The San Francisco Giants received both good and bad news on Monday. The team finalized a two-year contract with one of their free-agent relievers, but one of their infielders underwent back surgery and it may end his career.
Right-hander Sergio Romo and the Giants finalized the two-year, $15 million contract the two sides agreed upon last week. After losing third baseman Pablo Sandoval to the Boston Red Sox, Michael Morse to the Miami Marlins, and missing out on free-agent left-hander Jon Lester, the Giants began making it a priority to re-sign some of their own free agents. Romo came first and starter Jake Peavy followed soon thereafter.
Despite being removed from the closer role in the middle of the 2014 season, Romo has been one of the most consistent relievers in the MLB over the past seven seasons. The 31-year-old owns a career record of 31-21 with a 2.51 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in 405 games. His best season came in 2013 when he was the full-time closer for San Francisco and notched 38 saves with a 2.54 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 58 strikeouts in 60 1/3 innings. He earned his first All-Star honors that season. He's expected to return as the team's setup man in 2015 behind closer Santiago Casilla.
But San Francisco must deal with an issue in their middle infield. Second baseman Marco Scutaro underwent back surgery this past Friday to alleviate an area of concern at level L-2/L-3 of his spine, general manager Brian Sabean told reporters on Monday. The 39-year-old was limited to just five games in 2014 because of back issues following his first All-Star campaign in 2013. His surgery requires a four-to-six-month recovery process, after which doctors will determine if he can play baseball again.
Scutaro was named MVP of the 2012 NLCS with the Giants after batting .500 (14-for-28) with six runs scored and four RBIs against the St. Louis Cardinals. San Francisco defeated the Detroit Tigers in the World Series that year to capture their second title in three seasons. The veteran is entering the final year of his contract with San Francisco and is scheduled to earn $6.66 million in 2015.
Hopefully Scutaro can regain his health and return to action as soon as possible.
