The Giants are close to signing the free internal agent Tommy La Stella, by Alex Pavlovic of the NBC Sports Bay Area (via Twitter) La Stella is represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council. Although the deal is still being finalized, it is said to be for a period of three years, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan (via Twitter) This would be the longest agreement Farhan Zaidi has since taken on as president of baseball operations, notes Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter)
If La Stella does sign for three years, he will have a longer contract than we projected at the beginning of the free agency. La Stella was the free agent # 30 on our board, with a projected two-year deal and $ 14 million ahead – a milestone he seems to have surpassed. As for the Giants, their books are almost entirely clear after the 2022 season, where a $ 13 million club option for Evan Longoria it is the only contract currently on the payroll. The $ 5 million buyout attached to this deal is the only money guaranteed in the books for the 2023 season, so a third year for La Stella is certainly not prohibitive, assuming a manageable AAV.
La Stella’s story is one of perseverance, as there was a time when he considered retirement before the 2016 season. Again in the deadline, when the Cubs chose La Stella, then 27, for Triple-A, he thought on hanging instead of continuing to come and go between the minors and the Show. He returned, however, to resume his role as a professional hitter, winning a ring with the 2016 Cubs. When he arrived at the free agency, La Stella looked for an opportunity to play full time and met her with Angela. His escape during an All-Star season in 2019, when he cut 0.295 / 0.346 / 0.486 with 16 home runs in 321 plate appearances.
It maintained it during the truncated 2020 season, producing 1.2 fWAR and 129 wRC + that took the form of a 0.281 / 0.370 / 0.449 line, a solid 11.8% walking rate and a tiny strikeout rate of 5.3%. Although these numbers occurred in just 228 plate games, the Giants believe they are adding resistance to the top of their lineup in the form of La Stella, who turns 32 later this month.
For the Giants, La Stella meets the need for a left-handed bat that slides to the top of the order. Defensively, La Stella should take on most reps on second base, pushing Donovan Solano back to a utility function. La Stella can also play on third base. The giants can now roll with an initial internal field of Brandon Belt, La Stella, Brandon Crawfordand Longoria. Solano, Mauricio Dubon, Wilmer Floresand Jason Vosler are capable of reps on the field outside the bench. Buster Posey, if healthy, I would consider spending some time on first base as well. Altogether, it is a crowded group, although versatile. It also probably means that Dubón spends most of his time abroad.