SAN FRANCISCO – During the Giants’ brief playoff run, someone asked CEO Larry Baer where he planned to put a Madison Bumgarner statue.
“We have a rule that you have to be retired for that to happen,” Baer said with a laugh.
Bumgarner is nowhere near retirement age, and although he’s under club control for three more seasons, the Giants would like to assure an animated version of their ace is with them well beyond 2019. GM Bobby Evans confirmed he has had preliminary talks with Bumgarner and his agent about a major restructuring of the left-hander’s contract.
“When they’re interested in talking, we want to make sure we’re available,” Evans said. “But we don’t have a timeline. We want Madison to be here for a long time. At the right time, we’ll address this when his camp is ready to talk.”
Bumgarner, 27, should be a first-time free agent this winter, and considering his combination of age, accomplishments and a bare market for pitchers, he most assuredly would destroy the record salary for a pitcher both in terms of guaranteed money ($217 million to David Price) and average annual value ($34.417 million to Zack Greinke).
Instead, the Giants have him locked into an $11.5 million salary next year, and hold $12 million club options for the following two seasons. The contract he signed in 2012 has turned into baseball’s biggest bargain.
Baer described Bumgarner’s value to the Giants as “incalculable,” but was vague when asked how much of a priority a restructured contract would be.
“I think that remains to be seen,” Baer said. “It’ll be the product of conversations going forward. … He’s been a tremendous asset for us. He’s done historic things. But, look, obviously, we want to make Madison a Giant for a long, long time to come – well-beyond his current contract.”
Although Bumgarner has brushed off any questions about the fairness of his current contract, it’s clear that he is thinking ahead. He changed agents twice during this past season, moving from Excel Sports to Relativity to The Legacy Group, headed by Greg Genske.
In 2009, Genske negotiated the $161 million contract between the Yankees and CC Sabathia that set records at the time for a pitcher.
A historic extension for Bumgarner would represent a significant investment for the Giants. Ideally, they would wait one more year to make such a huge commitment.
That’s because right-hander Johnny Cueto can opt out of his six-year, $130 million contract after next season – something he is likely to do if he follows up his stellar Giants debut year with another solid campaign.
But if Cueto were to sustain a significant injury next year, he almost certainly would not opt out, leaving the Giants with $84 million of dead money and much less financial flexibility as a result.
Extending Bumgarner on top of that would mean assuming a ton of risk.
Evans said Cueto’s opt-out would not affect how the team makes moves this offseason, nor has he been in touch with the right-hander’s agent about tweaking the deal.
“We’re continuing to make sure that he loves the city and his teammates and other things to make sure that becomes a hard decision,” Evans said.
—
With the back end of the bullpen a top priority, Evans said the Giants plan for Eduardo Núñez to be their primary third baseman next season and look internally at Mac Williamson and Jarrett Parker – two players who “exude power potential” – to fill their vacancy in left field.
The Giants also have every intention to tender a contract to postseason hero Conor Gillaspie.
“I love Núñez on an everyday basis,” Evans said. “There’s some fire offensively and athletically, and he did a nice job defensively.”
Evans mentioned former Giants prospect Adam Duvall, who hit 33 home runs for the Cincinnati Reds this season, and said, “we project that both Williamson and Parker to have more power.”
“It’s important to value our internal options appropriately, and that gives some guidance on what we’ll pursue externally,” Evans said. “As I look toward 2017, I really appreciate the value that Williamson and Parker can bring in left.”
Both Angel Pagan and Gregor Blanco are free agents. Pagan will not be re-signed, and the emergence of Gorkys Hernandez might bring an end to Blanco’s tenure with the club.
—
Buster Posey set career highs in starts behind the plate (102) and innings caught (1,069 2/3), and Evans acknowledged the wear and tear likely contributed to his career-low .434 slugging percentage. Posey hit just 14 home runs – three after the All-Star break – while dealing with a sore back and hand injuries.
Here comes the annual question about moving Posey to another position … and here comes the answer.
“He’s 29 years old, and we still feel very confident that’s the best spot for him,” Evans said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw a little better numbers from him next year.”
—
Ty Blach’s contributions down the stretch made it clear to management that he is ready to open next season as the No.5 starter. But there’s that $20 million salary that Matt Cain will make in the final guaranteed year of his contract.
Evans said Cain could be converted to long relief, but will get a shot to win back a starting job this spring.
“Matt wants to be a starting pitcher, and he’ll come to spring training expecting every opportunity to start, and he deserves that,” Evans said. “We look at having six viable starters going into spring training and we’ll let that play out. But Matt Cain has obviously meant a lot to the organization. I really associate his name with every one of these championships in different ways.
“And as you look toward 2017, we’ll have to decipher that. But it’s good to have depth and options and that’s a strength of ours. Matt is such an important part of this franchise, we have to be mindful of how we put that rotation together.”
—
Evans said the Giants plan to tender a contract to right-hander George Kontos, who is eligible for his second year of arbitration. … The Giants expect another incremental increase in payroll, which was roughly $185 million this past season. They have more than $50 million coming off the books, but must commit $30 million in raises to arbitration players and others; they backloaded contracts to Cueto, Jeff Samardzija and Denard Span, who will earn higher salaries in 2017.
