Caintract Negotiations Stall

Spring camp for the Giants is going quite well. By all accounts, the team is getting A+ marks in chemistry class, while still exhibiting a hunger to get back to the top of the baseball world. Player-development-wise, things are moving along pretty smoothly, too. Buster Posey hit a home run! Vogelsong's back is a slight concern, but Brian Wilson looks ready. Freddy Sanchez is progressing at about the pace one expects Freddy Sanchez to progress at. All parties expect Matt Cain to sign a long term deal before camp breaks. Belt is belting. Gregor Blanco could become the surprise 4th or 5th outfielder.

I've been waiting for some bad news. I got it when my alarm clock went off this morning. To be fair, every morning when my alarm clock goes off, it's a bad thing. But when I hear Kate Scott on KNBR telling me that no further discussions are planned between the Giant's and Cain's representatives, well that's going to put me in an especially sour mood.

So I guess not everything is going so peachy down there in Scottsdale. The Giants are trying to lock up Cain to a longer term deal, but if they don't reach an agreement by the end of Spring Training, he'll likely become a free agent after the season. Who knows what Cain and his people are asking for now. But do the Giants think that price is going DOWN if he reaches the open market? Cain could get Godfather offers from multiple teams. Offers that actually WOULD be too rich, or at least too outrageous, even for the Giants.

The farm system isn't exactly bursting with cheap talent ready to come up and replace a guy like Cain. The one guy they had who could have been on that track, Zack Wheeler, was traded last season for Carlos Beltran. Carlos Beltran, the hitter they couldn't afford to re-sign in the offseason, because they NEEDED THE MONEY TO KEEP THEIR PITCHERS!!

Matt Cains don't come around too often. He's probably wants about $20 mil a year, and he's worth it (it's only $5 mil more than they're paying him this year). He's proven he's extremely durable. They've been able to rely on him for a chance to win every 5th day for the past 6 seasons. Give him a reward, because you know someone else will.

Letting Beltran walk was the Giants' ownership getting their cake. Letting Cain walk would be eating it too.