Players accept changes because of Bruce Bochy

Angel Pagan came into camp with a lot of questions, mostly from the media. San Francisco Giants beat writers wanted to know if he was healthy, first and foremost. They wanted to know how he felt about the Giants signing Denard Span. Span was essentially signed to replace him in center field and the leadoff spot in the lineup. And they also wanted to know if he was going to accept the move to left field and down the batting order.

Pagan said all the right things to reporters today, saying "I don't have any hard feelings. I want them to know I'm on board." Pagan did admit "every player has pride, but you have to sit there and understand that at some point you have to make a move." He even went so far as to suggest he could bat behind the game's best hitting pitcher every fifth day.

Angel Pagan here and healthy and ready to go said he would hit anywhere in lineup even 9th to give SFG two lead off hitters when Bum pitches

— marty lurie (@baseballmarty) February 23, 2016

Pagan didn't have any questions coming into camp because his questions had already been answered by Bruce Bochy and the Giants front office. Some fans have wanted the Giants to make a change in center field for a long time.

Pagan has struggled to stay healthy ever since he signed a new contract with the Giants after the 2012 season. And yet Bochy kept giving him chances to prove he was healthy and prove he could perform at the level they expected of their centerfielder. As Pagan's production declined at the plate and in the field, the writing may have been on the wall for a change, but Bochy was going to give Pagan every chance he could to prove doubters wrong. Some may look at Bochy as being foolish for this, but this is why Bochy has had so much success.

All 25 guys in a Bruce Bochy clubhouse know where they stand and what their role is and what the team's expectations are. Giving his veteran players more chances than fans may want could be one of the reasons they have missed the playoffs in three of the last six seasons. But it is also the reason they have won the World Series in three of the last six seasons. Bochy has proven this format works and is the best way to get the best out of the 25 guys he's been given. Whether he has the right 25 guys is an argument for another article, but there is no question this is how the Giants have won championships.

In 2010, Aaron Rowand and Edgar Renteria were big money players at the end of their careers. There was talk of them not making the post-season roster at all. However, Bochy saw a need for both, and Renteria proved him right with a World Series MVP. One player who didn't make the roster,
however, was Barry Zito, the team's highest paid player. Bochy chose to go with 20 year old Madison Bumgarner over Zito. However, Zito understood the move and handled it professionally. Zito knew he wasn't one of the team's top four pitchers heading into October, and also knew he had been given every chance that season to earn that job. That set the stage for every tough decision the team would have.

In 2012, Zito and Ryan Vogelsong had earned their spots in the rotation, but that meant Tim Lincecum, the team's two time Cy Young award winner, would be coming out of the bullpen. Like Zito, Lincecum handled it professionally and was incredible during the post-season in middle relief. So were Zito and Vogelsong, who shined in the National League Championship series and World Series. Zito, having been demoted two years earlier, not only knew he deserved the starts he got in 2012, but he knew he had the full support of Bochy and the front office.

There are many more examples of Bochy letting his player's play on the field determine their status, and not the opinions of anyone. All professional athletes want from their front office and their manager is to be told where they stand and given a chance. Bochy tells players what their role is, what the expectations for them are, and then backs it up by giving them a chance to prove it on the field.

Pagan comes into the 2016 season knowing he has been given many chances to regain his job in centerfield and atop the batting order. He knows the team signed Span because he didn't meet expectations. He also is being given an opportunity to win the left field job because he can still be a part of this year's team. And as we've seen many times before, we should get the best version of Pagan going forward as he tries to live up to his manager's new expectations for him.

Free Agents Aren't Worth It.

For the last several off-seasons, big money teams have thrown millions of dollars to high priced free agents. They have also signed players on their rosters to extensions and traded for high priced players. All of these moves were made with a simple idea in mind. These teams felt like the piece their team was missing was either a frontline starter or middle of the order bat. By spending large sums of their profits to bring in this All-Star caliber player, these teams have felt it was the missing piece to much future success.

That has to be the reason. It wouldn't make sense for it to be any other way. That's why the Texas Rangers gave Alex Rodriguez $252 million in 2001. That's the reason the Angels gave Albert Pujols $240 million in 2012 and why the Mariners gave Robinson Cano the same last off-season.

Of the 20 largest contracts ever given to free agents in baseball history to change teams, only four players have won rings with that team: Manny Ramirez, C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and Barry Zito.  The Red Sox handed Ramirez a $160 million deal in 2001, and three years later, he helped the Sox break "The Curse of the Bambino" to finally win the World Series and then won again in 2007. By the end of the contract, Manny was being Manny too often and he left Boston. Considering the recent history of large contacts, however, this was the clear winner as the most successful free agent signing in the last 15 years.

The Yankees gave Sabathia $161 million and Texieira $180 million in 2009 and it paid immediate dividends, as they led the Yankees to their 27th title that season. Sabathia was their ace for the next four years, but has struggled the last three seasons. Teixeira also had good seasons through 2012, and then struggled in 2013 and 2014 like Sabathia. In a tragic turn of events, Sabathia has checked himself into rehab for alcohol and his future is in doubt. Teixeira had a Comeback Player of the Year worthy season in 2015, and now heads into the final year of his contract with some hope.

The Giants gave Zito $126 million back in 2007. For the first four seasons, Zito was widely considered by fans in the Bay Area to be a terrible signing and when the team went to the post-season in 2010, he wasn't included on the playoff roster. Now as any Giants fan will tell you now, Zito's pitching performance in the 2012 post-season wiped all the bad thoughts and all the bad seasons.  However, this also shows just how unlikely it is for your team's big free agent signing being the missing link.

Max Scherzer and Zach Greinke, who signed with the Nationals and Dodgers, respectively, as free agents, just has Cy Young caliber seasons in 2015. Scherzer is in the first season of his mega deal. Greinke, who signed for $147 million in 2013, has an opt-out in the contract that allows him to become a free agent again this year. Scherzer certainly wasn't the problem in Washington, and his contract still has time to be "worth the price." Greinke helped the Dodgers win the National League West three straight seasons, something the Dodgers had never done before. However, by opting out this year, and because the Dodgers didn't win a World Series in that short time, was Greinke's signing worth it?

Prince Fielder helped lead the Detroit Tigers to the World Series in 2012, the same year he signed with the Tigers for $214 million. However, he is already an ex-Tiger, helping lead the Texas Rangers now.

Carl Crawford was signed by the Boston Red Sox in 2011 and quickly traded to the Dodgers along with Adrian Gonzalez and others. That trade helped shaped the 2013 Red Sox that won the World Series, but it was their much more affordable replacements that helped David Ortiz lead the Sox that year.

Alex Rodriguez signed his $275 million extension in 2008 and Derek Jeter signed his $189 million deal in 2001. Both were on the 2009 Yankees that won the World Series with Sabathia. A-Rod and Jeter were already Yankees at the time, but they are also the only players among the top 10 contracts to win a ring during their deal.

The Yankees 2009 team had a payroll of more than $220 million according to Baseball Prospectus. Adding Sabathia and Teixeira to a team that already had Jeter and Rodriguez is something that only the Yankees could have afforded at the time. The Dodgers, among others, are now willing to outspend the Yankees and it has led to bloated contracts being given out to players outside of the Bronx. Outside of that 2009 team the Yankees bought, there has been very little success from buying players in free agency.

Buster Posey signed a $167 million extension in 2013 and the Giants won a third World Series championship in 2014. That seems to be the smarter play for teams looking to shell out huge dollars for players. Matt Cain's extension came in 2012 for $127.5 million and he led the Giants staff that season. However, Cain's struggles since because of injuries and inconsistency show how fragile these signings can be.

For a team like the Giants, Yankees, Dodgers or Red Sox, the teams are able to withstand the blow more than others. With no salary cap in baseball, teams can spend whatever money they have, based on their profits and the revenue sharing rules that have been recently added. That revenue sharing has helped teams that don't have the same profits as some of the larger market teams, but it hasn't allowed them to overpay for multiple free agents. It also hasn't allowed them to re-sign their own for the price players can earn on the free agent market. We are seeing this now with International signings as well, as the Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, and others are battling for all of the top players.

Giancarlo Stanton will begin playing under his record setting $325 million contract next year. Will the Marlins win a third World Series during the 13 years of the contract? Will Stanton opt out the way Greinke has this off-season, and pursue a larger deal after the 2020 season. Or will Stanton be traded by 2018, when his contract bumps up to $25 million a season?

Taking you back to 2010, where it all began

Taking you Back to 2010, Where it all Began
By Will Candlestick

For life long San Francisco Giants fans, this new era of success still feels more fantasy than reality. The idea that winning a championship is expected from this new wave of fans feels ridiculous. After 52 years, some of us fans still look back at 2010 as that perfect moment.

Now that all Giants fans are spoiled regardless of when they started cheering, it's important to look back at the evolution of this franchise from an organization that never found a way to the one that seems to be doing all the right things.

October 27, 2006
Bruce Bochy signed a three year deal to manage the Giants and it would be the 3rd coach Brian Sabean had brought in during his tenure. Dusty Baker and Felipe Alou both had success managing the Giants, but ultimately it was time to let Alou take a step back with the organization and find someone else. That someone was Bochy, who was a rival coach and player with the San Diego Padres for the better part of the last two decades. Bochy said all the right things at his introductory press conference with the Giants.

"I look forward to this challenge," he said. "I made a commitment to myself and to my wife that if we were to make a change, it would be with an organization that would be a cultural fit for me, where I would be comfortable and where there was potential to build real chemistry between myself and the front office.
"It would be a place where I would have a chance to make an impact and a contribution. That's why I'm sitting here today. That's the only reason I'd leave San Diego."

First 3 Years
The Giants struggled mightily in his first two seasons, winning 71 and 72 games respectively in 2007 and 2008. The team was old and the team lacked much talent coming through the minor league system, which was the same old story with all of the Barry Bonds led lineups that Sabean and company were putting together. Bochy, to his credit, did the best he could with what he had as he had done in San Diego.

For years, Bochy had overachieved with the Padres, winning the National League West title 4 times as well as the pennant in 1998. Had it not been for the greatest Yankees team in 60 years, Bochy may have come to San Francisco with a World Series ring. (Although who knows if the Padres would have let him go had he won it all in 1998 either.)

Now he was overachieving with the Giants, but casual fans couldn't see it because the record didn't show it. Bochy was finding ways to win with players who were at the end of their careers and struggling to stay healthy or productive.

In 2009, the last year on Bochy's contract, the team won 88 games. Led by Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum, the Giants were doing something Padres fans weren't used to when Bochy coached for them.  Bochy was letting the young guys lead the way. Lincecum, Matt Cain, Pablo Sandoval and Brian Wilson were just some of the young players who were taking over the locker room that for the last 15 years had always been a veteran's locker room. Much like in San Diego, veterans ruled because that's where Bochy was most comfortable. If he was going to lose, he was going to lose with "his guys," the guys who had experience and played the game the right way.

How the 2010 Season Began
As 2010 began, it was clear that the pitching staff was led by Lincecum and Cain. Lincecum was a back to back Cy Young champion and Cain had become as reliable a pitcher as there was in the game. The 1-2 punch of those two starters really set the tone for the shape the team would take that season.

Sandoval had opened eyes around the league in 2009 with 25 home runs and 90 runs batted in to go with a .330 batting average as a switch hitter. He was still learning how to play 3B at the major league level, but his potential was through the roof.

However, as Sabean and Bochy had proved in the past, they were reluctant to go with young guys all over the diamond and 2010 was no exception.  Travis Ishikawa and Emmanuel Burriss had played more games at first and second base than any other player in 2009. The team needed to upgrade. The team had traded for Freddy Sanchez in 2009 and signed Aubrey Huff late in the off-season to take over those two slots.

Edgar Renteria was at shortstop, but had never been able to stay healthy as a Giant to this point. Mark DeRosa, another veteran that had been brought in by the front office was even in worst shape than Renteria and wasn't going to be able to be the everyday LF they had hoped he could be.  The Giants brought in Juan Uribe for a second Spring Training invite to camp hoping the veteran could earn his way back onto the club.

The outfield was also a mess with Randy Winn gone and Fred Lewis being sent to Toronto. The team also had an underachieving Aaron Rowand as the only OF left. So the team kept Andres Torres and Nate Schierholtz to compete for spots on the roster along with Triple-A product John Bowker. 

Then there was Bengi Molina. For years, Molina had done everything asked of him and more for the franchise. Despite not being a power hitter, Molina was the Giants clean up hitter for much of his time as a Giant and in fact led the team in home runs in 2008 and was one of their most consistent hitters. However, Molina wanted to find a new home and nearly left for the New York Mets in the off-season. Sabean even famously said that Molina's "ship has sailed" when referring to the chances Molina would come back. Yet, Molina did end up returning in 2010 despite knowing that the team's top prospect, Buster Posey, was waiting in the wings to replace him.

The Same Old Bochy & Sabean
For many fans, these signings were just further proof that the Giants were going to win with veterans whenever they could.

As the season went on, production from Huff, Sanchez and Uribe was good enough that fans were being more patient with this particular group. Molina, Renteria and Rowand were all struggling with the issues fans had predicted in Spring. Molina was dealing with the constant questions surrounding when would Buster Posey come up and when he would take his place. Renteria was struggling to be healthy enough and Rowand was struggling with production on the field.

As the year went on, another interesting twist occurred. Pablo Sandoval was struggling. What seemed like the makings of the next big bat in Giants history suddenly was struggling and weight issues seemed to be at the center of it. On top of that, Sabean was finding more veterans to add to this bunch. Pat Burrell, who had been released by the Tampa Bay Rays, was brought in to take over left field. Despite his defensive struggles, Burrell's bat erupted as a Giant, and suddenly with Huff, Burrell, Uribe and Posey, the Giants had some serious power threats in their lineup.

As the team got closer and closer to the trade deadline and the August 31st cutoff for playoff rosters, the team added Jose Guillen and Cody Ross to keep the lineup effective as the team got closer to a possible playoff berth. They had also shored up their bullpen with the additions of Ramon Ramirez and Javier Lopez, and this team that had so much youth at the start of the year was looking more like the teams that had been built for so many years by Sabean.

If Bochy and Sabean were going to lose to the Padres for the NL West title, it was going to be with their veterans.

So What Changed?
It's funny what happens to a season. One moment you are committed to one of your most productive catchers of all-time in Bengi Molina, and the next minute you are giving the job to the Rookie of the Year in the National League. One moment you are convinced that Pablo Sandoval is the best third baseman in the organization since Matt Williams, and the next moment, you are going with a two time Spring Training invite in Juan Uribe.  Barry Zito, who had signed a 7 year, $126 million contract the year Bochy arrived was being replaced in the post-season rotation with a 20 year old phenom, Madison Bumgarner.

This inconsistency of going with Posey over Molina, but then going with Uribe over Sandoval, while not including Zito on the playoff roster at all was crazy. Renteria and Rowand both made the playoff roster as well, but Rowand was also sent to the bench in favor of Andres Torres, who had come out of nowhere in 2010 like so many others to be the team's everyday CF.

How could you explain Sabean and Bochy's decisions? It came down to one simple question: Who will give us the best chance to win today?  Huff and Sanchez had never participated in the post-season before, despite several years in baseball, and they weren't going to miss this opportunity. Renteria, who had been injured most of the season, had vowed to his teammates to make up for it in the playoffs. Uribe took the 3B job from Sandoval and found ways to drive in runs any way he could. And the OF of Burrell, Torres and Ross became one of the most unlikely groupings in post-season history.

Production was trumping experience or potential. So many times, front offices had given players more chances then they had earned because they had "potential" and so many times, we had seen both Sabean and Bochy fall victim to the "experience" excuse for using veterans over unproven players. However, all of sudden, this 2010 Giants team was winning because players were playing simply based on what they had earned.  And it fluctuated.  All 25 members of the roster contributed to the playoff wins. Rowand was given chances to start and Sandoval was given chances to hit. Maybe the most impressive showing came in Game 4 of the World Series when Madison Bumgarner was given the ball despite having never pitched a full season before in the big leagues. His eight shutout innings vs the Texas Rangers showed how far Sabean and Bochy had come.

Fans who had ripped both in the past for loving veterans too much and relying on guys well after their production had warranted it, was going away. Fans had embraced this group of "castoffs and misfits" like no other team before it and as Brian Wilson struck out Nelson Cruz, every fan of the Giants finally knew what it felt like to win the World Series.


Of all the moves Sabean made, and of all the on-field decisions Bochy made, no one move stood out. It was the collection of moves that showed how much both had grown working together. Sticking with Renteria or believing in Bumgarner or letting Posey catch this incredible pitching staff or sitting Sandoval for Uribe. It didn't matter which decision was best. All of these decisions led to a championship by the Bay and a title that no fan will ever forget.