REPORT: Giants “DARK HORSE” on Kyle Tucker | Tatsuya Imai COULD fit the bill

REPORT: Giants “DARK HORSE” on Kyle Tucker | Tatsuya Imai COULD fit the bill

The Giants in on Kyle Tucker and Tatsuya Imayi. No way. Let’s talk about it. Locked on Giants coming up right now. [Music] You are Locked on Giants, your daily San Francisco Giants podcast, part of the Locked On Network. Your team every day. Hello, I’m Alan Styles. Welcome to Locked On Giants, part of the Locked On Network. Now, the number one sports podcast network. On the show, we provide daily episodes Monday through Friday, talking about the San Francisco Giants in a way that combines passion, analytics with the eye test, and a little bit of fun. I’m from the Bay Area, but I live in Sacramento now, and I host a show at Sacktown Sports 1140, as well as MCing Sacramento Rivercats games. All in all, I’m lucky enough to cover a team I’ve been a fan of all my life. Today, we are discussing the Giants reported as a dark horse in the Kyle Tucker sweep stakes. Could they be interested in Tatsuya Immayi? And should they be taking calls in the other direction on some of their veterans? Today’s episode is brought to you by Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code locked on MLB for $20 off your first purchase. So, Bob Nightingale, who is one of the the biggest names when it comes to uh baseball media and breaking news stories, things of that nature. He put out an article not too long ago and he had this to say as it pertains to Kyle Tucker. Uh Kyle Tucker, native of And by the way, I just want to say what’s up to everybody. I feel like a lot of times I get right in to the show because I have what I want to talk about. We don’t have a ton of time all the time, but I hope everybody’s enjoying their Tuesday. If you are listening to this on Wednesday, I hope you are enjoying your Wednesday. So, shout out to you. Uh we’re getting through it. Tuesday is probably my least favorite day of the week. I don’t know. Monday, you’re still talking about what happened over the weekend. Wednesday, you’re halfway through. I don’t know. I’ve always kind of had a problem with Tuesday, but hopefully your Tuesday is going well, and hopefully uh the Locked on Giants podcast can help you through it. So, this is what Bob Nightingale had to say. Tucker, a native of Tampa, will sign with the Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, or Los Angeles Dodgers. That is what a lot of GMs are predicting. Surprise, surprise. These are three of the biggest spenders in the game. The San Francisco Giants are a dark horse, but considering they still owe Raphael Devers $250 million are in the second year of a 7-year $182 million contract with Willie Adamus and the second year of a six-year $151 million contract extension with Matt Chapman. There’s only so many ninef figure contracts the Giants can seemingly afford. They are paying $137 million alone to their top six players next year. Devs, Chapman, Adamus, Robbie Ray, Logan Webb, and Janghu Lee. And don’t forget, they are paying a record $10.5 million in salaries for a manager in 2026. $4 million to fired Bob Melvin. $3.5 million to new manager Tony Vitello and $3 million to Tennessee for Vitello’s buyout. So that’s the $10.5 million right there. That sounds insane. Can I just say that? That sounds crazy. That was one of the first times I’ve read the Giants uh transactions kind of out loud like that. That sounds crazy. Literally crazy. So I get it. It’s not our money and they got it. I always joke about the I always joke about the crab sandwiches and you can Uber eats your crab sandwiches now. It’s actually insane. I did it just because we didn’t feel like getting up. But we know they make a lot of money. We understand that. That’s still crazy though. And I know that the the the taxes and the salary caps. There is no salary cap. the rules in baseball much much more lax than in the NBA or in the NFL. But there still is a limit that every team seems to have, which is why, like I said, we’re not saying that we’re not saying that L word, okay? And somebody asked me what it was. They DM’ me on Instagram. It’s not a bad word. It’s just a name that we don’t want to put into the atmosphere as far as a word that kind of highlights that the Giants, let alone Major League Baseball in general, would not be playing. So, we are not going to say that word. But, but with that being said, that is a lot of money. And do you feel like this money is being spent in the right way? The big contracts. Look, we can continue to go back on back and forth on Matt Chapman who does have a no trade clause as well. the Willie Adamus thing. They had to, you know, just kind of eat crow and uh they didn’t have a a shortstop when Brandon Crawford, they moved on from Brandon Crawford and a lot of people didn’t love how they moved on from Brandon Crawford, but they decided to do it. It’s tough, man. It’s tough. But a lot of these teams are in this situation. They’re not even I don’t even think the Giants are in the top 10 for spending. I believe they were 12 this past season. So, a lot of money is being thrown around and the Matt Chapman thing, we know how good he is defensively. Obviously, like I just said, Willie was Willie and the pitching staff is the pitching staff. As far as Jung Hu Lee is concerned, there are some numbers we’re going to get into with Jung Hulie later on this week. But yeah, I because a lot of people think I’m too hard on Jung Hu Lee, but yeah, you say that out loud and I would be very surprised. I mean, the dark horse the darkest of dark horses when it comes to Kyle Tucker and the Giants. I just don’t see them. I mean, he’s projected at a 10-year deal at about 27, you know, upwards of $27 million a year. To me, it’s the 10 years that I don’t think the Giants have an appetite for right now. They got too many of these uh big contracts. and uh and Johnson who had been doing his kind of media tour if you will. He said there’s only so many of these big contracts we can take on and they already have a couple that they’re not even far into. Right. It’d be one thing if maybe they were on the other side of some of these deals. They’re just getting warmed up. So, uh Bob Nightingale obviously he’s well sourced and well verssed on all things Giants. I don’t see how the Giants would be able to stomach it. Again, not my money, but just based on what the Giants have told us, I don’t even necessarily see them going after Cody Bellinger, right? But that seems a little bit more realistic. It’s only six years, a little bit less money yearly as well. But yeah, 10 years and that huge price tag on Kyle Tucker. And Kyle Tucker, we talked about it last week. He sold 25 bags last season. He does everything really well. He’s not necessarily uh one of these elite of elite tool guys when it comes to his bat speed and that’s going to decline over the years. So look, you would lock up your right field for the next 10 years, but I just think there are a couple different directions the Giants could go and you hope that you know maybe if you were the Dodgers and the Dodgers are on that list. If you’re the Dodgers, you want to spend like the Dodgers and uh Greg Johnson even said everybody can’t spend like the Dodgers. I don’t expect the Giants to spend like the Dodgers, but who knows? That’s why Bob Nightingale said a dark horse. Maybe they decide this is the direction they want to go. They let Casey Schmidt rock at at second base and you you rock and roll from there. But if Kyle Tucker’s getting that money, unless they are going to go on a historic spending spree, where does that money go for a starting pitcher, which we know they need? As well as some bullpen help as well. On the other side, interest in Tatsuya Imayi who will be available as we talk about the starting pitchers. Should the Giants go after him or is it too much of a risk? Don’t move. More locked on Giants coming up. The NFL season is back and honestly, there’s nothing better than being in the stadium surrounded by fans cheering on your team. But let’s be honest, getting tickets can be a hassle. between cues, login screens, and prices jumping at checkout. It’s frustrating. That’s why I use Game Time, the app that gives the advantage back to fans. Game Time is fast, easy, and backed by the Game Time guarantee. You’ll always get 100% authentic tickets delivered on time and at the best price. Plus, all fees are included, so the price you see is the price you pay. I pulled up Game Time, and in just a couple taps, I saw amazing deals. I’m talking about your favorite NFL games as low as $100. The app made it super simple. I could even see the exact view of my seat before buying. I love zone deals. Pick the section, Game Time picks the seats, and you save big. Honestly, it’s faster, cheaper, and less stressful than any other way I’ve bought tickets. Download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code locked on MLB for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, that’s promo code Loc for $20 off. Swipe, tap, ticket, go download game time today. Thank you for making Locked On Giants your first listen of the day and thank you for making Locked On the number one sports podcast network. Alrighty, there is a name out here that has been floating around. His name is Tatsuya Imayi and he is going to be available for the Giants and any other major league baseball team that is interested in him. This is the breakdown from the Athletic. Imi is an undersized listed at 5’11, 154 pounds. That’s crazy. Right-handed starter from Saitama Seabu Lions who is expected to be posted this off season. He sits in the mid 90s with his fast ball, but can reach the high 90s when he needs it. His best secondary pitch is a wipeout slider, and he mixes in a change up splitter, curveball, and sinker. A two-time all-star in Japan, Immayi posted a 1.92 erra in 163 and two/3 innings this season, despite his slight build. He’s been durable and profiles in MLB as a mid rotation innings eater who can keep hitters guessing. So he’s 27 years old. He is projected at a 7-year $154 million contract. That comes out to a AAV of $22 million a year, which again might seem too aggressive for the Giants, but all of these guys that we’re going to talk about, they’re above that hundred million mark. You know, Dylan sees for Valdez. So, I if the Giants want to add a hard a hardcore starting pitcher as their identity says that they should, this is the direction you would expect them to go in. Even if uh the uh the word that they’re putting out is that they don’t want to cross over that hundred million threshold. So, they don’t have to, but it comes off as if you’re peacemealing this thing together and every couple years you’re going to need somebody, which is what they’re saying. I’m going to be honest with you, I just don’t know if I believe them yet. I don’t know if I believe them. I think there might be a little bit of gamesmanship. I think there might be a little bit of, hey, uh, let’s not tell everybody what we’re doing. They’ve gotten burned from that in the past. Other teams have gotten burned from that in the past. If everybody thinks that the Giants are looking for two-year, threeyear type guys that they might not be in on, that’s part of it. Now, again, the Giants can’t add Valdez and Emayi and and add that to their to their pocketbook. I’m not suggesting that, but to not bring in anyone, that doesn’t make a ton a ton of sense to me as far as just solidifying that rotation a little bit. I love what Landon RP has done. Obviously, he was injured. Uh, and you got Robbie Ray, that was his first full season coming off Tommy John. You liked what you saw. And Logan Webb is a dog. He’s the workhorse of that of that staff. But after that, it gets a little thin. So, if you want to be able to keep the bats from not just LA, but from San Diego, if you want to keep those bats at bay, uh, you have to load up here. and some of the other names that we’ll talk about some of the elder statesmen when it comes to the pitchers that’s cool for that fifth rotation spot but for the fourth rotation spot or you know you bump that whoever you get in the off season up and then you drop Landon RP down who we’re still trying to see who he is I I I’m just not sure what what we’re even talking about here right the idea of not doing that essentially you you tried whatever they’re talking about right now you you kind had tried and I don’t know if they would count Verlander there or not, but they went into this season and they had some young guys that they felt good about. It didn’t work. It didn’t work. There was injuries involved, too, but it didn’t really work. And you got your hit with Landon RP. Sometimes guys don’t hit. And by the way, they they were able to bring in a a pitcher who finished in single A last season for the uh DFA, Mason Black. So, we’ll have more information on you for that. But, you can’t just sit there and literally just say one thing and do another. I think that’s what I’m struggling with here when it comes to the Giants. Like I said, I’m not saying that you need to spend this type of money on every picture that you pick up, but I don’t know how you move forward in the way you want to move forward by continuing to peacemeal and papermâché uh this thing together. So, that is where this thing has kind of uh stopped for me. Now, it’s a different conversation. Do I think Tatsuya Imi should be the guy that they go after? That’s a different conversation because obviously when guys are coming over from other leagues, it’s always going to be a risk, right? It’s always going to be a gamble. No matter who you pay uh this money to, it could be somebody that’s been in the league, but at least somebody that’s been in the league, you know that they’re used to how things work in Major League Baseball. They’re used to the grind. You know what they’ve been through. I know that the write up in the athletics said that he has been durable. But there’s that actually being healthy. Then there’s the other side of it where it’s Major League Baseball is the highest level of baseball. Do we think that it’s going to translate? We’ve seen hits and we’ve seen misses. If you are going to pay that money, if you are going to pay that money, do you want to pay it on a gamble? Sometimes it works out for you. Yamamoto looked pretty good. Sometimes it works out for you, but we’ve seen other situations where it hasn’t. So, we can look at both sides of the coin. and where the Giants can learn from some of the things that the uh that the league has taught them and where they can say, “Hey, this doesn’t seem like something that we want to approach.” The bottom line is this. The Giants need at least one more starting pitcher. And if you want to go, I know, fine, I’ll just say the name. Sherzer is a name that’s been brought up obviously as a connection to Vitello. He’s what, 37 years old. There have been conversations to bring back Jesse Verlander. is a world between Framber Valdez and Sherzer and or uh and or Joseph Verlander. I get that and that can be where they’re headed. We’ve talked about that and we’ll continue to talk about that. But you can’t just focus on these later uh later down the road type of guys that to me and I and I think I said during our during the dream uh the wish list situation I think I had said Dylan cease in my opinion there’s Ranger Suarez as well but it just feels like you you just need to get what you want right and you’re going to have to pay for it if they have done their due diligence and they feel good enough as far as who he’s going to be in this league all right? Go out and do it. But, uh, you know, there’s always going to be an extra level of, oh my goodness, it reminds me of, and not so much anymore because European basketball players are kind of taking over the NBA, but there was a, I guess, stigma, for lack of a better term, where the question was, hey, how is this going to translate versus a college guy or whatever it is? And then you see guys over and over again starting to ball out and that’s not as much of an issue or a worry. And the reality is they’re busts on both sides, right? their American bus, their European bus. It it doesn’t really make a difference. You can pull guys up uh from the minors and it doesn’t work out for them even though they’ve been balling in the minors the same way you can sign somebody from uh from Japan and it works out for you or it doesn’t. Do the Giants feel like probably their last big paycheck they’re about to spend. Do they feel like they want to spend it on imi? I would go get I would just eat it and go get a a Ranger Suarez or go get a deal Dylan CE. That’s what I would do. That’s what I would do. But we’ll see uh what they do. One more segment with you. I got an update that I kind of buried the lead. There’s a coaching update that I want to make sure everybody uh is aware of. So, don’t move. I will have that for you right after a quick word. More Lockdown Giants coming up. The NBA is back and there’s no better place to get in on the action than FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Even if you miss the start of the game or want to ride the hot hand, FanDuel has live bets on everything from who will score next to fourth quarter comebacks. Plus, you can even combine your live bets into a same game parlay for a shot at a bigger payout. It keeps every game exciting, especially when your team’s making that late push. Right now, FanDuel is giving new customers $300 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. So, head to fanduel.com, sign up, and play your game with FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. So, last segment with you today on this Tuesday, but we do have a bit of an update. This is from Alex Pavlovich, of course. At the GM meetings, Buster Posey said assistant hitting coach Oscar Bernard and quality control coach Tyra Umatsu will definitely be back. Mark Halberg may be back, but he has been popular with other teams. If you remember, Mark Hallberg was a name that people thought would be available to become the manager and then the Giants said that they were not going with somebody internal. Posie said they’re quote close to finalizing deals with new coaches. Now, somebody asked uh Pavs wotus update. Sorry if I missed it. And Alex Pavlovich says similar role to past few years. So, uh that came out right before I started recording actually. So, those that are curious about the the coaching aspect of things, and I know a lot of people like to know what’s going on with Ron Wus, he will be back and he will be in a similar role to where he has been, but Mark Halberg doesn’t, I’m going be honest with you, sounds like they’re preparing for him to move on elsewhere. And hey, he had an opportunity or he felt like maybe he should have had an opportunity to get the manager position. So, I don’t knock him forward if he thinks he needs to get into another pipeline. Tyra Umatsu will definitely be back as well as assistant hitting coach Oscar Bernard. Now, I don’t know what that means as far as the uh the hitting coach that they bring in. Are they going to promote Oscar Bernard? Are they going to bring in somebody else? I think that would be kind of interesting, right, to to keep the assistant and then bring in a new head when you moved on from the assistant’s former head. I think that would be a bit fascinating, but that’s what the Giants have been doing. Fascinating stuff all off season. So, I wanted to make sure that I got that information out there to you. Last but not least, I’ve seen some people curious as we mentioned all the crazy amounts of money that the Giants are spending and not in total, but just with specific players and should they be taking calls in the other direction. If there is a team interested in a Willy Adamus, if there is a team interested in Matt Chapman, who Matt Chapman has a no trade clause, but some of these bigger names and yeah, some of the pitching that obviously you wouldn’t think the Giants would. Should the Giants take any any calls in a different direction? Now, I think the easiest way to put this is the Giants in no way, shape, or form want to look like they’re saying uncle. They are just now starting some of these big deals. I don’t know that it’s a crazy uh mistake to get off one of them, but it would be counterproductive to what they’ve been telling us. It would kind of feel like an oxymoron, right? Hey, we’re in and we just got Tony Vital, but now we’re going to move one of our big our big money pieces. Now, the Elliot Ramoses of the world, I think, will be available. Uh, we said yesterday that Patrick Bailey may be available in some way, shape, or form. And that was really polarizing. Go check the comments on yesterday’s show. A lot of people had a lot of things to say. Hey, don’t get mad at me. I didn’t put them up for I didn’t put them up uh in trade talks. I’m just reporting on what happened. and relaying what has gotten out. It wasn’t me. I don’t got a problem with Patrick Bailey. I like him. Okay. So, uh, a lot of, uh, names will be thrown around, but yeah, I just think it would be counterproductive right now. Right now. Now, could that change in the future based on how this next season goes? Cuz here’s the thing. The Giants do have a nice group coming up that they feel good about and we’ll discuss who should be touchable and untouchable as far as the prospects are concerned. I’m really excited about that to see how uh everybody feels about who they should be able to move on from and not be able to move on from. But as far as the big names are concerned, now’s not the time. you bring in Tony Vital. To be fair, I think Tony Vitello would have also done really well in a uh in a rebuild situation, but that isn’t what this is. They’re here to win. They’re here to find a way to compete with the Dodgers. And to be honest, the Dodgers show that they were human. They could not hit. They could not hit essentially all off season, right? Obviously, we saw what they did early on, but the Reds had no business being in the playoffs. if the Giants or the Mets could have taken care of business, but you get to the World Series and I know the Blue Jays, they spend a ton, too. They’re top five, six in spending, but the Dodgers couldn’t hit. So, I’m going to be honest with you, looking at it as a uh as a missed opportunity, and we know that the Dodgers last season spent over a billion dollars, but they could go out and get Kyle Tucker and say, you know what, we need more hitting. We didn’t hit. We had issues. Maybe they don’t necessarily want Kik Hernandez out there even though Kik Hernandez has a lifetime contract with them or something that I just don’t understand. Maybe they don’t want that, but they could go out and get a Kyle Tucker. So, you you look at some of these moves that these teams are making and how you had an opportunity. I think that bodess well for the Giants to say, “No, why would we take any calls on any of our big names? Even if we could get prospects, we think we can compete right now. They You saw the GI You saw the Dodgers bleed. You did. And maybe you missed out on that opportunity and they’ll level up and go get Kyle Tucker this upcoming season. But you never know what could happen, right? They’re pitching their bullpen. That was supposed to be their kryptonite. They ended up powering through with Glass now using him as a as a bullpen guy. And you got you had Sasaki of course, but they showed they were human. So if you can figure some things out, there is a possibility that you could be that team that overtakes them. The Mets are probably kicking themsel. I know the Phillies are kicking themselves. A lot of teams, the Padres’s, I mean the Padres’s the Padres’s and Padres’s going to Padre, but a lot of teams are kicking themselves because this felt like the season, even with everything the Dodgers had. So now with that being said, going into this next season, teams like the Giants can say we’re right there. Now whether you believe him or not is a different conversation, which to me is why this is where you dig in. This is where you go out and if I is your guy, go get him. If Fron is your guy, go get him. If Dylan CE is your guy, go get him. You have an opportunity. This is and we know this from watching the Giants. Baseball has the most parody out of any of the major sports. All these other sports the I’m watching the NFL is blowout central, right? And it’s all fun and games. The Chiefs will probably be back in the Super Bowl and it’s probably going to be the Eagles or the Lions, whoever it is. The Blue Jays, I know they spent a lot of money, but the Blue Jays, they pop up and they have an opportunity to win the whole thing, right? a couple years ago, the Diamondbacks, going back to all those years, the Giants. So, this is not the time to even look at that, regardless of whether I think those contracts are good or not. Right now is the time to dig your feet and dig your heels in and say, “We have an opportunity.” So, let’s go out there and let’s go get it. Thank you for listening to Locked On Giants. Be sure to follow me on social media at the_Styles Files, Styles with an I. Be sure to follow the official Locked On Giants account as well on Tik Tok and X. Thank you for making time for us each and every single day. Be sure to like, subscribe, download all that stuff and continue to spread the word. We will talk to you tomorrow. Until then, peace.

The Giants are back in the rumor mill — and this time it’s big. Bob Nightengale lists San Francisco as a darkhorse for Kyle Tucker, but with massive money already tied up in Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, and Jung Hoo Lee, can Buster Posey really afford another big money bat? Meanwhile, reports out of Japan link the Giants to 27-year-old righty Tatsuya Imai, one of NPB’s top arms, and CBS Sports says pitching depth is the focus — just not long-term deals. Plus, with Posey’s front office listening on just about any player, is it time to wonder whether a bold trade could shake things up? We break down the payroll realities, the free-agent path, and the growing sense that Tony Vitello’s Giants are about to make a very un-Posey-like move.

0:00 Targeting Kyle Tucker?
9:37 Interest in Imai?
18:33 Should the Giants take calls on vets?

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