You could make a strong case that the two biggest moments of the Giants' offseason thus far have been losses for the roster, first when Buster Posey announced his retirement and then when 2021 opening day starter Kevin Gausman signed a five-year, $110 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Posey's decision surprised a lot of people in the building, but the Giants knew early on last season that Gausman likely would command the type of deal they're not comfortable with. It's one they never came close to matching, according to the pitcher himself. Gausman shed some light on his free agency on Sunday, saying his former team never made a formal offer.
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The news here shouldn't really come as a surprise. The biggest deal the Giants have given out since Farhan Zaidi took over is the three-year, $36 million contract Anthony DeSclafani signed around the time Gausman was finishing up his own foray into free agency. This is not a front office that likes long-term deals for pitchers, and Zaidi shied away from them even while in Los Angeles.
The Giants and Gausman talked about a multi-year deal after his breakout 2020 season, but Gausman ultimately took the qualifying offer and then pitched so well in 2021 that he set himself up as one of the top pitchers on the market. Giants officials knew Gausman's market would get away from them, although the right-hander talked during the season about wanting to stay if a match could be found. He mentioned it again after signing with the Blue Jays.
"As for me not going back, it's a business and I understand that," Gausman said in December. "I really wanted to come back but at the same time I understand there are a lot of things that you can't control."
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Could the Giants have offered a shorter deal with much higher annual salaries? Sure, but it's an offer they knew would have been rejected, and according to Gausman, they never made it. He's now the co-ace in Toronto and the Giants pivoted to shorter deals for DeSclafani, Alex Wood and Alex Cobb.
A couple of months later, Gausman took to Twitter to provide the latest reminder that these Giants don't intend to spend too much time hanging out in the expensive end of the market.