On SF Giants owner Greg Johnson's depressing comments and the Donnie Ecker effect

According to Giants owner Greg Johnson, maybe don't get your hopes up about Shohei Ohtani signing with the SF Giants afterall. In an interview with the SF Chronicle, Johnson noted that they have the flexibility to add impact talent, but that it would come at the cost of being able to make other moves to fill out the roster. That is only true, by the way, if the team is unwilling to blow past the breakeven point—something that Johnson has made clear he is not inclined to do: "our goal is to break even every year," per Johnson.

Also discussed is the Donnie Ecker effect. The SF Giants thrived in 2020 and 2021 with Ecker as their main hitting coach. They hit like crazy and won like crazy. Since Ecker left for the Rangers prior to the 2022 season, the Giants have been dramatically worse offensively with a record just barely over the .500 mark. It remains shocking that they let Ecker leave, although we don't know the full story behind his departure.

Finally, some mailbag questions are addressed. What does host Ben Kaspick think the Giants' final win total will be? Which NL teams represent the best and worst possible matchups for the San Francisco Giants in the postseason? Why is a lifelong fan slightly repulsed by this team?

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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

Follow Ben Kaspick on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the San Francisco Giants and talking with fans.

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenKaspick

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