyone’s eyes again.
In all seriousness, this trade seems to solidify the rotation without hurting the team’s depth too much. Matt Duffy should be able to handle the role that Arias occupies now. San Francisco will be fine with guys like Guillermo Quiroz and Jeff Arnold catching their staff.
Oct 22, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher
Tim Lincecum(55) reacts after suffering an apparent injury against the Kansas City Royals in the 8th inning during game two of the 2014 World Series at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Lincecum’s contract is done after the season and Philadelphia can choose to move on after that. Or they can offer him $2MM to work out of the pen. And in a different city, it wouldn’t seem as far-fetched to take it. But in San Francisco, it’s not likely to happen. Cliff Lee has another year after the 2015 season. So the Giants would still have Bumgarner, Cain, Lee and Peavy signed through next year. Which means less worry next offseason.
And finally, who would benefit the most from this trade? Ryan Vogelsong. The competitor in him makes him a great candidate to close games and it would be a great story if he followed in the footsteps of Dennis Eckersley.
Eckersley made the transition after twelve years while Vogelsong just completed his tenth. They both had similar numbers as starters and it doesn’t seem out of the question for it to happen.
Santiago Casilla has solidified the closer’s job to start the season, but if he runs into a rough patch, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see Vogelsong get his own entrance music — whether Lee is a Giant or not.