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Browsing: Giants
The National Baseball Hall of Fame is peppered with players who finished long, distinguished careers by donning a Dodgers uniform, their performance dwindling as their age increased. Greg Maddux, Rickey Henderson, Juan Marichal and Eddie Murray are among those who leap to mind.
An exception was Jeff Kent, who Sunday received 14 of 16 possible votes by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee, the only player among eight on the ballot with enough for induction into Cooperstown.
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With unmatched power as a second baseman and an unrelenting approach to his craft, Kent was a Dodger for the last four seasons of his 17-year career, solidifying his Hall of Fame credentials statistically while also serving as a curmudgeonly leader on a roster crowded with young stars such as Matt Kemp, Russell Martin, Andre Ethier and James Loney.
“It’s a moment of satisfaction of the things I did right in my career, the things I consistently stuck to,” he told MLB Network. “The hard work, the gratification of playing the game the right way. I love the game.”
The son of a motorcycle police officer and a product of Huntington Beach Edison High, Kent became emotional during a news conference at the 2005 MLB Winter Meetings when it was announced that he’d signed a two-year, $17 million contract with the Dodgers.
“This is the third time Iâ€ve tried to get with the Dodgers,†he said at the time. “I want to be on a team with the potential to win because Iâ€m running out of time. This team has that mentality.”
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The Dodgers never won a World Series during Kent’s tenure, but he quickly fell into the role of a veteran leader, making himself available to the media after tough losses to shield younger players from the glare.
He said what was on his mind, sometimes to a fault, once suggesting that legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully “talks too much.”
Maybe that’s why Kent getting the Hall of Fame nod from a list of candidates that included all-time home run leader Barry Bonds, 354-game winner Roger Clemens, 509-home run slugger Gary Sheffield, 1980s stars Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy, and Dodgers icon Fernando Valenzuela was unexpected.
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Even Kent was surprised.
“The emotions are overwhelming — unbelievable,†Kent said. “I didnâ€t even expect it. For me, there were so many quality guys that the committee had to argue through and vote for. Iâ€m grateful that they considered me and gave it a shot at putting me in.â€
Valenzuela, Bonds, Clemens and Sheffield each had fewer than five votes, meaning they will not be eligible the next time their era is considered in 2031. They can be nominated once more at that time, but will not be eligible for consideration if they again fall short of five votes.
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All of the candidates already had been spurned by the Baseball Writers Assn. of America. Seventy-five percent of the votes are necessary for induction, and Kent never received even 50% during his 10 years on the BBWAA ballot that ended in 2023.
“The time had gone by, and you just leave it alone, and I left it alone,” Kent said. “I loved the game, and everything I gave to the game I left there on the field. This moment today, over the last few days, I was absolutely unprepared. Emotionally unstable.”
Kent was named National League most valuable player in 2000 with the San Francisco Giants, the team with which his career is most associated. He batted a career-best .334 with 33 homers and 125 runs batted in that season and drove in more than 100 runs in each of his six seasons batting behind Bonds.
He said he plans to enter the Hall of Fame wearing a Giants cap.
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“The turning point in my career was with Dusty Baker, the manager I got with in San Francisco,” said Kent, who played in college at California. “He motivated me to get the peak performance out of me.”
Kent finished with 377 career homers, 351 as a second baseman, the most ever for the position. He also is the only second baseman to collect more than 100 RBIs in eight seasons.
As a Dodger, he hit 75 homers and batted .290 in more than 2,000 plate appearances. His last manager with the Dodgers was Joe Torre, who described Kent’s impact on the franchise.
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“Heâ€s one of those players whose actions are supposed to make you understand what he thinks,†Torre said.“Itâ€s the old pro thing.â€
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Five questions for Giants to answer as they head to annual MLB Winter Meetings originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
ORLANDO — In at least one area, the Giants are getting solid reviews for their early offseason work.
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They have put together a coaching staff that includes needed experience around first-year manager Tony Vitello, but also young coaches who have built strong reputations while coming through the ranks with other organizations. Throw in the additions of Bruce Bochy, Javier Lopez and Curt Casali to the front office, and Vitello and president of baseball operations Buster Posey will be surrounded by a group that looks well-rounded on paper.
None of that will matter, though, if the roster doesnâ€t get better, and on that front, the Giants have been quiet.
The only free-agent contract thus far has gone to lefty reliever Sam Hentges, who will try to join Erik Miller as bullpen lefties as he recovers from shoulder and knee surgeries. The Giants also have added some depth to their outfield, but their most notable offseason move thus far has been a departure. Marco Luciano, formerly their top prospect, was claimed by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday.
That left the Giants with an open 40-man spot as they flew to Florida for Major League Baseballâ€s annual Winter Meetings. Will they use it on a big-time starter or a closer in the coming days? Is a trade already in the works? Was that simply so they can take part in Wednesdayâ€s Rule 5 Draft?
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Weâ€ll find out over the next week. This is the busiest stretch of the offseason calendar, and Posey and general manager Zack Minasian have plenty of work left to do. Here are five questions that the organization should answer in Orlando …
Will They Spend?
This is the time of year when rumors fly and every story includes quotes from anonymous sources, but as the stove started to heat up in November, a lot of people seemed to ignore a very important piece of information.
Giants chairman Greg Johnson went on the record in October and hinted at what was to come, telling John Shea of The San Francisco Standard that the organization would be “very cautious†about $100 million deals for pitchers. Johnson also mentioned the long-term commitments the team has made in recent years to players like Willy Adames, Matt Chapman, Rafael Devers and Jung Hoo Lee.
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“I think the risk is having too many people on similar six-year-type deals that create less flexibility to the payroll,†he told Shea.
The Giants actually have been pretty transparent about where they stand financially, even though their preferences are incredibly frustrating to fans. Sources this week confirmed The Athleticâ€s reporting that Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai likely is out of their comfort zone, and thatâ€s not a surprise if you go back to those quotes from Johnson. This all goes back to the regular season, though.
When the Giants traded for Devers and the roughly $260 million left on his deal in June, some high-ranking team employees were told there essentially was no wiggle room to keep adding money at the July deadline. That didnâ€t end up mattering because the team cratered so dramatically that Posey ended up selling, not looking to add.
Months later, the Giants head to Orlando with more than $50 million that they can spend before they start bumping up against the first tax line. But they also are concerned about items that wonâ€t impact their 2026 40-man roster. When you combine Vitelloâ€s salary with his buyout and the $4 million still owed to Bob Melvin, the Giants will be paying an MLB-high $10.5 million to the manager spot in 2026. They owe Blake Snell $17 million on Jan. 15 as a delayed signing bonus for a two-year deal that didnâ€t work out.
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Posey is unique among his peers in that he is part of the ownership group and a member of the board of directors, and he has shown an ability to get his partners to shell out more than planned, particularly with the Devers deal. He also operates in silence, which is worth remembering during this Imai chase.
Even if the Giants end up out on Imai, they still should have the financial ability to add two starting pitchers. The next week will reveal how far theyâ€re willing to go, though.
Attendance was way up in 2025 and season ticket renewal numbers were strong, so fans will be rightfully annoyed if the Giants stick to the spending plan that they have put out there publicly over the past two months and get outbid for the top free agent starters.
Can They Get Creative?
If we can step back and defend part of that plan for a moment … the truth is that many long-term, nine-figure pitching deals become disasters. And paying for high-end relievers is usually a bad idea, as well.
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Itâ€s somewhat understandable if the Giants prefer two- or three-year deals for starters and want to stay away from the closers getting $15 million-plus on the open market, but if thatâ€s the case, they do have to find other ways to add real talent. Their position player core is strong enough to get to the MLB playoffs, and with a lockout looming, 2026 is crucial. By the time thereâ€s labor peace, the core is going to be a bit old.
If Posey has a huge trade for a reliable starting pitcher up his sleeve, this is the time. This is a good offseason to be looking to make that kind of splash, too. The Minnesota Twins reportedly are pulling their guys off the market, but Freddy Peralta, MacKenzie Gore, Kris Bubic and others might be moved in the next week.
Making that kind of deal requires parting with good prospects, but Lucianoâ€s path was a reminder that prospect-hoarding doesnâ€t always pay off. The Giants are also much better positioned to deal than they were a year ago thanks to some promising developments within their system.
Their recent international classes have been strong with another good group on the way in January, and three of their top prospects — Josuar Gonzalez, Gavin Kilen and Jhonny Level — are middle infielders at a time when their big league shortstop is on a long-term deal. There are some really intriguing arms in the low minors. Posey was a firm no when the Boston Red Sox initially asked about Bryce Eldridge, but with Devers looking comfortable at first, thereâ€s at least some possibility that the front office could change its mind.
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This would seem to be the time to take a big swing and trade a couple of younger prospects for a pitcher who could help in 2026. Years from now, that might hurt, or we might forget those names altogether. If the Giants arenâ€t going to fish in the deep waters in free agency, this is a risk they need to take.
What About The Other Side?
The front officeâ€s preference is to deal mostly with minor league free agents, waiver claims and lesser-known veterans when rebuilding the bullpen, and so far thatâ€s been the way theyâ€ve operated. Lefty Reiver Sanmartin was claimed from the Cincinnati Reds, and Hentges got a modest $1.4 million after a solid run in Cleveland.
Throw those two in with Miller and Matt Gage and the Giants probably are fine from the left side. Miller was just about fully recovered from elbow soreness by the end of September, and the staff can wait and see who else stands out in Scottsdale.
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The right side of the bullpen needs help, though, and Posey and Minasian probably need to get at least two high-leverage options for Vitello, who will be judged in large part on how he handles late-game decisions in his first year.
Devin Williams and Ryan Helsley already are off the board, and their deals seemed pretty reasonable. Edwin Diaz will be way too pricey, but Robert Suarez might end up closer to the Williams/Helsley range and Pete Fairbanks would be a nice fit on a short-term deal.
Posey said on the “Giants Talk†podcast last month that he anticipates a competition for the closer spot, indicating they wonâ€t spend on the higher-end arms. But the Giants do need to find a favorite for that competition, and at the moment that player isnâ€t on their roster. They also need a good option for the eighth. A Tyler Rogers reunion would be the obvious move, but thatâ€s not nearly as much of a slam dunk as it seemed when he was traded away.
The Giants hung around early in 2025 because they had one of the gameâ€s best bullpens. Getting a few new right-handers to throw into the late-inning mix in 2026 is a necessity.
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Who Stays, Who Goes?
It took four decades — from Chili Davis to Heliot Ramos — for the Giants to develop another homegrown MLB All-Star outfielder, a not-so-fun fact that makes the current makeup of their 40-man roster fascinating. The Giants have nine outfielders in those 40 spots, including four homegrown players. It wonâ€t be a comfortable winter for those four, though.
With the additions of Justin Dean and Joey Wiemer, the front office is signaling that a new mix will be out on the grass next season. Thatâ€s particularly noteworthy for Luis Matos, who — like Luciano — is out of minor league options. Wade Meckler and Grant McCray also have been bumped down the depth chart by the additions of Dean, Wiemer and Drew Gilbert.
Ramos is the starting left fielder, but he could hear his name in trade rumors this month — mostly because there just arenâ€t a whole lot of other young Giants who could be the centerpiece of any kind of noteworthy deal.
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There will be changes to this large outfield group before the spring, and possibly before the end of the Winter Meetings. The big question, though, is whether Posey and Minasian feel additions are needed.
With Ramos in left and Lee in center, the Giants could opt to go with a right-field platoon of the left-handed Gilbert and right-handed Wiemer, which would be excellent defensively and take up very little payroll space. But there still are some veterans out there who could provide more certainty.
What Does Tony Think?
At the GM Meetings last month, Posey joked that he had to schedule coaching interviews around Vitelloâ€s many podcast and TV appearances. The new manager is good in front of the camera, and the Giants are thrilled with the way he has been able to represent them on a national stage.
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Those interviews had a common theme, though. Vitello hasnâ€t been asked much about his current players, and itâ€ll be interesting to see if he gives more away in Orlando. Heâ€ll meet with reporters multiple times, and itâ€s probably time for the focus to turn from how he got here to where heâ€s headed.
Is there a young player who really stands out to him? Will there be a notable change in the way the Giants run the bases and defend? Does this new staff have a plan to get Ramos back to his 2024 ways, or fix Hayden Birdsongâ€s command issues? What does he want to see from Eldridge?
The manager search took up all of the oxygen in the room when Posey and Minasian met with the media in early October, and the past month has been about finding coaches. But itâ€s time for everyone involved to start offering some more specifics about how 2026 will look better than 2025.
Giants notes: new reliever Sam Hentges has previous ties to manager Tony Vitello originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — At his introductory press conference in October, Giants manager Tony Vitello mentioned how Bryce Eldridge had turned him down when Vitello was trying to get him to come to Tennessee. Eldridge wonâ€t be the only Giant next season who chose to go pro instead of playing for one of Vitelloâ€s teams.
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New left-handed reliever Sam Hentges was recruited to Arkansas by Vitello in 2014, but he was taken in the fourth round of the MLB draft by the Cleveland Guardians and chose to start his career right out of high school. A decade later, Hentges is hopeful heâ€s pitching high-leverage innings for Vitello in his first season as a manager.
The Giants signed Hentges to a one-year deal earlier this week, betting that heâ€ll be able to overcome two recent surgeries and give them another good left-handed option in their bullpen. Hentges had shoulder surgery in 2024 and knee surgery this past August, but on a Zoom call with reporters, he said his rehab is going well and he anticipates being 100 percent by the start of the spring.
Hentges called it a “tough rehab,†and it was interrupted when he felt swelling in his right knee while going through a throwing program following shoulder surgery. He ended up needing a procedure to repair a tear in his meniscus.
Hentges had a 4.18 ERA in four seasons in Cleveland, and over his last three — when he was purely used as a reliever — that number was 2.93, with an even shinier 2.66 FIP. He said the Giants “came in aggressively†when he hit free agency for the first time.
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“The opportunity that they have with Tony Vitello there and some new coaches — we just thought it would be a good fit,†Hentges said. “They came in pretty aggressively from what we were expecting, so it kind of turned out to be a no-brainer decision.â€
Hentges said he doesnâ€t know a lot of current Giants, although he lives in the Phoenix area so heâ€s working out with other big leaguers and minor leaguers at their Papago complex. He does know Vitello, though, and heâ€s looking forward to reuniting years after he turned the new manager down.
Another Familiar Face
Hentges let it slip that he has been working with longtime big league right-hander Jesse Chavez, and the Giants confirmed that he has been hired as Vitelloâ€s new bullpen coach. The full staff is still being finalized and will be announced in the coming days.
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Chavez, 42, is as new to coaching as it gets. He made four appearances for the Atlanta Braves last season, capping an 18-year career that included stints with nine different teams. Chavez pitched for the Braves in each of the last four seasons and also spent time with the Aâ€s early in his career.
What Will They Do …
The Marco Luciano waiver claim opened a 40-man roster spot, which may be notable. The Giants didnâ€t anticipate Luciano competing for a big league job in the spring, but they also didnâ€t have to make a move with his spot this early.
The spot could go to a free agent or player acquired via trade, but it also allows the Giants to participate in the Rule 5 Draft next Wednesday. Theyâ€ll have the 15th selection in the draft.
Former top prospect Marco Luciano claimed by Pirates, ending Giants tenure originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — For five years, Marco Luciano was on the top 100 lists. He was the kind of player that front offices dream of building around, or trading in a blockbuster.
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On Friday, the Giants lost him on a waiver claim.
Lucianoâ€s time in San Francisco ended when he was claimed by the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team announced Friday. Itâ€s a disappointing result for an organization that signed him out of the Dominican Republic but failed when it came to his development.
Luciano ended up playing just 41 games in San Francisco, hitting .217 with no homers. The Giants moved him to the outfield last offseason in hopes of jump-starting his career, but he had a .749 OPS in a hitter-friendly Triple-A league and his defense was viewed as poor. Luciano was out of options after the 2025 season and would not have been a real option for a 2026 roster spot next spring.
It was clear that the Giants would have to move Luciano this winter, but losing him for nothing shows how poorly he was managed over the years. The previous leadership in baseball operations kept Luciano at shortstop far too long, pushing back against the idea elsewhere in the industry — and even from some high-ranking Giants officials — that he needed to move to a corner spot or the outfield.
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When he was given an extended look in 2024, Luciano struggled defensively. Still, the Giants put a high price on him in trades. For years, Luciano was brought up in potential blockbusters, including some that would have brought All-Star caliber pitchers to San Francisco, but the Giants held on, hoping that he would live up to his potential.
Instead, Luciano will join fellow former top prospect Joey Bart in Pittsburgh. Itâ€s unclear if the outfield will work out for him, but heâ€s still just 24, and there has never been any question about his power.
Before the move, the Giants had 10 outfielders on their 40-man roster. Like Luciano, Luis Matos is out of options, and the new front office will have to, at some point, make a decision on his future, as well.
Giants promote Paul Bien, add Curt Casali, Javier Lopez to front office originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — When Buster Posey first took over the baseball operations department a year ago, he added two longtime friends — former Giants GM Bobby Evans and former agent Jeff Berry — to help him navigate the new job. As he begins year two, Posey is turning to former teammates, as well.
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The Giants announced on Friday that Curt Casali and Javier Lopez have returned to the organization as advisors to the baseball operations department. The bigger move with that department was a notable promotion. Paul Bien has been promoted to assistant general manager after years as the organizationâ€s vice president of baseball analytics.
Bien joined the Giants in 2012, the middle of a three-year title run that Posey and Lopez were huge parts of. He has had a steady rise through the front office over the past decade and is responsible for overseeing the organizationâ€s analytics department. Bien is instrumental in the player-acquisition process and he has sat in on interviews this offseason as the Giants have filled out their coaching staff. Bien joins Jeremy Shelley as assistant general managers to Posey and GM Zack Minasian.
Lopez has been Mike Krukowâ€s primary backup on the broadcast team in retirement, but he joined Posey, Minasian, Shelley, Bien and others from the front office at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas last month. The left-hander spent seven seasons in San Francisco, winning three titles and the Willie Mac Award.
Lopez still will be involved with NBC Sports Bay Areaâ€s Giants broadcasts.
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Casali backed up Posey in 2021 and spent parts of three seasons with the Giants. The popular catcher is viewed within the industry as a potential future manager, much like Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt and Texas Rangers executive Nick Hundley, who at one point was a candidate for the job that went to Tony Vitello. Casali played for the Giants in 2024 and spent this past season in the Cincinnati Reds front office.
The additions give the Giants eight advisors to the front office. In addition to Evans, Berry, Casali and Lopez, the Giants have former managers Bruce Bochy and Dusty Baker, longtime coach Ron Wotus and John Barr, the man who drafted Posey.
Pathum Nissanka (Pic credit: ILT20) Gulf Giants defeated MI Emirates by six wickets in their opening match of ILT20 Season 4 at Dubai International Stadium, powered by Pathum Nissanka’s explosive 81 runs off 42 balls and Azmatullah Omarzai’s all-round performance, ending their six-match losing streak at the venue.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The Giants’ bowling attack effectively contained MI Emirates to 163/6 in 20 overs, with Omarzai and Nuwan Thushara each claiming two wickets. MI Emirates lost three early wickets during the powerplay.Kieron Pollard and Nicholas Pooran stabilised the MI Emirates innings with a 78-run partnership, with Pollard scoring 50 off 33 balls and Pooran contributing 46 off 39 balls.
JP Duminy Interview_ Opens up on the art of finishing, why Tim David is special, coaching in ILT20
Romario Shepherd’s quick 18 runs off 6 balls and Rashid Khan’s 6 runs off 1 ball provided a late boost to MI Emirates’ total.The Giants’ chase faced early challenges when Chris Woakes dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Gerhard Erasmus cheaply. However, Nissanka and Moeen Ali steadied the innings with a partnership that took the team to 67 runs.Nissanka reached his half-century in 30 balls, while Omarzai launched an aggressive attack against Rashid Khan, scoring 23 runs in a single over.The Giants successfully reached their target in 14.4 overs, with Omarzai remaining unbeaten on 39 off 16 balls. MI Emirates’ bowling struggled as four of their five bowlers conceded more than 10 runs per over.”It’s a great performance. The toss was huge. We bowled very well in the first 10 overs. They have three players who can take it away, and we held them back nicely, and then Nissanka and Omarzai were incredible. Nissanka is a brilliant player. He is one of the best in the world. He is very calm, doesn’t say much, but packs a punch. Omarzai gave us the momentum to finish the game by taking on Rashid Khan,” said stand-in captain Moeen Ali.”Losing three wickets in the powerplay, and having to rebuild, we were short in the first innings. The ball was moving around quite a bit in the first 10 overs, and we couldn’t finish it off as well as we wanted. We just need to be better in terms of execution,” said MI Emirates captain Kieron Pollard.The Giants’ early bowling success included Thushara dismissing Mohammed Waseem and Jonny Bairstow, while Omarzai removed Tom Banton in the third over.Nicholas Pooran and Tajinder Singh attempted to rebuild with a 27-run partnership before Moeen Ali dismissed Tajinder, leaving MI Emirates at 58/4 in 10 overs.Brief Scores
- MI Emirates 163/6 in 20 overs (Kieron Pollard 50, Nicholas Pooran 46, Romario Shepherd 18 not out, Nuwan Thushara 2 for 41, Azmatullah Omarzai 2 for 32)
- Gulf Giants 164/4 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 81, Azmatullah Omarzai 39 not out, Moeen Ali 26, Chris Woakes 2 for 49, AM Ghazanfar 1 for 18)
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Alden GonzalezDec 4, 2025, 02:28 PM ET
- ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.
Former Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington is joining the San Francisco Giants’ coaching staff, he confirmed Thursday..
Washington, a longtime third-base coach before managerial stints with the Texas Rangers and Angels, will be named infield coach for the Giants.
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“We are working out the logistics. I have agreed to join the Giants,” Washington told The Associated Press in a text message Thursday. “I get a chance to continue to make a difference.”
Washington was hired to manage the Angels leading up to the 2024 season but spent a good chunk of 2025 away from the team after undergoing quadruple bypass heart surgery and was told he would not return at season’s end.
Washington, 73, who stated near the end of the season that he was in good health and expressed a desire to continue managing, now will join the staff of rookie manager and longtime Tennessee Volunteers coach Tony Vitello.
Washington, who also managed the Texas Rangers to back-to-back World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011, has long been hailed as one of the best infield instructors in the game, drawing rave reviews from several All-Star-caliber players in his extended time with the Atlanta Braves (2017-23) and then-Oakland Athletics (1996-2006, 2015-16).
In San Francisco, Washington will work primarily with a Gold Glove third baseman in Matt Chapman, a star-caliber shortstop in Willy Adames and Rafael Devers, the slugging third baseman who is still working through his transition to first base.
The Giants are finalizing a deal to bring former Rangers and Angels manager Ron Washington on board as an infield coach, general manager Zack Minasian said during a radio appearance on KNBR 680 on Thursday.
Washington, 73, developed a reputation as an infield guru while serving as the first- and third-base coach for the Aâ€s from 1996-2006. He managed the Rangers from 2007-14 and guided Texas to back-to-back World Series appearances in 2010 and ‘11, though his club came up short both times, the first of which came at the hands of the Giants.
Washington returned to Oakland at the end of his eight-year run in Texas, serving as a special instructor and third-base coach for the Aâ€s from 2015-16. He then spent seven seasons as the third-base coach for the Braves before being hired by Minasianâ€s older brother, Angels GM Perry Minasian, to manage in Anaheim ahead of the 2024 campaign.
Washington managed only one full season with the Angels, as he ended up being placed on medical leave on June 20 and underwent a quadruple bypass heart surgery on June 30. He hoped to return for a third year with the Halos, but the club chose not to pick up his ‘26 option in October.
By joining the Giants, Washington will have a chance to return to the Bay Area and work with a talented core of infielders, which includes five-time Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman, shortstop Willy Adames, second baseman Casey Schmitt and first basemen Rafael Devers and Bryce Eldridge.
Washingtonâ€s decades of expertise should also be a boon for new Giants manager Tony Vitello, who is the first college coach to move directly to MLB skipper without previous professional coaching experience. In fact, Zack Minasian said Vitello was the one who initially mentioned Washington as a possible candidate for his coaching staff.
“I give Tony a lot of credit,†Minasian told KNBRâ€s Brian Murphy and Markus Boucher on Thursday. “He talks about being a team and filling blind spots as well as possible. I think he recognizes his experience level at the professional ranks. He originally brought up Wash and was saying, ‘What do you think about bringing Wash in, with his experience?†My brothers and my father have experience with Wash dating back to Texas. Obviously, Perry hired him to manage with the Angels. Not only them, but really anyone Wash comes into contact with just thinks the world of him.
“I think the energy level, the expertise, the experience, just seemed like a no-brainer as Tony continued to have conversations with Wash. Weâ€re still in the process of finalizing it, but itâ€s definitely looking like itâ€s heading that way of him being on the staff. I just think itâ€s such a great fit, not only for our players, but with Wash having the Bay Area ties. Iâ€m a big believer in staff development, and I think Wash is going to have a really big impact on our coaching staff.â€
USA Todayâ€s Bob Nightengale was the first to report that Washington was close to being hired by the Giants.
The 2026 season of the Womenâ€s Premier League (WPL) will be the fourth edition of arguably the most high-profile T20 franchise competition in womenâ€s cricket. And for the first time since the league’s inception in 2023, a mega auction was held ahead of the start of the competition.
After the first-ever auction, the past two seasons have seen all the teams retain a majority of their squads before mini-auctions. However, this time around, a team could only retain a maximum of five players.
Today, we will look at the team that finished third last season, the Gujarat Giants, the players they retained, and the buys they made in the mega-auction.
Before last season, when the Giants finished third, they had been at the bottom of the table for two seasons in a row. And for one of the more underperforming teams in the league, it came to no oneâ€s surprise that despite five retentions being available, the Ahmedabad-based team used only two.
The total purse for each team to build their squad is Rs. 15 crore. The first retention guideline price is Rs. 2.5 crore, for the second is Rs. 2.5 crore, the third being Rs. 1.75 crore, the fourth being Rs. 1 crore, and the fifth retention priced at Rs. 50 lakh. A team can, at max, retain only three Indian and two overseas players. If a team does use all five retention slots, they have to use one of them for an uncapped player.
The Gujarat Giants retained only two players, both of them being overseas. The two players are the two captains this team has had in the last three years. The first retainer for Rs. 3.5 crore is the Australian all-rounder Ashleigh Garner. Meanwhile, Gujaratâ€s second and final retention is veteran Australian batter Beth Mooney.
WPL 2025: Gujarat Giants Full Squad After The Auction
Here are the Gujarat Giants full squad after WPL 2026 auction
To be updated soon..
Get the Latest Cricket Updates at IceCric.News. Also, Follow Our Social Media for live updates on Facebook and Instagram.
Reliever Sam Hentges reportedly agrees to one-year, $1.4 million Giants contract originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Giants fans have one more thing to be thankful for today.
San Francisco reached an agreement with veteran left-handed reliever Sam Hentges on a one-year, $1.4 million contract, FanSidedâ€s Robert Murray reported Thursday, citing a source familiar with the deal.
Hentges is a four-year MLB veteran who has tossed 206.2 innings across 168 games for the Cleveland Guardians in his career. The 29-year-old southpaw missed the entire 2025 MLB season while recovering from shoulder and knee surgery
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The last time Hentges saw action was the 2024 MLB season, where he posted a 3.04 ERA with 27 strikeouts and five walks across 23.2 innings of work.
Since making the move to a full-time relief role in 2022, Hentges has logged a 2.93 ERA in 138 appearances.
His best season came in 2022, when he went 3-2 with a 2.32 ERA in 62 innings across 57 appearances while logging a career-best 1.3 WAR.
The reported addition of Hentges brings some clarity into San Franciscoâ€s decision to non-tender lefty reliever Joey Lucchesi on Nov. 21, after he had a solid campaign with a 3.76 ERA while holding left-handed hitters to a .219 average and a .598 OPS in 38 appearances for the Giants.
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San Francisco now has some option power in its bullpen, with Hentges joining fellow left-handed pitchers Erik Miller, Matt Gage and Reiver José SanmartÃn as the Giants†back-end southpaw options heading into the 2026 MLB season.