| Matt Barrows |
| @mattbarrows |
FPI FAVORITES (SUBJECT TO CHANGE) – FPI: Seahawks 50.5% (by 0.2) | Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill: Seattle -3; O/U 54.0
– Russell Wilson (SEA): 22 Pass TD ties him with 2013 Peyton Manning for most through a team’s first six games in NFL history (Manning set single-season Pass TD record that season); needs 5 Pass TD to tie 2007 Tom Brady for most through seven games
– Seahawks: most yards allowed by any team through 6 games in NFL history (2,875) according to the Elias Sports Bureau
– 2 of last 3 games in this series went to OT, and the one that didn’t was won by the 49ers on a tackle at 1 yard line with 9 seconds left in last year’s regular season finale
– 49ers: seeking to win third straight game following a 2-3 start; face 5th-toughest remaining schedule, per FPI, after playing 4th-easiest schedule thus far; next five opponents have a combined .742 win pct (24-8)
– 49ers: seeking to win consecutive games at Seattle for just the second time in franchise history and for the first time since winning three straight between 1976-91 (that streak started in the Seahawks’ expansion season)
– 49ers: 4-6 against starting QBs that rank in the top 10 among QBs in rushing since start of 2019, and 15-1 vs everyone else (including playoffs)
– Seahawks: with a win would tie franchise-best seven-game start of 6-1 done once previously in 2013 on the way to winning the franchise’s only Super Bowl; with a loss would start 0-2 in their division following a 5-0 start all vs non-NFC West teams
– Jimmy Garoppolo (SF): 3rd-shortest avg pass length (6.5 air yards) and 5th-worst Int rate (3.0%) since start of last season, including playoffs. Only QB to rank bottom 5 in both categories.
So the lack of support for Garoppolo, who is 24-8 as a 49ers starter, is not surprising. In fact, he ranks third on my “Perplexed Fans Despise Him” list:
- Tevin Coleman
- Mike McGlinchey
- Jimmy Garoppolo
Bo. T. asks: Do you expect the 49ers to make a splashy trade?
No. Last week’s trade for defensive end Jordan Willis certainly wasn’t splashy, but the 49ers still could barely squeeze it under their cap. I will hedge a little in saying that the 49ers’ two-game winning streak likely has buoyed their hopes and self-confidence. If another defensive end is available at the right price and if the 49ers could move some of their own players, well, edge rusher remains a position of need.
-VERRETT OR SHERMAN IN 2021 IF THEY CAN ONLY AFFORD ONE WITH LONG LIST OF FAS??
| Ian Rapoport |
| @RapSheet |
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First the Lakers ... then the Dodgers ... now the Rams?!
Jared Goff is gunning to make it a Los Angeles "three-peat" this season ... telling reporters Wednesday he's eyeing a Super Bowl after L.A.'s basketball and baseball teams won titles.
"These two teams have done it and now it's our turn," the Rams quarterback said. "It's something that we'd like to do."
In fact, Goff says he's already feeling the heat from his Dodgers buds to get it done!!
Goff explained he received a text from Cody Bellinger after the World Series urging him to get the Lombardi Trophy ... "He said, 'It's your turn now.' And I said, 'Absolutely!'"
Lakers star Kyle Kuzma, meanwhile, added in a tweet after the Dodgers championship, "@RamsNFL ....... you know what to do!"
So, could it happen? The Rams were just in the Super Bowl two years ago ... and they're off to a 5-2 start this season -- so maybe!!!
But, don't get it twisted ... Goff ain't getting too far ahead of himself in the hunt for another L.A. ring -- telling reporters it's still WAY TOO EARLY for title talk.
"Asking me about the Super Bowl in Week 8, it's a little early," Goff said with a smile. "We got some games to win and we're very focused on Miami right now."
No pressure ...
| Richard Deitsch |
| @richarddeitsc |
Previous lows:
12.7 million viewers (Giants-Tigers, 2012)
13.6M (Phillies-Rays, 2008)
13.8M Giants-Royals, 2014) 10/28/20, 5:50 PM
FRANNY ON BANNING THE SHIFT— I AGREE—PLAYERS SHOULD HAVE TO ADJUST —
-WILL TEAMS SPEND THIS OFF SEASON???
https://theathletic.com/2153856/2020/10/29/keith-law-top-40-free-agents-ranking-of-the-mlb-offseason-2020/?source=user_shared_article
16. Kevin Gausman, RHP, age 30
Gausman was so screwed up while he was in Baltimore, including the inexplicable decision by the coaching staff to move him to the extreme third-base side of the rubber, that it seemed likely he’d never justify being the fourth overall pick in the draft back in 2012. He got out of Baltimore and went to a good pitchers’ park in 2020, signing a one-year deal with the Giants that resulted in the best strikeout and walk rates and lowest FIP of his career. I think it’s real and sustainable. He has always had the plus velocity and plus split-change to be an effective big-league pitcher, and this year the Giants largely just let him pitch instead of trying to make him fit some predetermined template. His splitter was filthy, with hitters missing nearly half the time they swung at it, and he threw it more than ever. He could still use a better breaking pitch, as his slider doesn’t miss bats in the zone and he’s really never had much of a slider or curveball. But with those two pitches and the command and control he showed last year, he could be a good fourth starter for almost any club.
BAGGS pick:
17. Ha-Seong Kim, SS, age 25
Kim might be the only major free agent to come to Major League Baseball from either the KBO League or Nippon Professional Baseball this winter, and he gets to come as a true free agent because he turned 25 in October, thus avoiding the restrictions placed on so-called “amateur” international free agents based solely on their ages. He has been one of the better hitters in Korea’s major league for several years now, ranking seventh in OBP and 11th in slugging percentage in 2020 (as of Oct. 18). He has split time between shortstop and third base for Kiwoom the last two years, and scouts think he’s not a lock to be able to stay at short in MLB, possibly moving to third or second or just becoming a utility infielder who moves between all three. At the plate, he has good hand-eye coordination and some power, but he gets long and his front side goes very soft in his swing, so hitting MLB velocity consistently could be a real problem. The possibility of shortstop with some power could get him offers as a regular, but I think a more suitable projection would have him as a super-utility guy who gets 400+ at-bats.
10. Jackie Bradley Jr., OF, age 31
JBJ has always teased with the potential of his bat, but at some point he made the decision to sell out for more power — probably in his breakout 2016 season — and it has made him a worse overall hitter since. If you want a reason for optimism, though, in 2020 he flattened his swing and used the whole field better than he has in any other big-league season, going the other way at the highest rate of his career. That’s who he needs to be, because he doesn’t make the kind of high-quality contact that you usually see on true power hitters. He’s still an elite defender in center, and if he keeps putting the ball in play (he had a career-low strikeout rate in 2020) and worries less about putting it in the seats, he has All-Star, 4-win upside.
If I had to guess, they might look for a left-handed bat in the outfield to platoon with Austin Slater. And yes, if the market allows for a one-year contract, Joc Pederson might make some sense. But I don’t see them handing out any multiyear offers to outfielders, which would rule out George Springer.
Mike Neu (@MikeNeu17) asks: How are the Giants restocking the pitching, especially starters?
They’ll begin by opening dialogue with Gausman and Smyly while reading the market as other possibilities shake loose. I’d imagine they will be just as active as ever when it comes to waiver claims. The real intrigue for me is what the trade market will look like, especially when it comes to moving prospects. Everyone is operating with old or incomplete scouting information. How much do you trust that information when you’re trying to make deals? It’s a really good question for the industry.
Bryan Lee (@blee_10) asks: Do you see the Giants going after Hae Song Kim from Korea?
Ding ding! Google him and spend a little time on YouTube. Guaranteed entertainment. I’m not sure a right-handed infielder is a top need, even as Brandon Crawford comes to the end of his contract. Marco Luciano is on the way and Sean Roby is a third base prospect that will probably make more noise in the near future. Luis Toribio is a player the Giants like a lot, too. I wouldn’t give up on David Villar, either. But when a young impact player becomes available, you do your diligence. I’m sure the Giants have done theirs.
Phil Ruud (@pr_ruud) asks: Since the Giants changed the dimensions of the park will it be easier to attract any free agents?
An interesting question. I’d have to say so. It’s still a pitchers’ park, but it played like much less of an outlier. Zaidi has expressed concern in the past that the ballpark’s reputation was a real and significant disadvantage when it came to competing for free-agent hitters. The Bryce Harper process really opened his eyes to that factor. You’d have to ask free-agent hitters, but players talk to each other a ton and I’d be willing to bet that the way the park played in 2020 will substantially change the way they view it as a potential destination.
Matt (@flacidpidgeons) asks: Do you see the Giants pursuing players like Trevor Bauer, Marcell Ozuna, George Springer, Tommy La Stella? Do you see the Giants trading away big contracts for more prospects?
Start with the easy part: I don’t see the Giants attaching prospects to a player like Evan Longoria or Johnny Cueto in order to move a big contract. I do wonder how the revenue losses will impact their ability to do the opposite: pull another Zack Cozart deal in which they take someone else’s dead money to essentially buy a prospect. We know the Giants had the money at one point to sign Harper or take all of Giancarlo Stanton’s megadeal. They didn’t spend that money. And they’re getting closer to financial flexibility. So if they do have a rainy day fund stashed away, then … well, then they shouldn’t have laid off 50 people last week. Start there. But also, perhaps they might be positioned to take advantage of the current situation as other clubs operate with differing levels of desperation to seek payroll relief. What is it Warren Buffett says? Be greedy when others are fearful? You can only do that if you have the capital, and the Giants are not a poor organization by any stretch.
Reversing back to your first question, let’s see if Trevor Bauer is true to his word about only signing one-year contracts. If that’s the case, then absolutely, there is no better free-agent fit for the Giants. They could even flip him at the deadline if their season goes sideways. Bauer said he’ll let someone shoot him in the man parts with a paintball gun if he signs a multiyear contract. So either way, this will be worth watching.
der guard Dennis Schröder fall into that "really" special category? We ask that question because The Ringer's Bill Simmons on his podcast Wednesday posed a trade in which Schröder joins the Warriors in exchange for Eric Paschall and two future second-round picks.
| Darren Rovell |
| @darrenrovell |
| Kevin O'Connor |
| @KevinOConnorN |
Sources: The NBA held a call this afternoon with team GMs & presidents to detail the plan for a 72-game season set to begin December 22 & end before the Olympics in July. The league intends to schedule games in a way that reduces travel by 25% with teams playing MLB style series. 10/28/20, 1:34 PM
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