Your 2015 San Francisco Giants

Looks like we get Cueto anyway
6yrs $130 million

Looks like we get Cueto anyway
6yrs $130 million

Listened to Sabean being interviewed last week and they asked him questions regarding not getting Greinke and he said the Giants weren't willing to go 6 years.  But all of a sudden they are with Cueto?  Yes, Greinke is 3 years older and it would have been an additional $75+ million but he's a far superior pitcher.

  

Cueto has an out after 2 years. He'll be 31 then....Guess he would like to assume a Greinke situation. ...

If you compare the last 5 years, their numbers are quite comparable.
Attached pdf is for baseball nerds only. Can you guess which pitcher is which?

Looks like we get Cueto anyway
6yrs $130 million

Listened to Sabean being interviewed last week and they asked him questions regarding not getting Greinke and he said the Giants weren't willing to go 6 years.  But all of a sudden they are with Cueto?  Yes, Greinke is 3 years older and it would have been an additional $75+ million but he's a far superior pitcher.

  

It actually makes sense for both sides. Cueto got a decent annual salary of $23M but can/will opt out after 2017 to retest the free agent market. Both the Grienke and Price deals have similar clauses. Win for Cueto. The Giant likely don't need/want six years of Cueto. The same off-season Cueto can opt out, Cain's deal expires as well effectively taking $41M off the books. By then, the arms in the minors (Blackburn, Beede,  etc.) will be ready to slide into those two open rotation spots. That $41M can extend Bumgarner, etc. or be rolled over into the mega-talent offseason in 2018. Win for the Giants. The Giants are basically getting a top fifteen (many even top ten) arm to fill that #2 spot for two years. Cool by me.

I'll concede that Greinke is coming off a much better season, no doubt. Eleven million dollars a year better though ? Pat nailed it (thanks for putting that together so concisely, Pat) - over the last four seasons, Cueto may have been the most dominant NL arm not named Kershaw or Bumgarner. His 2014 stats are just a hair below Greinke's near-historic 2015 campaign. A return to the NL, pitching in spacious AT&T Park, having the top defense in the majors behind him, and throwing to one of the top pitch callers in the game .. a recipe for success. There's a reason that he wanted an opt out in the deal - watch his stats skyrocket under favorable conditions for two years and maximize his value in the open market.

I was as against Cueto as anyone when the hot stove got going but after really looking at his peripheral stats and now with the dynamics of the deal, this could be great. And that $11M saved could fetch a solid left fielder (the last piece to the puzzle) this off season or at the deadline.

 Cueto got a decent annual salary of $23M.......

Can you imagine $23 million dollars a year?

 I bet that's more than the combined salaries of everyoneon this site

And in LA we have these two morons running the show!

If you compare the last 5 years, their numbers are quite comparable.
Attached pdf is for baseball nerds only. Can you guess which pitcher is which?

Cueto is very good and will make a great #2 in the rotation, but he's no Greinke.  Baseball nerds care about xFIP and WAR.  I look at cost per WAR and ~6.5mm is about right for starting pitching.  Cueto is 29 and a 4 WAR pitcher.  We get him for years 30-35, and we can deduct .5WAR/year for years 32-35.  That's even being generous as steamer has him as 3 WAR.  So, 4+4+3.5+3+2.5+2= 19 WAR for $130mm we are overpaying by about $6mm by my math.  There is a reason that Sabean has his job and I have mine tho, and I'm looking forward to some even year magic.

Can you imagine $23 million dollars a year?

Short answer ... nope.

I shoulda learned to hit the curveball.

If you compare the last 5 years, their numbers are quite comparable.
Attached pdf is for baseball nerds only. Can you guess which pitcher is which?

Cueto is very good and will make a great #2 in the rotation, but he's no Greinke.  Baseball nerds care about xFIP and WAR.  I look at cost per WAR and ~6.5mm is about right for starting pitching.  Cueto is 29 and a 4 WAR pitcher.  We get him for years 30-35, and we can deduct .5WAR/year for years 32-35.  That's even being generous as steamer has him as 3 WAR.  So, 4+4+3.5+3+2.5+2= 19 WAR for $130mm we are overpaying by about $6mm by my math.  There is a reason that Sabean has his job and I have mine tho, and I'm looking forward to some even year magic.

Giants baseball nerds...it's important to be accurate

If you compare the last 5 years, their numbers are quite comparable.
Attached pdf is for baseball nerds only. Can you guess which pitcher is which?

That's easy, Greinke is on top and Cueto is on bottom.

Those stats are somewhat flawed though.  In 2013 Cueto only made 11 starts and was out for 2/3s of the year and in 2011 he missed 9-10 starts or almost a 1/3 of a year.  If one were to project those out, I believe Greinke "wins" more of those categories.

Can you imagine $23 million dollars a year?

Short answer ... nope.

I shoulda learned to hit the curveball.

Or pitch the curveball. 

Feeling pretty good about our chances in the NL West in 2016. Bring on the D-Backs!!

Looks like the doggies are just gonna roll over this offseason?