Cain, Giants agree to new deal … like we told you so

I’m not one to say I told you so, but ….

Hey, here’s a quote from a blog post on MoreSplashHits from late February.

“The Giants reportedly offered Lincecum a five-year, $100 million offer (in January), which he rejected before agreeing to the two-year, $40.5 million deal.

“MoreSplashHits thinks that offer was more designed for Cain than Lincecum. The Giants offered it knowing Lincecum would turn it down. Then they could turn and make a similar offer to Cain.”

So what happened on Monday?

Cain and the Giants agreed to a five-year, $100 million deal.

Actually, with the $5 million signing bonus and the $7.5 million buyout for the 2018 option year, it brings the total guaranteed value of the deal at $112.5 million. That’s probably what Cain was holding out for.

The 2018 contract year as a vesting player option for $21 million if he reaches a certain number of innings pitched.

It means between now and 2018, the Giants could ending up paying Cain $141 million over the next years.

Some outlets were reporting the deal at $127.5 million. But that’s simple math.

Cain was due to make $15 this season. So take that $15 million, add $5 million signing bonus, five years at $100 million, plus the $7.5 buyout for 2018, it equals $127.5 million guaranteed over six years.

And let’s dispell some thoughts that have been shared in the wake of this deal.

First, there is the thought of the Giants giving so much to a pitcher who has a career losing record and has never won more than 14 games a season.

My response: Who cares.

Cain has historically received paltry run support. His career run support per 9 innings pitched of 3.6 is a full run below the league average.

To make a comparison, Cain received 3.6 runs of support last year had a 2.88 ERA and went 12-11.

Ian Kennedy of Arizona received 4.3 runs of support, had a 2.88 ERA and went 21-4.

It shows what a few more runs, and other circumstances, can do to a pitcher’s win-loss record.

Also, let’s tone down the rhetoric that the Dodgers sale sparked this deal getting done.

The Dodgers deal was going to happen. They were going to be sold this season. And once they were did, the new owners would be in a situation to spend more on the team, no matter who bought the team or what the price tag was.

The Giants knew this. Cain’s camp knew this. Everyone knew this. It really wasn’t much of a factor. It’s a cosmetic cause-and-effect thing.

The real issue was the opening day deadline that Cain and the Giants were working on. That’s why they made this deal now.

And we’re glad they did. It keeps Cain in black-and-orange through 2017, at least.

And here’s the big thing. It moves Zito down the list on the list of players the Giants will pay the most this season, behind Lincecum and now Cain.

All is not right in the world. But it’s certainly getter better.

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