Tim Lincecum (AP)
PRICE OF PENCE: The Giants, failing as defending champions, are listening to offers for impending free agents Hunter Pence and Tim Lincecum (inset), but would not mind retaining both. (
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The Giants held on and held on to a pipe dream, and you can understand why.
They did not want to give up on this season. Because they are defending champions. Because they believed they still had the core of a title contender. Because they are in a weak division where one sustained strong run could catapult them. Because they have the third highest average attendance in the majors and did not want to send the wrong message to such loyal fans.
But reality is reality. The Giants have lost seven of eight to fall a season-high 12 games under .500. They have allowed 62 runs more than they have scored.
At the deadline in 2011, a year after they won their first title in San Francisco, the Giants decided to try to make history and honor a season-long sellout at AT&T Park by trading one of their best prospects for a veteran hitter in late July. That is how the Mets ended up with Zack Wheeler for Carlos Beltran.
There is no delusion this time and also no buying. Instead, the Giants — like the Angels, Phillies and Blue Jays — have accepted they have gone from big dreamers with high payrolls to July sellers.
The Giants will definitely move lefty reliever Javier Lopez, and the Indians have shown interest. And they are at least listening on righty Tim Lincecum and, particularly, right fielder Hunter Pence.
“We are not in ‘let’s make a deal’ mode just to make deals,” Giants assistant GM Bobby Evans said. “That is not who we are and how we are constructed.”
Lincecum and Pence are in their walk years. But the Giants are interested in retaining both, and their current intention is to offer them the roughly $13.8 million tender, which at worst would assure a draft pick between the first and second rounds if either signed elsewhere. And as Evans said, “You have to be realistic that if you trade a guy, you are not going to be able to re-sign him. That is what history shows.”
And the Giants are not rebuilding. They intend to try to win again in 2014. Thus, in Pence’s case in particular, they either retain him or have to find someone who could provide corner-outfield offense when they suspect they already will be looking for a left fielder and have center fielder Angel Pagan missing most of the season after hamstring surgery.
Nevertheless, San Francisco knows Miami is not putting Giancarlo Stanton into this market and the White Sox are demanding a premium for Alex Rios. And at a time when offense is in short supply, particularly righty power, the Giants have Pence, who has 14 homers and 51 RBIs. So they will listen and see if a proposal intrigues them.
As for Lincecum, despite a recent no-hitter and a surge in strikeouts, he is enduring a second straight disappointing season (5-11, 4.61). Since turning down a five-year, $100 million extension, Lincecum is 15-26 with a 4.95 ERA. Nevertheless, he remains beloved by the fan base, and the Giants will see if they can keep him, too, as at least a mid-rotation component, if not the two-time Cy Young winner of his past.
There had been talk of teams trying to obtain Lincecum to pitch in relief, where he excelled last postseason to help the Giants win it all. But that seems to have little traction, and Lincecum certainly is going to market himself in free agency as a starter only.
“We will listen,” Evans said. “And things change as the deadline gets closer. But I don’t see anyone overwhelming us to make deals happen.”
With tight SP market, calls to pen
The Royals have, for now, pulled Ervin Santana from the market. The White Sox are asking a premium for Jake Peavy, and the Phillies even more for Cliff Lee. An official from a team interested in Peavy said the righty likes Chicago, but has told White Sox officials he wants to move to a contender. Meanwhile, a top AL executive said Philadelphia “is definitely open to trading (Lee).”
Still, it might not be until tomorrow’s deadline that we see if someone blinks for the best of the starting pitching market. As a counter, three teams that would be in the playoffs if the season ended today acquired relievers yesterday.
The Tigers obtained Jose Veras from the Astros. Veras had been closing for Houston (19 saves, 2.93 ERA), but Detroit GM Dave Dombrowski told me the plan is to have the righty share the seventh and eighth innings with lefty Drew Smyly.
Detroit had hoped young flame-thrower Bruce Rondon would emerge as its closer, but he hasn’t. Phil Coke and Jose Valverde failed in their auditions. Longtime setup man Joaquin Benoit has done well in his six weeks on the job, and Smyly has transitioned well from the rotation. But Dombrowski was concerned with the late-inning depth, so he surrendered Single-A outfielder Danry Vasquez for Veras, who had a 4.43 ERA with the Yankees from 2006-09, the fifth worst in relief in team history by anyone with at least 100 appearances.
Meanwhile, the disappointing Angels made their first move as a seller by trading lefty reliever Scott Downs to the Braves for Triple-A righty Cory Rasmus, whom most evaluators project as a reliever. Teams that have spoken to the Angels say infielders Howie Kendrick, Erick Aybar and Alberto Callaspo also are available as Los Angeles tries to restock its farm, particularly looking for pitching.
Atlanta’s relief has been stellar even after losing its two primary lefties, Eric O’Flaherty and Jonny Venters. Still, their key southpaw, Luis Avilan, is just 23, so the 37year-old Downs offers experience.
And in the most intriguing deal, the Rays acquired Jesse Crain from the White Sox for a combination of prospects and money that the sides still have to finalize. Crain has not pitched since June 29 due to shoulder soreness. But he had a 0.74 ERA before that and was named an All Star.
Tampa Bay officials have told me the Rays were not looking for incremental improvement and only would acquire a difference-maker. Crain is big risk and big reward.