Signing Pablo Sandoval is priority No. 1 for Giants
SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco Giants are making no pretense about their offseason priorities. First and foremost is re-signing Pablo Sandoval. Everything else can wait.
Eight days after the Giants claimed their third World Series crown in five years, their brain trust reiterated the team's desire to bring back the popular third baseman, who became a free agent after another outstanding postseason.
The Giants have four other significant free agents in starters Jake Peavy and Ryan Vogelsong, reliever Sergio Romo and outfielder Michael Morse, but for now they're focusing on Sandoval, to whom they made a qualifying offer of $15.3 million on Monday. Sandoval rejected it as he seeks a multiyear deal that could be worth upwards of $100 million.
"Pablo's the only one we've engaged as far as an offer and moving forward in that fashion,'' general manager Brian Sabean said. "The four other free agents know where we stand, how we want to go about fleshing things out.''
Sandoval, 28, figures to draw plenty of interest in the open market – with the Boston Red Sox one of his likely suitors – despite putting up relatively modest numbers in the regular season.
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The switch-hitting third baseman batted .279 with 16 homers, 73 RBI and a .739 on-base plus slugging percentage, the second-lowest of his career. But Sandoval came up big in the postseason, much as he did in San Francisco's championship run two years ago, batting .429 with three doubles and four RBI in the World Series. He has batted at least .310 in five of his last six postseason series, an indication of his ability to hit top-level pitching.
Giants President and CEO Larry Baer spoke proudly of the team fielding a homegrown infield during the postseason, with Sandoval, first baseman Brandon Belt, second baseman Joe Panik and shortstop Brandon Crawford, in addition to catcher Buster Posey.
That won't be the case if Sandoval leaves.
"We don't have a solution in house,'' Sabean acknowledged. "It would have to come from the outside.''
In other topics covered during a season-ending gathering with the news media, the Giants:
-- Said Tim Lincecum will return to the rotation after shifting to the bullpen in late August. He finished the season 12-9 with a 4.74 ERA and made only one appearance in the postseason. He is due to make $18 million next year.
"Our hope is he bounces back and throws the ball the way he did for about six or seven weeks there,'' manager Bruce Bochy said, referring to an eight-start span when Lincecum had a 2.11 ERA and threw his second career no-hitter. "He was very good.''
-- Hinted that Yusmeiro Petit, one of San Francisco's unsung heroes with three postseason wins, would return to his swingman role, though leaving the door open for a spot in the rotation.
-- Confirmed their intention to keep 2012 NL MVP Buster Posey behind the plate.
"Buster's our catcher next year,'' Bochy said, adding that Andrew Susac will go into spring training as the front-runner for the backup job ahead of Hector Sanchez.
-- Expressed confidence that starter Matt Cain (elbow surgery) and center fielder Angel Pagan (back surgery) would be ready for spring training.
Bochy said Pagan told him during the World Series he felt good enough to play, a month after lingering back pain due to a herniated disk forced him to go under the knife. "He said the surgery was the best thing that could have happened to him,'' Bochy related. "It gave him instant relief.''
-- Threw their support behind bench coach Ron Wotus, named by the Tampa Bay Rays as one of the candidates to replace Joe Maddon as their manager.