© Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
With Spring Training looming in the horizon, Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow joined Murph and Mac to discuss the Giants offseason so far and what he thought about some of the moves in the pitching rotation.
When asked if he thought President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi was done making moves in the pitching rotation, Krukow said he thinks the door is still wide open for addition.
“Oh yeah, he’s not done. No way. I don’t think any general manager’s done,” Krukow said. “I think all hell is about to break loose in this last month before the camp. You’re going to see a lot of really established players getting invited into camp on minor league contracts. I mean all bets are off. These last two years, if you’re a free agent, there are no guarantees, but it really does allow general managers some flexibility as they don’t have to panic.
They can just sit back fat, dumb, and happy and think, ‘I’ve got the option to see what I have,’ and then go out and shop based on what they have in camp. So, I think that’s all going to happen. It’s a really weird time in baseball, especially as a free agent right now, but I’m just very happy the Giants brought back (Derek) Holland, and whether or not he’s in the rotation, it doesn’t matter; he’s going to help this club.”
It was announced Monday that the Giants have signed Derek Holland to a one-year, $7 million deal, which includes a club option for 2020, and as stated above, Krukow did not hold back praise of the veteran left-hander.
“I think (Derek) transitioned last year,” Krukow said. “He was no longer the blazing fastballer that we saw when he was in Texas, where he could basically come at you with one pitch. He made a transition from being a thrower into a pitcher, and he mentioned today about what (Giants pitching coaches) Curt Young and Matt Hurges did for him helping him along the way — try a few more things out, rely on a different movement on your fastball, come up with a more reliable off-speed pitch you can throw in fastball counts. So, I think he transitioned. He winded up leading the team in innings, but, more importantly, he was just a soldier.”
Krukow remembers a conversation he had with Holland early last season.
“Early in the year… he would always get the tight zone,” Krukow said. “He would always get the zone that favored the hitter. This was like the first seven starts he had. He was getting no breaks. I asked him around the cage one day. I said, ‘You’re not getting a lot of great strike zones to work with’ and he said, ‘Well, you gotta make it work, right?’ That was such a great comment. That’s what a big league pitcher does. That’s what a veteran does. You don’t make excuses. You don’t wallow in the negative. You simply figure out a way to get it done and I loved the fact they brought him back because he’s your insurance. He may be your third starter, but he also may be a guy that goes to the bullpen. I’m just so glad the Giants brought him back because to me he defines what a professional is.”
Holland did have a Renaissance year last season, posting a 3.57 ERA and recording 169 strikeouts, good for second best in his career for a season, but Krukow notes that positive statistics aren’t the only thing Holland brings to the team.
“He’s hysterical,” Krukow said of Holland. “You know Bochy; he loves the energy guys. Guys who don’t have a bad day. Guys who bring a good attitude to into that clubhouse everyday, and that’s Holland. He’s a professional, but he’s also a guy that will definitely loosen things up. He’s a thoroughbred lefty, so he does stuff that we can’t talk about, but he keeps the troops loose, and I think that had everything to do with bringing him back too.”