I really don't know what they're waiting for. Maybe Larry Baer is going to see if he and Sabean won the Mega Millions on Friday night before they make a real offer to Matt Cain.
I suppose an infusion of cash like that could certainly change negotiations between Cainer and the Giants, but let's not count on it.
What I don't understand is why this is taking so long. What is going on in their heads? If I had to pick a guy between Cain and Lincecum as to who would be the best the longest, I'd probably pick the country strong righty.
Don't get me wrong, Timmy will be great for many years to come, but if I had to pick a horse to invest in long-term, I wouldn't have to think twice about giving Matt Cain market value to stay in the orange and black.
Key term there is market value. The Giants have some notion in their heads that they don't HAVE to pay their star pitchers market value. They still believe in the Hometown Discount Fairy, in addition to the Easter bunny and that switching to Geico could save them 15% or more on car insurance.
None of those things exist. Just ask the St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, and every other professional team out there that's lost a beloved star because they thought they could convince them to stay for less.
In the NEW NL WEST (all caps, shit is changing), there are no more hometown discounts. Troy Tulowitzki didn't take one a couple years ago, and with the ungodly cash infusion that is being fed into the Doyers intravenously, you have to pay to play.
In addition to the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers and Phillies, I think you now have to include teams like Detroit, the Cubs, and possibly even the Marlins as teams that will not hesitate to throw over-market contracts as top free agents.
It's no longer just a New York/Boston/Anaheim/Incumbent City race for top tier free agents any longer, and every team out there just saw the value of their franchise go up a bit with the Dodgers sale.
Cain hasn't been very public with his demands, as is his M.O. He's a quiet, hard-working country boy who just loves to pitch. But even genuinely good guys like Cain start to get sick of playing second fiddle and being paid like one when they know damn well that they could easily play first fiddle at the upcoming hoedown.
I understand that Brian Sabean is wary of giving out another 6 or 7 year deal worth $120MM+ to a pitcher. I totally understand. But this is not Barry freaking Zito here. This is a horse-- a homegrown horse that has shown no signs of slowing down.
In addition, Zito's albatross is done after next season. Finally. Effing finally.
It's time for the Giants to pony up for their "other" ace, and also time to be confident in themselves that they'll also be able to sign Tim Lincecum in two years.
They haven't purchased a hitter as they should have, so there's no payroll problems to speak of in two years. Huff's $10MM will be gone, Rowand's will be gone, Freddy Sanchez's will be gone, Zito's will be gone.
There is no excuse not to sign Cain now, and if they fail to sign him in the next six days, I am certain that this will be the last season we get to enjoy his services.
Get it together front office, or you'll be sorry.
I couldn't have said it better. This is ridiculous. You can't tell the fans that you're not spending money on a batter, because you want to keep the pitching staff intact, and then turn around and don't pay the pitchers either. Think Prince Fielder would have made a difference in SF? You bet. Jose Reyes? Him too. But neither one was gambled on because they were holding money for Matt and Tim. They have a huge influx of cash from the World Series and yearly sellouts. It's time to start spending, or become the A's across the Bay.
ReplyDeleteWe'll see what happens over this week, but I agree that I'm damn tired of hearing the Giants cry poor while they roll in revenues from a World Series victory, an 81-game sellout streak and increased ticket prices.
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