Yes They Cain: Giants 2012 Offseason Review

It all came down to Matt Cain. The Giants entire offseason was going to be graded on whether or not they could lock down Matt Cain. They succeeded.

In case you didn't hear (snicker), the Giants signed Cain to a 112.5M 5 year extension that could potentially keep Cainer in a Giants uniform through the 2018 season.

This is very good news for Giants fans. It means even if Lincecum bolts after 2013, the Giants have Cain and Bumgarner to lock down the front of the rotation for the foreseeable future. It also gives the Giants a legitimate window to win more championships while they have The Mighty Four intact.

The extension has been well received by all. The Giants seem happy about it, Matt Cain is happy about it, Giants fans are happy about it, and baseball executives and scouts seem to think it's fair.

The Giants wanted to lock in their pitching this offseason while also trying to improve their offense. Overall, they succeeded.

Cain: 5yrs/112.5M extension

Lincecum: 2yrs/40.5M (giving the Giants cost certainty over his last 2 arbitration years)

Vogelsong: 2yrs/8M

Affeldt: 1yr/5M

Lopez: 2yrs/8.5M

They didn't buy out any of Lincecum's free agent years but they can worry about that next offseason, as well as a team friendly extension for Bumgarner who'll be eligible for arbitration after this season.

In terms of the offense? They didn't make any big splashes. They didn't get a big bopper. But with the return of Posey, they get a cornerstone back and they revamped the outfield with the acquisitions of Angel Pagan and Melky Cabrera. Both are on one year deals which means they'll be playing for a contract which always seems to bring out the best in players. Could Sabean have done more? With an inflexible 130M budget, he did what he could.

Offseason Grade: B+

On the eve of roster announcements, I might as well give my prediction for the Opening Day roster. Here is my guess as to who will be toeing the foul line for the anthem this Friday against the Diamondbacks...

C: Posey, Stewart
1B: Belt, Pill
2B: Burriss, Theriot
SS: Crawford
3B: Sandoval
LF: Huff
CF: Pagan, Blanco
RF: Cabrera, Schierholtz
SP: Lincecum, Bumgarner, Cain, Zito
RP: Wilson, Romo, Casilla, Lopez, Affeldt, Mota, Hensley, Otero

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