The San Francisco Giants have had a massively disappointing 2017 season. That’s no secret. Sitting at 34-56 at the All-Star break, the Giants have the second-worst record in the league and have all but guaranteed they won’t be playing baseball in October.
It’s strange, too. Year after year, the Giants aren’t heavy favorites to win the World Series, yet alone their own division. But nobody saw the team getting blindsided like they have this season.
With three world championships to their name since the start of the decade, the Giants have dished out big money for those players that helped bring parades to San Francisco.
On the “KJ Podcast,” Kevin Jones discussed how the Giants’ trend of paying big bucks for the players that have helped bring home championships has played a role in holding the team back this season. Jones was joined by KNBR Giants beat reporter Kerry Crowley, and the pair discussed a wide range of topics regarding the Giants, including what the future might hold for Johnny Cueto, Brandon Belt and Bruce Bochy.
“It’s hard to rip [the Giants] decision makers when you win three championships like they did in the decade. But I look at the New England Patriots, who get rid of Willie McGinest, Mike Vrabel, Richard Seymour, Adam Vinatieri, Ty Law, Wes Welker at the heights of their career because they know they’re on the decline.”
“I see the Giants being weighed down by Matt Cain,” Jones said of the Giants right-hander who is in the last year of a five-year, $112.5 million contract.
Jones added, “I see a fundamental flaw in the way that [the Giants] roster was planned. They’re letting things weigh them down because they’re looking at the past, and being like ‘they brought us good memories.’”
To listen to the entire KJ Podcast, click below. To listen to Kevin and Kerry talk about bad contracts weighing the team down, skip ahead to the 7:00 mark.