The San Francisco Giants have shown interest in signing starting pitcher Mike Leake again in the off-season and the player said that he expects his agents and the team to start negotiations soon.
The 27-year-old pitcher is eligible for free agency and it is believed that there is mutual interest between him and the Giants. Although he did not pitch overall as expected after he was traded from the Reds, he did throw a recent two-hit shutout against the Dodgers in his final start.
On Monday, Giants general manager Booby Evans said, "We're going to be open-minded about the pace of negotiations and discussions. I'm not ready to pin down any one guy at this point. I think we'll be open-minded to the pace. I've spoken with Mike. He's aware there's mutual interesting. The timing may not be as quick as we would both like."
The team made it clear that re-signing Leake is a priority. Evans added that the organization is focused on getting someone capable of getting deeper into games, and Mike Leake is a great fit in that respect.
However, it looks like there would be some competition. Leake, who went to Arizona State and lives in the Phoenix area, is also expected to be courted by the Arizona Diamondbacks. "The #SFGiants and #Dbacks each have strong interest in signing Mike Leake as a free agent. He pitched his first career shutout Wednesday," USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweeted.
By the end of the 2015 season, the starting pitcher will be a free agent. On July 30, a day prior to the MLB trade deadline, he was acquire by San Francisco from the Cincinnati Reds. During his stint with the Giants, he has a 2-5 record with a 4.07 ERA. However, Leake sat out much of August due to a hamstring injury.
On the other hand, the team's failure to snatch consecutive World Series titles did not prevent fans from buying jerseys of their favorite Giants members. A recent statement by the Major League Baseball revealed that three San Francisco Giants players made it to the league's best-selling jerseys.
The list, which was first shared by ESPN's Darren Rovell, shows that pitcher Madison Bumgarner had the second best-selling purchased jersey this season, followed by first baseman Buster Posey and right fielder Hunter Pence, who ranked third and seventh, respectively.
The most purchased jersey belongs to the Chicago Cubs' Kris Bryant, the youngest player to top the list since the MLB and its players' union began releasing sales rankings from the leagues' online shop in 2010.
