When everything is finalized, the San Francisco Giants will have lost third baseman Pablo Sandoval to the Boston Red Sox. How will the 2014 World Series champions alter their offseason plans?
As we mentioned yesterday, the loss of Sandoval would open other doors for the Giants. One of them being 24-year-old Cuban outfielder Yasmany Tomas, who has a number of suitors across the MLB. The San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves are currently the front-runners for Tomas, but he's expected to attend the winter meetings so nothing is definite at this point.
Tomas would provide a much needed power bat in the Giants lineup, but he's expected to cost near $100 million and he's never played in the MLB. Although his potential is sky-high, no one is sure what Tomas can offer whereas Sandoval's output was known and consistent. The Giants won't be able to replace the 28-year-old veteran, but they can upgrade their current roster with young talent and possibly a top-tier free-agent pitcher.
That pitcher could be Jon Lester. ESPN's Buster Olney writes the Giants' Plan B might involved Lester, who is expected to land a contract in excess of $100 million. He's already met with the Red Sox, Cubs and Braves, with the Red Sox offering him a six-year contract worth between $110-$120 million. Sources told Olney the Giants could use the money they were planning to spend on Sandoval to go after Lester, since they were already considering Tomas before Sandoval's departure.
It makes sense because the Giants have only four starters (not including Tim Lincecum) on the roster. Ryan Vogelsong is a free agent and the team isn't expected to re-sign him; they're committed to Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner; Tim Hudson has one more year left on his deal and; they should retain Yusmeiro Petit with a contract to avoid arbitration. This leaves them needing one more starter and the addition of Lester would give them two of the top left-handers in the game.
Lester spent the second half of the 2014 season in California with the Oakland Athletics, so moving close by to the Giants could be attractive to him, especially because of their recent postseason success. The left-hander's preference has yet to be made known, but many believe he might reunite with the Red Sox.
Let's see if San Francisco can get back at Boston for stealing away Sandoval.
