Left-hand pitcher Blake Snell’s wait for a contract is over. The reigning NL Cy Young winner has reportedly agreed to a two-year, $62 million deal with the San Francisco Giants.

As part of the agreement, Snell received an opt-out after the 2024 MLB season, giving him an opportunity to hit the free agency market again in case of another big year.

Snell was the most-prominent free agent left on the market. He opted to wait out for a lucrative long-term contract offer but never received one. Reportedly, teams were concerned about his injury history and the fact that he only made 30+ starts twice over the course of his career.

Since making his MLB debut in 2016, Snell has a 71-55 record with a career 3.20 ERA and 1,223 strikeouts. In 2023, playing with the San Diego Padres, Snell had a league-leading 2.25 ERA and 234 strikeouts and became just the seventh player in league history to win CY Young awards in both the American League and National League.

By adding Blake Snell, the Giants have constructed one of the best rotations in NL. It also includes right-hander Logan Webb, who finished second behind Snell in CY Young voting last season, 2021 AL Cy Young winner Robbie Ray, top-rated prospect Kyle Harrison, and closer-turned-starter Jordan Hicks.

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The San Francisco Giants continued their active offseason by signing veteran third-baseman Matt Chapman. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Chapman agreed to a three-year, $54 million contract.

As part of the agreement, Chapman receives opt-outs after each of the first two years of his deal. He will earn $20 million in 2024 and then, if he doesn’t opt out, $18 million in 2025 and $16 million in 2026.

The deal is considered beneficial for both sides. The Giants get one of the best remaining free agents on the market and a player that will significantly elevate a team attempting to bounce back after a disappointing 2023 campaign. Chapman, on the other hand, gets financial security while having an opportunity to test the free agency again in case of a big season.

Matt Chapman spent the last three seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays. He batted .240 with 17 home runs and 54 RBIs in 150 games in 2023. He remained an elite infield defensive presence, winning his fourth Gold Glove Award. The Blue Jays reportedly had an interest in keeping Chapman, offering him a deal worth more than $100 million, but he ended up turning down that offer.

Chapman made his MLB debut with the Oakland Athletics in 2017 and spent five years with the organization before being traded to Toronto. Chapman is a .240 career hitter and has 155 homers and 426 RBIs in the majors. He was an All-Star in 2019.

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All-Star slugger Jorge Soler is off the market. According to multiple reports, Soler inked a three-year, $42 million contract with the San Francisco Giants.

Soler earned his first career All-Star appearance in 2023 as a member of the Miami Marlins. He finished the campaign with a .250 batting average, 36 homers, and 75 RBIs in 137 games.

On the back of a strong campaign, Soler opted out of his contract with the Marlins, which would pay him $13 million in 2024, to test the free market. It turned out to be a great decision because he now gets a bigger average salary and more security.

Soler is a welcomed addition to the Giants, considering that their bats struggled for the majority of the 2023 season. Despite Soler being known for stretches of inconsistency at the plate, he will at least give San Francisco more power and their fans something to be excited about, considering the franchise’s failure to attract top free agents in recent years.

Jorge Soler made his MLB debut in 2014 with the Chicago Cubs and was part of the team that won the World Series in 2016. He then spent four and a half years with the Kansas City Royals before being traded to the Atlanta Braves midway through the 2021 season. Soler ended up being an unlikely hero for the Braves, helping the franchise win the World Series and earning World Series MVP honors. He spent the last two seasons with the Marlins.

Soler’s career stats include a .242 batting average, 170 home runs, and 452 RBIs in 870 games.

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Dusty Baker’s time away from baseball didn’t last long. After retiring as a manager following the 2023 season, Baker reportedly accepted a role in the San Francisco Giants’ front office, where he’ll serve as a special assistant.

According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Baker will assist the president of baseball operations, Farhan Zaidi, on the baseball side while also helping Giants’ president, Larry Baer, with the ownership part of the business. The Giants are expected to make the move official at some point this week.

The move will mark Baker’s return to the Giants after 20 years. Baker first played with the Giants in 1984 and later served as a first base and hitting coach between 1988 and 1992. He was hired as the team manager in 1993 and spent a decade in the position, compiling an 840- 715 record and reaching the World Series in 2002. 

During his managerial stint with the Giants, Baker had a poor relationship with owner Peter Magowan, causing the team not to renew his contract. He would go on to manage the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, and Houston Astros.

Baker spent the past four seasons with the Astros, making the playoffs in each one of them. Under Baker, Houston won three AL West titles, made two World Series trips, and won a World Series in 2022.

The Giants will now hope that Baker’s legendary status in the game can help them turn around the franchise’s fortunes. The San Francisco team has only one playoff appearance since 2017 while finishing the last season with a 79-83 record.   

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Right-hander Jordan Hicks has agreed to a four-year, $44 million contract with the San Francisco Giants, sources have confirmed. It is believed that the Giants are planning to transform him into a regular starter. He will also reportedly be eligible for up to $2 million per year in performance bonuses.

Hicks has some prior experience as a starter, playing in this capacity on a regular basis during his two minor league seasons and over eight rotation games with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2022. The 27-year-old player is one of the hardest-throwing pitchers in baseball, with the 100.3 mph average on his four-seam fastball being second in the majors, as is his sinker, averaging 101.1 mph.

The deal, pending Hicks’ physical, will provide the Giants with a rich array of starting options. Aside from Logan Webb, who is the Giants’ only guaranteed starter, right-hander Ross Stripling, left-handed prospect Kyle Harrison and right-hander Keaton Winn will compete with Hicks for a place in the Giants’ rotation.

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The San Francisco Giants upgraded their rotation on Friday by acquiring Cy Young-winning pitcher Robbie Ray in a trade with the Seattle Mariners.

As part of the deal, the Giants are sending outfielder veteran Mitch Haniger and right-hand pitcher Anthony DeSclafani to Seattle. 

Ray only played one game in 2023 before being shut down and undergoing Tommy John surgery. He is expected to return to the mound at some point in the summer. The 32-year-old has three more years left on his five-year, $115 million contract that comes with an opt-out after this upcoming season.

Prior to signing with the Seattle Mariners in 2021, Ray played with the Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Toronto Blue Jays. He won the AL Cy Young Award in 2021 when he led the league in ERA (2.84) and strikeouts (248).

Haniger, who was an All-Star in 2018, is returning to the Mariners. He played with the franchise between 2017 and 2022 before agreeing to a three-year, $43.5 million contract with the Giants ahead of the 2023 campaign. The 33-year-old player batted a career-low .209 last season, hitting six homers and having 28 RBIs.

DeSclafani made 18 starts in 2023 and finished the season with a 4-8 record, 4.88 ERA, and 79 strikeouts. He is in the last year of a 3-year, $36 million contract.

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The San Francisco Giants’ pursuit of a high-profile name isn’t stopping them from making other roster additions. According to multiple reports, the Giants just signed free-agent catcher Tom Murphy.

Reportedly, Murphy has inked a two-year deal that is worth around $8 million. The agreement also has a club option for the 2026 MLB season.

Murphy spent the past four seasons with the Seattle Mariners. He played 47 games in 2023 with the Mariners, batting .290 with eight homers and 17 RBIs.  Earlier in his career, the 32-year-old player also suited up for the Colorado Rockies.

After several lackluster seasons, the Giants have been active on the trade and free agent market in attempts to lure a big name to San Francisco. They reportedly made a strong push to sign star slugger Aaron Judge last offseason before he re-signed with the Yankees, while also being involved in Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes and even offering the same 10-year, $700 million arrangement that Ohtani accepted from the LA Dodgers.

While the Giants missed out on their two main targets, they did manage to land South Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee this fall. Hoo Lee signed a six-year, $113 million deal earlier this month and is expected to become one of the franchise’s biggest stars in the future.

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Center fielder Jung Hoo Lee agreed to a $113 million, six-year deal with the San Francisco Giants, sources revealed to ESPN late Tuesday. This is the largest contract awarded to a hitter coming to Major League Baseball from Asia, one-upping the $90 million paid by the Boston Red Sox to Masataka Yoshida. Lee’s deal includes an option for a fourth season.

A star in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), Lee is the son of Jong Beom Lee, who is widely regarded as the best all-around player in the KBO during the ’90s. Lee had long been linked with a move to the San Diego Padres, however, the Giants ramped up their pursuit of Lee after Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier in the week.

Lee has batted over .300 every season in the KBO, with a batting average of .340 over the course of his career, including a high of .360 in 2021. Last season, the South Korean hit .318/.406/.455 with six home runs and 45 RBIs in 86 KBO games before a fractured left ankle brought his season to a premature end.

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The underperforming San Francisco Giants didn’t wait for the end of the 2023 MLB season to start making big changes. The team announced on Friday that they have fired manager Gabe Kapler, ending his four-year tenure with the organization.

Kapler is out after the Giants missed out on the postseason for the second consecutive year. The San Francisco team is currently 78-82 and sits 4th in the NL West despite only being 1 ½ games behind the leading Los Angeles Dodgers in July.

The decision to fire Kepler caught some people off guard, considering that the Giants are known for being patient with their managers. Also, Kepler is just two years removed from leading them to a franchise-record 107 regular season wins.

“On behalf of the Giants organization, we wish Gabe the best of luck in his future endeavors and thank him for his contributions over the last four years,” said the president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi.

It is obvious that the Giants’ front office doesn’t believe Kepler can lead them to repeated success. It is unclear which path the team will take next, with Bob Melvin being the favorite to replace Kepler if the San Diego Padres fire him.

Kepler will leave having compiled a 295- 248 record with the Giants and winning the Manager of the Year award in 2021. 

“It is a disappointment to say goodbye,” Kapler wrote on Instagram. “… I felt like I had the chance to help people grow, and people helped me to grow, and I am grateful for the opportunity. We didn’t win enough to satisfy me or our fans.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Gabe Kapler (@gabekapler)

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The San Francisco Giants outfielder Mitch Haniger broke his right forearm when getting hit by a pitch during his team’s 11-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.

“Any time you get hit, the hand’s warm and it doesn’t feel great,” Haniger commented after the game. “Injuries are part of the game, at same time you’ve got to focus on what’s next.”

Haniger’s injury comes shortly after he returned from an oblique injury that he incurred during spring training. Since beginning his oblique recovery, Haniger had developed fine form, hitting .230 with four homers and 22 RBIs. Haniger hit two runs to help the Giants defeat the Cardinals 4-2 on Monday night.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler acknowledged that this new injury is a major setback, particularly as Kapler proved to be finding his form. He called it a “pretty good gut punch” for both Haniger and the team as a whole.

The post OF Mitch Haniger Breaks Forearm in Giants’ Win appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Left-hand pitcher Blake Snell’s wait for a contract is over. The reigning NL Cy Young winner has reportedly agreed to a two-year, $62 million deal with the San Francisco Giants.

As part of the agreement, Snell received an opt-out after the 2024 MLB season, giving him an opportunity to hit the free agency market again in case of another big year.

Snell was the most-prominent free agent left on the market. He opted to wait out for a lucrative long-term contract offer but never received one. Reportedly, teams were concerned about his injury history and the fact that he only made 30+ starts twice over the course of his career.

Since making his MLB debut in 2016, Snell has a 71-55 record with a career 3.20 ERA and 1,223 strikeouts. In 2023, playing with the San Diego Padres, Snell had a league-leading 2.25 ERA and 234 strikeouts and became just the seventh player in league history to win CY Young awards in both the American League and National League.

By adding Blake Snell, the Giants have constructed one of the best rotations in NL. It also includes right-hander Logan Webb, who finished second behind Snell in CY Young voting last season, 2021 AL Cy Young winner Robbie Ray, top-rated prospect Kyle Harrison, and closer-turned-starter Jordan Hicks.

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The San Francisco Giants continued their active offseason by signing veteran third-baseman Matt Chapman. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Chapman agreed to a three-year, $54 million contract.

As part of the agreement, Chapman receives opt-outs after each of the first two years of his deal. He will earn $20 million in 2024 and then, if he doesn’t opt out, $18 million in 2025 and $16 million in 2026.

The deal is considered beneficial for both sides. The Giants get one of the best remaining free agents on the market and a player that will significantly elevate a team attempting to bounce back after a disappointing 2023 campaign. Chapman, on the other hand, gets financial security while having an opportunity to test the free agency again in case of a big season.

Matt Chapman spent the last three seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays. He batted .240 with 17 home runs and 54 RBIs in 150 games in 2023. He remained an elite infield defensive presence, winning his fourth Gold Glove Award. The Blue Jays reportedly had an interest in keeping Chapman, offering him a deal worth more than $100 million, but he ended up turning down that offer.

Chapman made his MLB debut with the Oakland Athletics in 2017 and spent five years with the organization before being traded to Toronto. Chapman is a .240 career hitter and has 155 homers and 426 RBIs in the majors. He was an All-Star in 2019.

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All-Star slugger Jorge Soler is off the market. According to multiple reports, Soler inked a three-year, $42 million contract with the San Francisco Giants.

Soler earned his first career All-Star appearance in 2023 as a member of the Miami Marlins. He finished the campaign with a .250 batting average, 36 homers, and 75 RBIs in 137 games.

On the back of a strong campaign, Soler opted out of his contract with the Marlins, which would pay him $13 million in 2024, to test the free market. It turned out to be a great decision because he now gets a bigger average salary and more security.

Soler is a welcomed addition to the Giants, considering that their bats struggled for the majority of the 2023 season. Despite Soler being known for stretches of inconsistency at the plate, he will at least give San Francisco more power and their fans something to be excited about, considering the franchise’s failure to attract top free agents in recent years.

Jorge Soler made his MLB debut in 2014 with the Chicago Cubs and was part of the team that won the World Series in 2016. He then spent four and a half years with the Kansas City Royals before being traded to the Atlanta Braves midway through the 2021 season. Soler ended up being an unlikely hero for the Braves, helping the franchise win the World Series and earning World Series MVP honors. He spent the last two seasons with the Marlins.

Soler’s career stats include a .242 batting average, 170 home runs, and 452 RBIs in 870 games.

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Dusty Baker’s time away from baseball didn’t last long. After retiring as a manager following the 2023 season, Baker reportedly accepted a role in the San Francisco Giants’ front office, where he’ll serve as a special assistant.

According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Baker will assist the president of baseball operations, Farhan Zaidi, on the baseball side while also helping Giants’ president, Larry Baer, with the ownership part of the business. The Giants are expected to make the move official at some point this week.

The move will mark Baker’s return to the Giants after 20 years. Baker first played with the Giants in 1984 and later served as a first base and hitting coach between 1988 and 1992. He was hired as the team manager in 1993 and spent a decade in the position, compiling an 840- 715 record and reaching the World Series in 2002. 

During his managerial stint with the Giants, Baker had a poor relationship with owner Peter Magowan, causing the team not to renew his contract. He would go on to manage the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, and Houston Astros.

Baker spent the past four seasons with the Astros, making the playoffs in each one of them. Under Baker, Houston won three AL West titles, made two World Series trips, and won a World Series in 2022.

The Giants will now hope that Baker’s legendary status in the game can help them turn around the franchise’s fortunes. The San Francisco team has only one playoff appearance since 2017 while finishing the last season with a 79-83 record.   

The post Dusty Baker Returns to Giants, Will Serve as a Special Assistant in Front Office appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Right-hander Jordan Hicks has agreed to a four-year, $44 million contract with the San Francisco Giants, sources have confirmed. It is believed that the Giants are planning to transform him into a regular starter. He will also reportedly be eligible for up to $2 million per year in performance bonuses.

Hicks has some prior experience as a starter, playing in this capacity on a regular basis during his two minor league seasons and over eight rotation games with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2022. The 27-year-old player is one of the hardest-throwing pitchers in baseball, with the 100.3 mph average on his four-seam fastball being second in the majors, as is his sinker, averaging 101.1 mph.

The deal, pending Hicks’ physical, will provide the Giants with a rich array of starting options. Aside from Logan Webb, who is the Giants’ only guaranteed starter, right-hander Ross Stripling, left-handed prospect Kyle Harrison and right-hander Keaton Winn will compete with Hicks for a place in the Giants’ rotation.

The post Jordan Hicks Signs Four-Year Deal With San Francisco Giants appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The San Francisco Giants upgraded their rotation on Friday by acquiring Cy Young-winning pitcher Robbie Ray in a trade with the Seattle Mariners.

As part of the deal, the Giants are sending outfielder veteran Mitch Haniger and right-hand pitcher Anthony DeSclafani to Seattle. 

Ray only played one game in 2023 before being shut down and undergoing Tommy John surgery. He is expected to return to the mound at some point in the summer. The 32-year-old has three more years left on his five-year, $115 million contract that comes with an opt-out after this upcoming season.

Prior to signing with the Seattle Mariners in 2021, Ray played with the Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Toronto Blue Jays. He won the AL Cy Young Award in 2021 when he led the league in ERA (2.84) and strikeouts (248).

Haniger, who was an All-Star in 2018, is returning to the Mariners. He played with the franchise between 2017 and 2022 before agreeing to a three-year, $43.5 million contract with the Giants ahead of the 2023 campaign. The 33-year-old player batted a career-low .209 last season, hitting six homers and having 28 RBIs.

DeSclafani made 18 starts in 2023 and finished the season with a 4-8 record, 4.88 ERA, and 79 strikeouts. He is in the last year of a 3-year, $36 million contract.

The post Giants Acquire Cy Young Winner Robbie Ray in a Trade With Mariners appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The San Francisco Giants’ pursuit of a high-profile name isn’t stopping them from making other roster additions. According to multiple reports, the Giants just signed free-agent catcher Tom Murphy.

Reportedly, Murphy has inked a two-year deal that is worth around $8 million. The agreement also has a club option for the 2026 MLB season.

Murphy spent the past four seasons with the Seattle Mariners. He played 47 games in 2023 with the Mariners, batting .290 with eight homers and 17 RBIs.  Earlier in his career, the 32-year-old player also suited up for the Colorado Rockies.

After several lackluster seasons, the Giants have been active on the trade and free agent market in attempts to lure a big name to San Francisco. They reportedly made a strong push to sign star slugger Aaron Judge last offseason before he re-signed with the Yankees, while also being involved in Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes and even offering the same 10-year, $700 million arrangement that Ohtani accepted from the LA Dodgers.

While the Giants missed out on their two main targets, they did manage to land South Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee this fall. Hoo Lee signed a six-year, $113 million deal earlier this month and is expected to become one of the franchise’s biggest stars in the future.

The post Giants Sign Veteran Catcher Tom Murphy to 2-Year, $8 Million Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Center fielder Jung Hoo Lee agreed to a $113 million, six-year deal with the San Francisco Giants, sources revealed to ESPN late Tuesday. This is the largest contract awarded to a hitter coming to Major League Baseball from Asia, one-upping the $90 million paid by the Boston Red Sox to Masataka Yoshida. Lee’s deal includes an option for a fourth season.

A star in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), Lee is the son of Jong Beom Lee, who is widely regarded as the best all-around player in the KBO during the ’90s. Lee had long been linked with a move to the San Diego Padres, however, the Giants ramped up their pursuit of Lee after Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier in the week.

Lee has batted over .300 every season in the KBO, with a batting average of .340 over the course of his career, including a high of .360 in 2021. Last season, the South Korean hit .318/.406/.455 with six home runs and 45 RBIs in 86 KBO games before a fractured left ankle brought his season to a premature end.

The post Jung Hoo Lee Agrees to Six-Year Deal With San Francisco Giants appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The underperforming San Francisco Giants didn’t wait for the end of the 2023 MLB season to start making big changes. The team announced on Friday that they have fired manager Gabe Kapler, ending his four-year tenure with the organization.

Kapler is out after the Giants missed out on the postseason for the second consecutive year. The San Francisco team is currently 78-82 and sits 4th in the NL West despite only being 1 ½ games behind the leading Los Angeles Dodgers in July.

The decision to fire Kepler caught some people off guard, considering that the Giants are known for being patient with their managers. Also, Kepler is just two years removed from leading them to a franchise-record 107 regular season wins.

“On behalf of the Giants organization, we wish Gabe the best of luck in his future endeavors and thank him for his contributions over the last four years,” said the president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi.

It is obvious that the Giants’ front office doesn’t believe Kepler can lead them to repeated success. It is unclear which path the team will take next, with Bob Melvin being the favorite to replace Kepler if the San Diego Padres fire him.

Kepler will leave having compiled a 295- 248 record with the Giants and winning the Manager of the Year award in 2021. 

“It is a disappointment to say goodbye,” Kapler wrote on Instagram. “… I felt like I had the chance to help people grow, and people helped me to grow, and I am grateful for the opportunity. We didn’t win enough to satisfy me or our fans.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Gabe Kapler (@gabekapler)

The post San Francisco Giants Fire Manager Gabe Kapler appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The San Francisco Giants outfielder Mitch Haniger broke his right forearm when getting hit by a pitch during his team’s 11-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.

“Any time you get hit, the hand’s warm and it doesn’t feel great,” Haniger commented after the game. “Injuries are part of the game, at same time you’ve got to focus on what’s next.”

Haniger’s injury comes shortly after he returned from an oblique injury that he incurred during spring training. Since beginning his oblique recovery, Haniger had developed fine form, hitting .230 with four homers and 22 RBIs. Haniger hit two runs to help the Giants defeat the Cardinals 4-2 on Monday night.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler acknowledged that this new injury is a major setback, particularly as Kapler proved to be finding his form. He called it a “pretty good gut punch” for both Haniger and the team as a whole.

The post OF Mitch Haniger Breaks Forearm in Giants’ Win appeared first on SportzBonanza.