[lex24]

Major professional sports are so compelling because they are the only endeavor in which we get to witness extreme competition within the bounds of a regulated competitive landscape with a lot of transparency. Nothing else comes close.

As fans of the teams competing, we want our team to win and push the envelope to do so.  When a sport has a salary cap and a team is $100M below that cap, there is clearly a reason to be skeptical that team is "all in" on winning. Any time a team isn't "all in" on winning, the fans can and should be expected to be unsatisfied. 

Moreover, we can be fans of a team and not be a rubber stamp for everything the team does. There is a fine line between rooting for and defending a team's actions, and overzealously criticizing it. 



The worst thing a fan can do is be blindly loyal to the team to whom they have attached themselves. I see a lot of blind loyalty to the Giants in this thread that makes excuses for and buys into the Giants' propaganda about spending to win.

It simply is not credible to claim the Giants lost Suzuki to the Cubs for "non-financial reasons."  The Giants would have landed him if they offered more money than the Cubs. Just like they landed Rodon because they offered the most money. 

I can buy not giving Gausman 5 years, but why not give him more per year on fewer years. Hell, pay him $80M for two years, because it's all about paying for performance, and the Giants can easily afford that.

Fans are in fact rooting for the front office - including those who say they aren't in this thread - while thinking they are rooting for the players. The reasons used to refute my friend's assertion in fact prove it to be correct!

Joe Garagiola said it best (paraphrasing) - in life, you get one social security number and one baseball team.  Mine is the Giants.  Having said that, I am hardly a blind follower.  I have disagreed with many decisions the FO has made over the years.  In the recent past, I thought chasing Stanton and Harper for the money/term that were being discussed were terrible ideas and would have been disastrous in the long run. I am thankful they missed out on both guys.  

Based on your rebuttable, it is evident that you have a narrative into which you are trying to squeeze the facts rather than taking the facts and building a narrative around them.  

The fact is the you cannot buy your way to a championship no matter how much money you spend.  Otherwise the Yankees would never lose.  

I am quite satisfied that SF is “all-in” on winning.  They have spent a fortune on a new training complex in Arizona, they have poured a ton of resources into talent development and they have largest coaching staff in the game. They have rebuilt the farm system into one of the best in the game.  In terms of creating a foundation that will yield a competitive team on the field every season for the foreseeable future, they are at the adult table with the best franchises in the game.  As a fan, that is all I can ask.

Um… Harper was MVP last year.  And here’s the thing - they supposedly went after him. And Suzuki.  And a bunch of others. Yet….

So here is my narrative:

Team1. Smart Front office. Great at grabbing diamonds in the rough Great farm system. Tremendous history. $290,000,000 payroll.  Top 5 value wise in MLB. And willing to keep spending freely.

Team 2 :  Smart Front office. Great at grabbing diamonds in the rough. Great farm system. Tremendous history. $145,000,000 payroll.  Top 5 value wise in MLB.  And not willing to spend.

Which team has the advantage?

PS: Going Sat and Sun.  Unfortunately Giants hit hard by Covid.  Yaz. Belt. Little.  Leone.

Maybe covid will allow Slater to force himself into the lineup. My bet, Gonzalez peters out. Ruf hasn't started the season yet. And who are these other guys? Slater has found his mojo.

Slater hurt again.  Porcelain…….

Slater is a valuable piece of the puzzle. I like him as a player. A lot. But he’s not an everyday player. He hammers lefties. Righties hammer him. And he has trouble staying healthy.

He’s athletic, can run, play three outfield slots. He is in his perfect role as largely a platoon guy.

[lex24]

Major professional sports are so compelling because they are the only endeavor in which we get to witness extreme competition within the bounds of a regulated competitive landscape with a lot of transparency. Nothing else comes close.

As fans of the teams competing, we want our team to win and push the envelope to do so.  When a sport has a salary cap and a team is $100M below that cap, there is clearly a reason to be skeptical that team is "all in" on winning. Any time a team isn't "all in" on winning, the fans can and should be expected to be unsatisfied. 

Moreover, we can be fans of a team and not be a rubber stamp for everything the team does. There is a fine line between rooting for and defending a team's actions, and overzealously criticizing it. 



The worst thing a fan can do is be blindly loyal to the team to whom they have attached themselves. I see a lot of blind loyalty to the Giants in this thread that makes excuses for and buys into the Giants' propaganda about spending to win.

It simply is not credible to claim the Giants lost Suzuki to the Cubs for "non-financial reasons."  The Giants would have landed him if they offered more money than the Cubs. Just like they landed Rodon because they offered the most money. 

I can buy not giving Gausman 5 years, but why not give him more per year on fewer years. Hell, pay him $80M for two years, because it's all about paying for performance, and the Giants can easily afford that.

Fans are in fact rooting for the front office - including those who say they aren't in this thread - while thinking they are rooting for the players. The reasons used to refute my friend's assertion in fact prove it to be correct!

Joe Garagiola said it best (paraphrasing) - in life, you get one social security number and one baseball team.  Mine is the Giants.  Having said that, I am hardly a blind follower.  I have disagreed with many decisions the FO has made over the years.  In the recent past, I thought chasing Stanton and Harper for the money/term that were being discussed were terrible ideas and would have been disastrous in the long run. I am thankful they missed out on both guys.  

Based on your rebuttable, it is evident that you have a narrative into which you are trying to squeeze the facts rather than taking the facts and building a narrative around them.  

The fact is the you cannot buy your way to a championship no matter how much money you spend.  Otherwise the Yankees would never lose.  

I am quite satisfied that SF is “all-in” on winning.  They have spent a fortune on a new training complex in Arizona, they have poured a ton of resources into talent development and they have largest coaching staff in the game. They have rebuilt the farm system into one of the best in the game.  In terms of creating a foundation that will yield a competitive team on the field every season for the foreseeable future, they are at the adult table with the best franchises in the game.  As a fan, that is all I can ask.

Um… Harper was MVP last year.  And here’s the thing - they supposedly went after him. And Suzuki.  And a bunch of others. Yet….

So here is my narrative:

Team1. Smart Front office. Great at grabbing diamonds in the rough Great farm system. Tremendous history. $290,000,000 payroll.  Top 5 value wise in MLB. And willing to keep spending freely.

Team 2 :  Smart Front office. Great at grabbing diamonds in the rough. Great farm system. Tremendous history. $145,000,000 payroll.  Top 5 value wise in MLB.  And not willing to spend.

Which team has the advantage?

PS: Going Sat and Sun.  Unfortunately Giants hit hard by Covid.  Yaz. Belt. Little.  Leone.

Maybe covid will allow Slater to force himself into the lineup. My bet, Gonzalez peters out. Ruf hasn't started the season yet. And who are these other guys? Slater has found his mojo.

Slater hurt again.  Porcelain…….

Slater is a valuable piece of the puzzle. I like him as a player. A lot. But he’s not an everyday player. He hammers lefties. Righties hammer him. And he has trouble staying healthy.

He’s athletic, can run, play three outfield slots. He is in his perfect role as largely a platoon guy.