Although San Francisco Giants starter Mike Leake had one of his worst outings of the season on Monday night, he still got a vote of confidence from manager Bruce Bochy. Were Bochy's comments alluding to the team's potential plans to re-sign Leake in the offseason?
Leake, 27, was acquired from the Cincinnati Reds before the non-waiver trade deadline and due to the frail state of the Giants' starting rotation, rumors suggested the team might be interested in keeping Leake beyond 2015. Bochy, for one, is a fan of the right-hander.
"Well, I certainly like him," Bochy told Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. "I like the way he competes. I like his stuff. You never know what's going to happen, but (if) you're asking me, sure. Who wouldn't want a Mike Leake?"
Baggarly mentioned on Twitter that the two parties could be moving toward a long-term relationship.
Giants just 1-4 in Leake's starts but Bochy loves the way he competes, would push to sign him. Leake mutually interested.
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) September 7, 2015
However, Baggarly noted retaining Leake won't be an easy task.
"Leake figures to be popular because of his relative youth and durability, as well as the high number of clubs looking to spend one tier below available aces such as David Price, Zack Greinke, Johnny Cueto, Jordan Zimmermann and Jeff Samardzija.
"For the Giants, rebuilding their starting staff will be Priority One this winter. And after their quantity-over-quality rotation strategy backfired this season, the ability to pitch deep into games will be a prime consideration with anyone they target."
Leake is 9-8 with a 3.70 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 113 strikeouts in 26 starts (168 innings) this season, but owns a 4.31 ERA in five starts since joining the Giants. The right-hander has been one of the most consistent starters in the MLB over the past three years, and his career ERA of 3.88 is expected to garner interest from other clubs.
But the Giants have their backs against the wall. Tim Lincecum and Ryan Vogelsong will be free agents after 2015; Tim Hudson recently said he will retire at the end of the year; and the future effectiveness of Matt Cain and Jake Peavy is largely unknown (Cain is back on the disabled list and Peavy has a 4.41 ERA in 14 starts).
San Francisco has plenty of options, but Leake won't be as costly as the other premier starters set to hit free agency. The Giants have over $45 million coming off the books once the offseason hits, so it's certainly possible they look to retain Leake and add another top starter to work with Madison Bumgarner.
Whether or not the Giants make the postseason this year, look for the front office to make some key additions to the roster for 2016.
