San Francisco Giants made mistake with Kevin Gausman
The San Francisco Giants had made their intentions known when it came to Kevin Gausman. They were interested in continuing their relationship, stating that they wanted to keep him around. It was certainly understandable considering how successful their two years together had been, especially as the Giants were needing to rebuild their rotation once again.
As interested as the Giants may have been, those words did not match their actions. According to Gausman, the team never made an offer before he signed a five year deal with the Blue Jays.
I want to set the record straight for y’all bc there has been a lot of bs out there about this. SF never made me an offer. Simple as that. Anyone or anything that says otherwise is #FakeNews
— Kevin Gausman (@KevinGausman) January 23, 2022
San Francisco Giants making mistake by letting Kevin Gausman walk
Gausman certainly found something in San Francisco. He was seemingly on the verge of flaming out, another former top prospect for the Orioles who was unable to live up to his potential. The Giants signed him to a one year deal worth $9 million for the 2020 campaign, seemingly giving him a final shot.
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That deal worked out well enough that he earned the Qualifying Offer the following season, leading to his two year run in San Francisco. In that time, he posted a 3.00 ERA and a 1.057 WHiP over his 251.2 innings, striking out 306 batters with just 66 walks. It was one of the longest sustained bouts of success that he has had at the major league level.
But it also shows why the Giants may not have made an offer. They have reportedly been unwilling to entertain contracts with a nine digit salary, which may be why they did not make an offer to Gausman. As he received a five year deal worth $110 million, he may not have returned to San Francisco anyway.
Maybe a four year, $90 million contract would not have been enough. And maybe the Giants just did not feel that he would be worth bringing back with all the other holes on their roster. However, it is curious that they did not bother to really gauge his interest in a return, especially considering the multitude of holes in their rotation.
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The San Francisco Giants never made an offer to Kevin Gausman in free agency. That could prove to have been a mistake.