After Robb Nen blew out his arm trying to win the Giants the World
Series in 2002, it was hell trying to find a replacement. Tim Worrell
was adequate in 03, but it went downhill after that. The Giants let
Worrell go to free agency thinking Nen would be back for the 2004
season. When that didn't happen, Matt Herges was promoted and failed.
He was replaced sometime in August by Dustin Hermanson, who was good for
a minute before blowing a few crucial saves over the last couple weeks
that cost the Giants the division.
Then the Giants thought they
found the answer when they signed Armando Benitez, who had come off a
career year with the Marlins in which he pitched better than any closer
in baseball, to a three year, $21 million contract. That turned out to
be one of the worst signings the Giants have made. He got injured one
week into the season in 2005, the first year of his contract, missing
most of the season. In the interim, Tyler Walker filled in, poorly.
Benitez returned in mid August, and was complete garbage from that time,
until he was given away, while the Giants ate the rest of his contract,
to the Marlins, for a worthless nobody reliever in Randy Messenger
early in the 2007 season. Brad Hennessey filled in with less than
satisfactory results until Wilson took over the role near the end of the
season.
During Wilson's first full year as closer in 2008, he was
mediocre, but reliable. After filtering through Herges, Hermanson,
Benitez, Walker, and Hennessey, mediocre but reliable felt like a
godsend, and Wilson was Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera combined into
one compared to those guys. In 2009, Wilson showed vast improvement,
developing into one of baseball's better closers, and began to show
signs of his off-beat, colorful personality that he became known for,
and was even given his reality show on Comcast Sports Bay Area.
However,
it was 2010 that Wilson became a star. He had become one of baseball's
elite closer's, and became more well known for his personality thanks
to appearances on Rome is Burning and Jim Rose's The Cheap Seats.
Every time he was subject to an interview, he'd provide entertaining
soundbites and moments that would leave you howling with laughter.
Every time he took the mound to finish the game, he would make you sweat
a little, but always got the job done and was lights out. He grew out a
beard, dyed in black, and became one of, if not the, key players in the
World Series run. His strikeouts of Ryan Howard to end the NLCS and
Nelson Cruz to end the World Series will always remain two of the most
iconic and memorable images in Giants history.
After that, it
was all downhill. At some point, the attention sprung onto him and his
quirky antics during the post-season run had gone to his head. Amidst
the endorsements, merchandise sales, and media attention, he had
changed.
As the beard grew, his act became more stale, annoying,
and over the top. The funny, off-beat, and goofy Wilson became a
cartoonish, annoying, attention whore. What previously seemed like off
the cuff, funny moments became lame, planned out publicity stunts. From
his insipid George Lopez appearance to his spandex tuxedo at the ESPYs,
to rehashing tired bits, everybody became sick of his acts.
It
would be fine if he continued to pitch like he did in 2010, but he
didn't. It almost seemed like his drive for attention outweighed his
drive on the field. He started 2011 with an oblique injury, ended it
with an elbow injury. In between, he returned to the mediocre closer he
was in 2008.
A young closer on a rebuilding team with no playoff
hopes pitching the way he did is fine. A now veteran closer pitching
for the defending World Series champions looking to repeat is not,
especially with all his antics.
Then came 2011. After two shaky
starts, Wilson had to have Tommy John surgery for the second time, thus
missing the rest of the season, while making $8.5 million. Meanwhile,
his antics went from annoying to pathetic. He went from a guy that was
milking his time in the limelight to a guy who had fallen out of the
limelight desperate to get back in. From returning to the ESPYs to
Chewbacca, to re-appearing during the Giants playoff run just to get
camera time. All the while the Giants were on the path to another World
Series, this time without him.
So now, in his final arbitration
year, the Giants are caught in a dilemma. Since he made $8.5 million,
he cannot receive more than a 20% pay-cut, making it a minimum $6.8
million in arbitration if the Giants tender him a contract. Obviously
not wanting to pay someone coming off a surgery that few do successfully
a second time, and with the superior Sergio Romo having proved that he
can handle being the closer, the Giants are hoping to simply sign him to
a much lower base contract, possible laden with incentives.
Wilson
says no way. He feels like the Giants owe him for what he's done for
the team, and he deserves to be tendered a contract and make at least
that $6.8 million.
I guess making $8.5 million for doing nothing wasn't enough.
If
Wilson doesn't accept a low end contract, I say goodbye and good
riddance. Would I have liked to bring him back for a low end contract?
No doubt, at least before this little entitlement ego trip. The fact
is, the Giants don't need him. They have Sergio Romo, who previously
was always far more dominating than Wilson, but the Giants were
skeptical about him making the transition to closer. Now that he has
proven he can get the job done in the ninth (and pitched even better
this year after making the transition), it's his job for the long haul.
They have three guys (Affeldt, Casilla, and Kontos) who I would much
rather have in the game than Wilson in a non-save situation. Then
there's the two lefty specialists (Lopez and Mijares). That leaves the
last bullpen spot open, and when you have that deep of a bullpen, it's
not a pressing need. If anything, he should be crawling back on his
knees for the Giants to give him any sort of major league contract, not
demanding big money because it's owed to him.
Let's suppose Wilson
signs a one year deal, with the Giants, or some other team, and he does
have a phenomenal year. As a result, he cashes in on a big money,
multi-year contract with another team. And on this team, he pitches
horribly. Would he ever offer to give back some of that contract? So
why should he get a lot more money that he is worth based on what he did
three years prior?
If Wilson is as confident as he claims to be that he'll be back to
form by opening day, he needs to back it up and prove he's not all
talk. If he was truly that sure, he would glady take a one year,
heavily incentive laden contract. He could pick up millions in
incentives, and then cash in on a long term deal. Let him earn it. Of
course, deep down he knows it's unlikely he will ever return to his 2010
form, and is grasping at his final chance of a huge payday.
Perhaps
Wilson is being petty. Perhaps this goes back to 2007, in which
Wilson, who entered Spring Training as a strong possibility to take
Benitez' closer job, wound up struggling in Spring Training and as a
result spent four and a half months in the minor leagues. The time
spent in Fresno pushed back each of Wilson's arbitration years, and
ultimately his free agency, back one year. So yeah, perhaps it did cost
him some cash.
But how much really? He probably would have
received an extra million or two in 2009, but about the same amount in
the three years that followed. Perhaps had this been his first free
agent year rather than next, he could have gotten the Giants to lock him
down to a long term deal prior to his Tommy John surgery. So is
Wilson, the supposed "team player", mad that he didn't get the chance to
fleece the Giants?
I will always appreciate Wilson for what he
did for the Giants in 2010, but I am pretty much tired of him. From his
overrated pitching on the field, to his stupid antics off the field, to
his popularity among bandwagoners, I am over it. And now that he feels
the Giants owe him after getting paid $8.5 million this year for
nothing? He can go fuck himself.
Ultimately, when Wilson needs
the Giants a hell of a lot more than the Giants need him, he really has
no leverage. And if he goes elsewhere, the fans won't be as patient
or forgiving with him, or tolerant of his antics as the Giants fans would be. Offering a Major League contract at any amount is doing
him a favor. After all this, he'll probably be crawling back for a
couple million dollars when the Giants are the only team offering him a
major league contract (or at least more than any other team). If he
does, cool, the Giants get a little possible extra depth to the already
deep bullpen. If he leaves, all I got to say at this point is good
riddance. The team has already moved on without him and proved they
don't need him.
I just hope he lands on a team with a no facial hair policy.
The history aspect of this article leaves me walking down memory lane. My goodness, do I remember the Giants bullpen back then. I also remember that the Giants decided to insert Jonathan Sanchez into the bullpen due to his immense struggles on the mound. I haven't really caught up on Wilson's antics, but I do agree with two things: He would make me sweat during closing situations, and that his antics always made me smile. Awesome information in this article.
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