The San Francisco Giants are just about eliminated, but that doesn't mean this last week and a half is meaningless. Far from it, actually. Several key members of the SF Giants, like Evan Longoria, Mike Yastrzemski, LaMonte Wade Jr., Joc Pederson, Carlos Rodón, and others are playing for meaningful personal goals.
Longoria wants the Giants to pick up his $13 million club option that has a $5 million buyout, effectively making it an $8 million decision. He delivered a clutch two-run single that made the difference for the Giants in Sunday's series-clinching win over the D-Backs. Yastrzemski was a possible non-tender candidate, but a strong week seems to have secured his spot on next year's roster. Wade is another non-tender candidate and hasn't been able to get it going with the bat all year. Time is running out to make a strong final impression.
Rodón is playing for a $100M+ contract. His main goal should just be to stay healthy over his final two starts. Will the Giants be the one to give him the big contract he's in line to receive? The answer is unclear. Pederson is also playing for his next contract, although his absence from Sunday's lineup was noteworthy and he won't receive anything close to what Rodón gets on the open market. Pederson seems like he may be back next year, but it's an open question.
Some other arb-eligibles playing for a spot on next year's team: Jakob Junis, who rebounded from a rough stretch with 5.1 strong innings in Sunday's win. He seems to have a spot locked up for next year. Luis González was also playing for a spot on next year's San Francisco Giants squad. He's cooled way off after a hot start, but has still been overall solid against righties. He'll be out of options next year, so it's not entirely certain what the Giants will do with him in the offseason. He could be a non-tender candidate, or he could be traded, or he could be back next year. It's hard to see him and Wade (and Yastrzemski) all being back. Two of those three at most seems most likely.
Lastly, Giants third base prospect Casey Schmitt was promoted to Triple-A. It's been a great season for Schmitt, one of the Giants' top prospects, who should enter 2023 in Sacramento and will be right on the cusp of the major leagues.
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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.
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