[Mick]

I find it comical the Giants ALWAYS just miss out on a top free agent. Everyone knows they don't want to spend the major bucks or they would have signed one by now.

Their playbook is to state they came in second for the FA. The one time they got "caught" and the free agent said yes they had to nix the signing with the phsyical cause (Correa).

Happens every year, over and over and over.

When Othani signed earlier in week with the dodgers I was gonna post...looks like the Giants just missed out. I didn't post it because the $ amount was a record high and fans would be like...sure spend $700 million Dodgers...good luck.

And now the giants come out stating they offered the same....

It's not about the money. The Giants are willing to spend. They offered the same as what the Dodgers did. Part of it is, as Giants said, winning tradition and opportunity to win the World Series. The Angels had Trout and Ohtani and never finished above .500, forget about the playoffs. Ohtani wanted to win. And I don't blame the Giants for not signing Correa to a very long term, very high dollar contract. My preference would have been to sign Dansby Swanson...gold glove winner, had hit 25 HRs, and would have been just 29 and was half the price of Correa at $179 mms.

The problem is in lesser part California, and in greater part San Francisco. California has the highest state tax rates in the land, so it's not as attractive for high earners. More to the point, San Francisco is, shall we say, an acquired taste. There's an article in The Athletic that quotes Buster Posey, who reflected on the unsuccessful courting of Judge, Correa, Harper, Lester, Stanton, etc.

Here's some specific reasons:

1) Oracle is a dead place for hitters. Which is why the Giants don't have too many problems attracting pitchers, but hitters don't want to come here. Bryce Harper went to Citizens Bank ballpark, where he cleans up. He does the worst at Oracle of any of the 18 ballparks where he's had at least 50 ABs (he's had 149 ABs at Oracle with an OPS of .646).

2) San Francisco scares wives, girlfriends and families with the filth, the crime, the drugs and the homelessness, and the players don't care for it much either. That's from Buster Posey (see link below). Same reason SF lost Suzuki (.842 OPS with Chicago). 

So the Giants hugely overpaid for Jung Hoo Lee...as they needed to do. And they need, at minimum, a first-rate shortstop and another front line pitcher.  BTW, I don't necessarily want Blake Snell, but I won't be unhappy if he comes here. He's a light-out pitcher at Oracle, with a 1.59 career ERA here, and a 0.00 ERA here in 2022 and 2023. Bring him on...

Shohei Ohtani turned down Giants’ $700M offer. Buster Posey reflects on team’s ‘free-agent slump’ - The Athletic

[Mick]

I find it comical the Giants ALWAYS just miss out on a top free agent. Everyone knows they don't want to spend the major bucks or they would have signed one by now.

Their playbook is to state they came in second for the FA. The one time they got "caught" and the free agent said yes they had to nix the signing with the phsyical cause (Correa).

Happens every year, over and over and over.

When Othani signed earlier in week with the dodgers I was gonna post...looks like the Giants just missed out. I didn't post it because the $ amount was a record high and fans would be like...sure spend $700 million Dodgers...good luck.

And now the giants come out stating they offered the same....

It's not about the money. The Giants are willing to spend. They offered the same as what the Dodgers did. Part of it is, as Giants said, winning tradition and opportunity to win the World Series. The Angels had Trout and Ohtani and never finished above .500, forget about the playoffs. Ohtani wanted to win. And I don't blame the Giants for not signing Correa to a very long term, very high dollar contract. My preference would have been to sign Dansby Swanson...gold glove winner, had hit 25 HRs, and would have been just 29 and was half the price of Correa at $179 mms.

The problem is in lesser part California, and in greater part San Francisco. California has the highest state tax rates in the land, so it's not as attractive for high earners. More to the point, San Francisco is, shall we say, an acquired taste. There's an article in The Athletic that quotes Buster Posey, who reflected on the unsuccessful courting of Judge, Correa, Harper, Lester, Stanton, etc.

Here's some specific reasons:

1) Oracle is a dead place for hitters. Which is why the Giants don't have too many problems attracting pitchers, but hitters don't want to come here. Bryce Harper went to Citizens Bank ballpark, where he cleans up. He does the worst at Oracle of any of the 18 ballparks where he's had at least 50 ABs (he's had 149 ABs at Oracle with an OPS of .646).

2) San Francisco scares wives, girlfriends and families with the filth, the crime, the drugs and the homelessness, and the players don't care for it much either. That's from Buster Posey (see link below). Same reason SF lost Suzuki (.842 OPS with Chicago). 

So the Giants hugely overpaid for Jung Hoo Lee...as they needed to do. And they need, at minimum, a first-rate shortstop and another front line pitcher.  BTW, I don't necessarily want Blake Snell, but I won't be unhappy if he comes here. He's a light-out pitcher at Oracle, with a 1.59 career ERA here, and a 0.00 ERA here in 2022 and 2023. Bring him on...

Shohei Ohtani turned down Giants’ $700M offer. Buster Posey reflects on team’s ‘free-agent slump’ - The Athletic