It's been a relatively quiet offseason for Bay Area baseball teams. And unless you're the Mets or the Mariners, you more than likely had a still offseason as well.
But as far as the Giants go, the question remains whether or not the team will trade Madison Bumgarner.
Well, despite multiple reports that this unicorn of a trade might not happen, the discussion has never gone away -- especially for Duane Kuiper.
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In an interview with KNBR on Wednesday, the Giants broadcaster said he believes MadBum isn't the pitcher that will be dealt away.
"To me, just reading by what Farhan (Zaidi) and the Giants executives are doing, is they’re going to make a trade,” Kuiper said. “And I’m convinced that they’re going to end up losing — and I don’t think it’s going to be Bumgarner — but I do believe they are going to lose one of their two left-handers. And they’ll get a really good player for either (Tony) Watson or Will Smith.”
Watson boasted a 2.59 ERA last season in 66 innings accumulating 72 strikeouts, and he almost matched his career-high strikeout/walk ratio that he set in 2014 (5.40) -- the same year he earned an All-Star selection.
Smith's numbers from last season also are impressive. A 2.55 ERA with 71 K's in 53 innings and a 12.06 strikeouts per nine inning rate. Which is probably why the Giants have been receiving calls on him. Specifically the Cardinals:
Kuiper also praised having both Smith and Watson on the team.
[RELATED: Smith drawing interest from teams]
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“I love both those guys, they’re great,” Kuiper said. “They’re great in the clubhouse, they don’t want to leave, they love the organization and the city, but things can’t stay the same if you’re not generating enough offense. World championships bring people to the ballpark, but if you’re not winning world championships then a few wins and scoring runs will bring people to the ballpark.”
He's not wrong. It's pretty apparent the Giants don't have immediate plans to take home a World Series ring, but while they build up to that process, having a team that can hit balls over the fence is imperative -- that's what the fans want, it's what they need.
Getting some power bats, like Martinez, for these strong arms could change the entire attitude of a season that is looking a bit meek at the moment.