In what's been a slow developing market for the league's top available free-agents this offseason in Major League Baseball which has had very little excitement compared to years passed, baseball fans have been kept waiting for the next big splash. And though the San Francisco Giants have yet to dip their toes into the waters of free-agency, they've been one of the more active teams this winter in acquiring new talent. Providing us with the most excitement out of anybody up to this point with the lone exception of the blockbuster deal that sent National League MVP and Home Run Champion Giancarlo Stanton from Miami to the Bronx, whom the Giants had also pursued, the G-Men have successfully landed a pair of players via trade that they hope can help them regain their winning ways in preparation for another dose of some even year magic.
Following the acquisition of All-Star third baseman Evan Longoria on December 20 which gave Giants fans an early gift to unwrap in time for Christmas, the front-office went out and added another big bat in the lineup in the form of outfielder Andrew McCutchen. Sending a pair of prospects to Pittsburgh in exchange for the 5-time All-Star, the Pirates who appear to be in full on rebuild mode after trading away their two most well known players, received right-handed pitcher Kyle Crick and outfielder Bryan Reynolds from San Francisco. The decision to deal McCutchen who's in the last year of his contract, comes just two days after the ball club agreed to move ace Gerrit Cole to the defending champion Houston Astros. Both players helped put Pittsburgh back on the baseball map and into the postseason, snapping a 21 year playoff drought. Unfortunately, the Pirates would fail to make it past the division round, but gave baseball fans in Pittsburgh a reminder of what postseason baseball tastes like in the Steel City by clinching playoff spots in three straight seasons from 2013-2015.
After being named to five NL All-Star teams in nine seasons with the Pirates and putting up MVP numbers from 2012-2014 including a 2013 campaign which saw him take home MVP honors, the one nicknamed "Cutch" took a step back in 2016 and experienced a dip in production before seeing a resurgence in 2017, especially towards the end of the season. From May 24 on, McCutchen registered a .400 OBP and slugged .540 to finish with a .363 OBP and .486 SLG, both improvements over the previous season. Hitting .279 on the year, McCutchen tallied 28 home runs and 88 RBI's, both of which would've led a Giants offense that has long lacked a power threat in the lineup. Happy to now have him on their team, Giants brass and fans alike are hoping McCutchen can add a spark similar to the one another Pirates outfielder and former MVP had supplied after being acquired by San Francisco in the past who goes by the name of Barry Bonds. Of course the sting of Bonds' departure from Pittsburgh was one the team and its fan base had to deal with for many years until McCutchen debuted in 2009 and eventually took the team on a ride they hadn't been on since Bonds wore No. 24 and was still in a Pirates uniform. Like Pittsburgh who looked upon McCutchen to be their saving grace, the Giants are hoping their newest acquisitions have plenty left in the tank as the club looks to bounce back from a last-place finish in the NL West and a dreadful 98-loss season which ranked as the franchise's third worst season since the club moved out west from the streets of Manhattan, New York.
As for Longoria who has two years remaining on his contract and is coming off his third career Gold Glove Award, the new Giants third baseman should fit in quite well in an infield that has stout defenders all across the board in fellow Gold Glovers Brandon Crawford, Joe Panik and Buster Posey. Spending the first 10 seasons of his big league career with the Tampa Bay Rays where he left as the franchise leader in home runs (261), RBI's (892) and runs scored (780), the 3-time All-Star left behind a similar legacy than the one his new teammate left in Pittsburgh. Like McCutchen, Longoria helped end a funk in Tampa Bay by leading the Rays to their first glimpse of postseason baseball with playoff berths in 2010, 2011 and 2013 as well as the team's one and only World Series appearance in 2008, a season in which Longo was named AL Rookie of the Year. With 2017 being a down year offensively for Longo who hit .261, drove in 86 runs and smacked 20 homers, he still managed to top every Giants hitter in both categories as San Francisco was the only team in the league who failed to produce a single player with 20 HR's. With that in mind, the Giants dealt outfielder Denard Span, their No. 1 prospect Christian Arroyo and two additional prospects to Tampa in exchange for the longest-tenured player in Rays history.
Sure Giants fans would've much rather have seen the brain trust of Brian Sabean and Bobby Evans make the move for the duo much earlier in their careers with both players now in their 30's, McCutchen 31-years old and Longoria 32, but the two bring with them a plethora of experience as well as some well decorated resumes and are tremendous upgrades at their respective positions over what Giants manager Bruce Bochy had to work with the season prior. And for an outfield that had hit 40-some home runs combined a season ago, they're adding a guy who hit 28 dingers on his own in 2017 as McCutchen leaves one pitcher-friendly ballpark for another. Ranking dead last in the league in home runs hit by team, the Giants who hit 128 homers, hit 23 fewer long balls than the next closest team (Pittsburgh). Those additions in the lineup as well as a full season from ace Madison Bumgarner who was lost for nearly three full months after sustaining injuries stemming from a dirt biking accident, figure to help the Giants make a rebound in 2018. And with the division-rival Dodgers, D-Backs and Rockies all making the postseason in 2017 and poised to duplicate the feat, San Francisco will need all the help they can get. And they may not be done making moves.
With Giants skipper Bruce Bochy expected to have McCutchen man right field and shift Hunter Pence from right to left, a center fielder could very well be next on the list as such free-agent names as Carlos Gonzales, Cameron Maybin, Jon Jay, Jarrod Dyson and Lorenzo Cain have all been rumored as well as a possible trade for Billy Hamilton of the Reds. However, the possibility of signing Cain who at one point seemed like a lock to land in San Francisco, now appears like a long shot given how close to the luxury tax threshold the Giants now are after acquiring McCutchen who will make just over $14 Million in 2018, with Pittsburgh dishing out $2.5 Million. So until the first pitch of the regular season is thrown, don't rule anything out just yet as the G-Men could very well be in the news again with yet another move being made.
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Playing in their first ever 1-game Wild Card match that MLB introduced just a season ago, the San Francisco Giants did just fine their first time around thanks to a masterful performance by their ace and a little bit of offense that hammered out eight runs. In Pittsburgh to take on the Pirates who also hosted and won last year's NL Wild Card game versus the Cincinnati Reds, Madison Bumgarner made himself at home like he's done so often this season, twirling a gem for the ages. Despite the raucous crowd that got under the skin and into the head of Cincy's Johnny Cueto last season on the same exact stage, the hostile environment couldn't faze Bumgarner, nor could the do-or-die circumstance that the Giants have now thrived in, winning seven consecutive elimination games. MadBum, an 18-game winner during the regular season who was named NL Pitcher of the Month on two separate occasions this year, was on another level on Wednesday night, pitching a complete-game shutout, allowing only 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 10 on just 109 pitches.
Pittsburgh's Edison Volquez who entered the Postseason on a tear of his own having pitched 19 consecutive scoreless innings, had matched Bumgarner through the first three innings, but the fourth inning would be a different story. After allowing singles to Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence, Brandon Belt drew a walk to load the bases for Brandon Crawford. Still seeking the first out of the inning, Volquez threw a 1-2 hanger that Crawford jumped on, sending it into the first row of the right field bleachers for a Grand Slam home run, silencing the record-setting crowd of 40,629 fans and becoming the first shortstop to hit a Postseason Grand Slam in MLB history. The 4-run dinger would be all the offense Bumgarner needed but his team supplied him with another four runs just for good measure as the Giants popped champagne for the second time in a week in route to their dominant 8-0 victory.
As if the Grand Slam copped with Bumgarner's brilliance didn't already knock the Pirates out of their misery, the Giants tacked on runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to put the game out of reach. Brandon Belt added an RBI knock in the sixth and followed it up with a 2-run single an inning later before Buster Posey added an RBI single of his own in the eighth. Both Belt and Posey finished the game with 2-hits as did Pablo Sandoval, meanwhile second baseman Joe Panik led the way with three hits, all singles. Despite heading into the game with a pitching heavy roster that didn't include the name of Michael Morse, Giants skipper Bruce Bochy's bullpen was given an extra night off thanks to the dominance of his starter which could pay dividends heading into the National League Division Series versus the Washington Nationals which is expected to be nothing short of a battle. Though the Nats have yet to announce who they'll throw out there on the pitching mound for Game 1, Bruce Bochy's ball club will turn to starter Jake Peavy who has pitched nicely as of late and has quietly been one of if not the best trade deadline acquisitions of the season.
While the Nats have had the Giants' number the last few seasons, especially while at home, the Postseason is a completely different animal and is one the Giants have been able to tame, meanwhile the Nats are still searching for their first bit of Postseason success since relocating from Montreal to the nation's capital.
A brief Month in Review for September - The Giants' trip to the NLDS almost wasn't possible at all but a 13-12 record in the month of September allowed the G-Men to sneak into Postseason as the last NL club to clinch a playoff spot with an overall record of 88-74. After dropping two of three on the road vs Colorado, the Giants bounced back by taking 2 of 3 in Detroit. They then returned home to sweep the D-Backs before losing 2 of 3 to the Dodgers in San Francisco. Then came a disappointing 3-6 road trip which saw the Giants take 2 of 3 in Arizona before being swept in San Diego and falling twice in a 3-game set vs L.A. The Giants were able to close out the regular season on a positive note, however, taking 3 of 4 from the Padres at AT&T Park where the Giants will now be guaranteed to play at least one more game in front of their home fans when they head there in Game 3. The only question is, will it be while holding a lead in the series, tied, or while trailing? #OrangeOctober
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With the month of June right around the corner, the Pittsburgh Pirates are rolling and stand at 34-20, good enough for the second best record in all of baseball, trailing only the St. Louis Cardinals (35-17) who lead the NL Central division by 2 games over the streaking Pirates. With a 16-4 record in their last 20 games including 3 out of 4 wins against the reigning American League champion Detroit Tigers, Clint Hurdle's Pittsburgh ball club is the hottest team in all of baseball and figures to make a habit out of their recent winning ways. But no matter how hot the Bucs may be out of the gates or even at the All-Star break, Pirate fans won't hold their breath until the final out of game no. 162 as they've grown all too familiar with disappointment in the past.
While most franchises and their fans would complain about missing the playoffs for two decades, the Pirates haven't even finished a season above .500 in that span. Not only have the Buccos endured one of the most crucial playoff droughts in all of sports, but they own the distinction of having the longest streak in North American sports history with 20 consecutive losing seasons. To put that into perspective, the Pirates haven't made the postseason since the George H.W. Bush administration back in 1992. Andrew McCutchen, who is the catalyst of the Pirates offense and is be the best player to don the black and yellow since Barry Bonds did so from the mid to late 80's to the early 90's, was six years old when Pittsburgh last made a trip to the postseason. A dry-spell he's now being counted on to help end. And after coming within just four games of the .500 mark in 2012 before finishing the year 79-83, a year in which the McCutchen-led Pirates were sixteen games above .500 as late into the season as August 8th before much of that same disappointment came crashing down on Pittsburgh, McCutchen and company look to ensure a collapse of that magnitude doesn't happen again.
Led by a surprisingly good pitching staff which boasts a 3.12 ERA, second in the bigs to only the division-rival Cardinals and is second in the NL in strikeouts behind Cincinnati, Pittsburgh's bullpen has stolen the show up to this point. Anchored by reliever Jason Grilli who has yet to blow a save this year, has converted on a perfect 22 of 22 save opportunities to lead the Majors. Ace A.J. Burnett who was acquired during the off-season and knows a thing or two about winning having won a World Series in 2009 while with the Yankees, leads the NL in punchouts, trailing only Texas' Yu Darvish for the Major League lead. But whether or not the Pirates' pitching staff can continue their early dominance on into All-Star break and more importantly beyond it, is worth keeping an eye on.
Though McCutchen will most likely be in the MVP race come seasons end like he was last year, the Bucs will only go as far as their pitching takes them. If the rotation and bullpen holds up, Pittsburgh just might see their losing ways come to an end. But if their pitching staff begins to fold down the stretch and the ball club is forced to lean on their offense, the Pirates' hopes of making it over .500 and into the postseason might sink along with their ship.
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Though the 2011 MLB season has given us plenty of stories to talk about midway through the year, none have been greater than those who have surprised us. And while San Francisco's Ryan Vogelsong who I recently blogged about has made an argument for himself, St. Louis' Lance Berkman takes the cake. Berkman who was recently announced to his sixth career All-Star Game last week, has been on an absolute tear since signing in the offseason with the Red Birds. Following the All-Star break, Berkman is among the National League leaders in runs (58), RBI's (66) and home runs (26) which he trails only Toronto's Jose Bautista's 31 long balls for tops in the Majors.Though Berkman has finished multiple seasons on the cusp of an MVP Award while a member of the Houston Astros whom he played with for over a decade (1999-2010), the one nicknamed the "Big Puma" has somewhat revitalized his career which many declared was reaching a climax following a sub-par stint with the Yankees last year as a designated-hitter. During his season donning the pinstripes in 2010, Berkman finished the season hitting a cool .255 with 1 home run and 9 RBI's to his credit. His lack of production resulted in the club declining to exercise his option for 2011, making him a free-agent. After compiling career-low numbers on offense, few teams were willing to take a gamble on the 35 year old Berkman and the one that did couldn't be any happier as his acquisition has certainly paid off.
Most significant of all, Berkman has stepped up during the most trying of times to keep the team afloat and in contention in the division when St. Louis' most valuable player in Albert Pujols began the season struggling before landing on the disabled list with an injured wrist. Like the saying goes, "one man's trash is another man's treasure" or in this case, one team's trash is another team's treasure as Berkman has blossomed back into the MVP caliber player we've all grown accustomed to seeing.
Let's stay in the division, shall we? And while we're on the subject of surprises, it would be a complete mockery if I failed to mention the Pittsburgh Pirates who entered last week's All-Star break above the .500 mark for the first time since 1992. Though the Cleveland Indians deserve a ton of respect as well having led the AL Central for almost the entire season now while being labeled as underdogs, even they don't match up to the Pittsburgh Pirates who have been the laughing stock of the baseball world since the Barry Bonds era in the early 90's. Having endured losing season after losing season for the past two decades now, the Bucco's have finally produced what appears to be a winning team that looks to put an end to their current 18 consecutive losing season streak which is also the longest such streak in North American professional sports.Led on offense by young stud Andrew McCutchen who alongside Kevin Correia and Joel Hanrahan were sent to Arizona for the 2011 All-Star Game, the Pirates currently stand six games above .500 at 51-45 and are a 0.5 game out of first place behind the division leading Milwaukee Brewers. While the division is still up for grabs with plenty of ball to be played, besting either the Brewers, Cardinals or Reds for first place is not only unlikely, but it's also unneeded for the Pirates to call this season a success given both the organization and its fans are starving of a winning season.
Pittsburgh's stellar season thus far has caught the attention of all baseball fans to the point that even non-Pirate fans such as myself are rooting for the black and yellow to finally overcome their struggles of 18 years now. For years, the only thing baseball fans in the Steel City had to look forward to was the pirogi race, now they have an actual team they can head to the ballpark to watch. Not to say they're the up and coming NL version of the Tampa Bay Rays as they're a few blue-chip prospects away from that territory, but it's certainly a breath of fresh air to see fans filing into the seats of what I think is one of baseball's gems as far as today's stadiums go in P&C Park.
Not to mention it's also a bit of relief blogging about something new considering in all of my 2+ years of blogging, I have not once mentioned the Pirates ball club. With that being said, Welcome to the blogosphere, Pittsburgh!
