It’s hard to imagine the San Francisco Giants without Matt Cain, but come 2018, the longest-tenured player on the roster will not be pitching at AT&T Park.
The Giants don’t plan on bringing the 13th-year veteran back next season, but according to CEO Larry Baer, the organization does plan on honoring him on the final day of the regular season.
“Matt has been with the Giants since 2005 and I think that you have to do something the last day of the season and we just have to figure out what that something is and we just have to get together with Boch and get together with Matt and determine that,” Baer said during an interview with John Lund and Kevin Frandsen on KNBR on Tuesday.
Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy has indicated the team will consider giving Cain a start during the season’s final weekend, but regardless of whether or not Cain pitches against the Padres, Baer said the franchise will find a way to celebrate Cain’s career.
“Think about what Matt did in 2012 and pitching in these elimination games,” Baer said. “Think about what Matt did in 2010. Think about what Matt has done symbolizing the Giants. He’s another example of grit.”
Baer said the Giants won’t honor Cain the same way they honored Ryan Vogelsong on Sunday because the franchise doesn’t know whether or not Cain will retire at the end of the season. Baer said the Giants hope that the 32-year-old will continue pitching in the Major Leagues, but because they’re unsure of Cain’s future, they can’t send him out with a retirement ceremony.
“I think that’s undetermined yet because it’s kind of a little bit like the situation we’ve had before with Barry Zito and Javier Lopez,” Baer said. “Unless Matt retires, and we have no information or inclination that that’s happening, then you can’t do a quote, unquote retirement.”
The only certainty about the Giants’ plans is that Sunday, October 1 will not be the final time the Giants honor Cain. The Dothan, Alabama native became a franchise legend after helping the club to three World Series titles, and his ability to anchor San Francisco’s rotation during the prime of his career will be remembered fondly by the Giants for years to come.
To listen to Lund and Frandsen’s interview with Larry Baer, click the podcast link below. To listen to Baer’s comments about Cain, skip ahead to the 6:35 mark.