San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants agreed to a two-year extension with infielder Wilmer Flores, the team announced Monday.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported the news.

Flores was set to become a free agent at the end of the season, but he is now under team control through at least 2024. The deal will reportedly also feature a mutual option for 2025, per Sherman.

The 31-year-old entered Monday with a .235 average and 18 home runs, which already matches a career high in 132 games. His 26 doubles and 65 RBI are the most in his 10 seasons in the majors.

The defensive versatility has been valuable, appearing in at least 30 games each at first base, second base and third base this season.

Flores also showed his value on Sunday night with a clutch eighth-inning home run against the Chicago Cubs:

San Francisco has struggled this season with just a 67-73 record, a far drop from last year's 107-55 mark that led all of baseball. Flores was a key part of the success, hitting .262 with 18 home runs and a .782 OPS.

It came after the former New York Mets prospect broke out with 12 home runs in just 55 games during the shortened 2020 season. He has certainly outplayed the three-year, $9.5 million contract he initially signed with the Giants, including his option for 2022.

The Giants could lose a lot of offensive production this offseason with Brandon Belt and Joc Pederson set to hit free agency, while Evan Longoria has a team option.

Re-signing Flores keeps a valuable piece of the lineup, especially with the ability to line up at multiple positions defensively.

The Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants have fallen out of playoff contention in recent weeks, but neither is expected to be "pure sellers" before Tuesday's trade deadline, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

They are each "reluctant to concede" on the 2022 season and want to bounce back quickly in 2023, per Rosenthal.

If the teams do make any trades, it will likely be players who will soon be free agents. Boston could move catcher Christian Vazquez and designated hitter J.D. Martinez, while San Francisco has pitcher Carlos Rodon and outfielder Joc Pederson.

Both teams are still in the playoff hunt, entering Monday within four games of the final wild-card spot in their respective leagues. However, the recent slides have been enough to lower expectations.

The Giants lost their first seven games after the All-Star break, while the Red Sox are 3-7 in the second half of the season.

The talent is still there to contend, even if the turnaround doesn't come until next season. San Francisco won 107 games last year before losing in the division series, and Boston reached the ALCS. It's enough for both sides to hold onto their long-term pieces and hope for more success going forward.

Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom recently said the team doesn't plan to have any discussions about shortstop Xander Bogaerts or third baseman Rafael Devers. The Giants will also likely hold onto controllable players such as Logan Webb and Austin Slater.

However, there could still be quality options available.

Martinez is set to become a free agent this offseason, and the 34-year-old remains productive with a .288/.354/.462 slash line. He earned his fifth-career All-Star selection this year and could strengthen any lineup. Vazquez could also help a lot of teams as a catcher who hits .282. The veteran has also played first base this year and even lined up at second and third base over the past couple of seasons.

Pederson could be the best trade piece from the Giants, although he is currently on the seven-day injured list with a concussion. The two-time All-Star still has 17 home runs in 87 games this year.

Rodon has a player option for 2023 worth $22.5 million, but he seems likely to hit the open market after another strong season with a 3.00 ERA and 158 strikeouts in 123 innings. The Giants could get a good return in a trade after signing Rodon in the offseason.

There is reportedly some belief within Major League Baseball that the San Francisco Giants will be sellers ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline.

According to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, a rival executive believes they are "ready to sell" after losing eight of the past nine games since the All-Star break.

The Giants are still in the playoff race, four games out of the final National League Wild Card spot, but Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported they are now willing to listen to calls on their veteran players.

San Francisco had been in solid position before the break, but there is no question that the Giants are starting to fade and will need to turn things around quickly to get back in the thick of the playoff conversation.

At 49-51, the Giants are third in the NL West, 18.5 games behind the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.

In terms of the wild-card race, the Giants are 10.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves and 6.5 games behind the San Diego Padres, but it isn't outside the realm of possibility that they could make up the four-game gap between themselves and both the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals.

The Giants missed the playoffs in four straight seasons from 2017 to 2020, but they nearly qualified with a 29-31 record during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.

That proved to be a launching pad for the team, as they went on to post the best record in baseball last season at 107-55.

Despite that, the Giants fell to the rival Dodgers in five games in the NL Division Series.

San Francisco was expected to be back in the mix this season, especially after the additions of a pair of All-Stars in starting pitcher Carlos Rodon and outfielder Joc Pederson in free agency.

The Giants have hit the skids lately, though, and it hasn't helped that they are in the same division as two of the NL's top teams in the Dodgers and Padres.

If the Giants do decide to abandon ship on playoff contention and sell off some of their assets, they have some players who would likely be of great interest to teams making a postseason push.

Both Rodon and Pederson could potentially move, as Rodon has a player option for next season and could become a free agent if he declines it, while Pederson deal expires at the end of the current campaign.

Feinsand specifically mentioned Pederson as someone who could interest the Atlanta Braves after he played a big role for them in their run to a World Series run last season.

Other key Giants players with the potential to become free agents after this season include first baseman Brandon Belt, third baseman Evan Longoria and utility man Wilmer Flores, all of whom are veteran bats capable of helping a winning team.

There have already been a few significant trades leading up to the deadline, but if the Giants declare themselves sellers, it could completely change the outlook of the trade market.

The San Francisco Giants are backing up Joc Pederson in his fantasy football beef with Tommy Pham.

Giants players wore shirts defending Pederson's side of the argument ahead of Monday's game against the Kansas City Royals:

Pederson was slapped by Cincinnati Reds outfielder Tommy Pham before a game last month, with the altercation stemming from a fantasy football argument. Pederson said afterward Pham accused him of cheating by placing a player who had been ruled out for the week in the injured reserve spot.

"I sent a screenshot of the rules, how it says that if a player's ruled out, you're allowed to put him on the IR and that's all I was doing," Pederson told reporters.

Pham was suspended three games for hitting Pederson.

As far as the fantasy football debate, managers should do whatever they can within the rules to help their teams win. But remember, try not to burn bridges with people you play with every year.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants may be old rivals on the baseball diamond, but they came together for a historic moment during Saturday's game at Oracle Park.

They became the first Major League Baseball teams ever to wear Pride caps in support of the LGBTQ+ community in the same game.

Per MLB.com's Sonja Chen, the Giants were the first MLB team to incorporate Pride colors into their uniforms during the 2021 season. They used a "SF" logo Pride patch, as well as a hat that incorporated Pride colors into the logo.

"We're really looking forward to partnering with the Dodgers on this, and really coming together and emphasizing that it's not enough to kind of reluctantly accept any community," Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. "It's really important that everybody feels wanted and appreciated, and that is absolutely true for the LGBTQ+ community."

The Dodgers held their ninth annual LGBTQ+ Night at Dodger Stadium on June 3 against the New York Mets.

This gesture between the Dodgers and Giants is a positive sign for MLB amid recent criticism about the Tampa Bay Rays' handling of Pride Night on June 4.

Five Rays pitchers chose not to wear the Pride colors on their uniforms during a game against the Chicago White Sox.

Jason Adam, who was chosen by the organization to speak on behalf of the players who didn't join the celebration, attempted to justify the decision when speaking to reporters:

So it's a hard decision. Because ultimately we all said what we want is them to know that all are welcome and loved here. But when we put it on our bodies, I think a lot of guys decided that it's just a lifestyle that maybe—not that they look down on anybody or think differently—it's just that maybe we don't want to encourage it if we believe in Jesus, who's encouraged us to live a lifestyle that would abstain from that behavior, just like [Jesus] encourages me as a heterosexual male to abstain from sex outside of the confines of marriage. It's no different.

Bryan Ruby, an out professional baseball player, told USA Today's Scott Gleeson that the stance by Rays players "sends a very clear message, and that message is: LGBTQ people are not welcome here."

June is officially Pride Month, and sports leagues around the world participate in the celebration to make LGBTQ+ fans feel welcome.

Per Ken Schultz of Outsports, 28 MLB teams have at least one Pride Night celebration scheduled for games at their stadiums this month.

San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters last week that he would not be taking the field during the playing of the national anthem until he feels "better about the direction of our country," but added on Sunday that he hasn't decided what he would do on Memorial Day.

"I'm very comfortable taking it day by day," he said. "I think I'll just decide what makes the most sense in the moment. Memorial Day is an important day in our country's history and a special day and a unique day. I find it to be one that deserves special attention."

Kapler's decision not to take the field during the anthem came in the wake of the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that resulted in 19 children and two teachers being killed.

Kapler wrote the following, in part, on his personal blog after the Uvalde massacre:

I'm often struck before our games by the lack of delivery of the promise of what our national anthem represents. We stand in honor of a country where we elect representatives to serve us, to thoughtfully consider and enact legislation that protects the interests of all the people in this country and to move this country forward towards the vision of the 'shining city on the hill.' But instead, we thoughtlessly link our moment of silence and grief with the equally thoughtless display of celebration for a country that refuses to take up the concept of controlling the sale of weapons used nearly exclusively for the mass slaughter of human beings. We have our moment (over and over), and then we move on without demanding real change from the people we empower to make these changes. We stand, we bow our heads, and the people in power leave on recess, celebrating their own patriotism at every turn.

Kapler also wrote in his blog that he was upset at himself for not taking a knee during the anthem in the immediate aftermath of the Uvalde massacre, reminiscent of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick's protest of police brutality and discrimination back in 2016.

Kaepernick's gesture became a divisive national issue, and his supporters have argued that the quarterback was blackballed from the NFL after the 2016 season for his political beliefs. He hasn't played in the league since and settled a collusion lawsuit with the NFL out of court.

Kapler, meanwhile, generally received public support around baseball from a number of managers.

Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward called his actions "brave." Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo called him "a humanitarian." Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he has "respect" for "people using whatever platforms they have to address" the issue of mass shootings.

Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa, however, did not feel that the playing of the anthem was the right time for a protest, a similar argument to the one made against Kaepernick in 2016.

"I think he's exactly right to be concerned ... with what's happening in our country," he said Saturday. "He's right there. Where I disagree is the flag and the anthem are not appropriate places to try to voice your objections."

The bizarre story of Joc Pederson and Tommy Pham's altercation over a fantasy football disagreement hit another level Saturday night.

After the Cincinnati Reds' 3-2 win over the San Francisco Giants, Pederson shared with reporters messages from the group text they were involved in that included a GIF of him making fun of the San Diego Padres when Pham played for the team.

Speaking to reporters after Friday's game, Pederson said Pham slapped him after a brief confrontation in the outfield during pregame warm-ups.

"He kind of came up and said like, 'You remember from last year?’" Pederson said. "And I was like, 'Fantasy football?' He was like, 'Yeah.'"

It was at that point Pham struck Pederson across the face.

Pederson said that Pham accused him of cheating in a fantasy football league the two were in last year. He said the Reds outfielder was unhappy because he thought Pederson was cheating by "stashing players on my bench."

The dispute revolved around San Francisco 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr., according to Pederson:

I put somebody—a player—on the injured reserve when they were listed as 'out,' and added another player. And then there was a text message in the group saying that I was cheating because I was stashing players on my bench. And then, I don't know, I looked up the rules and sent a screenshot of the rules and how it says that when a player's out you're allowed to put him on the IR, and that's all I was doing. And it just so happened he had a player, (49ers RB) Jeff Wilson who was 'out,' and he had him on the IR. So I said, 'you literally have the same thing on your bench.'

Per the Athletic's C. Trent Rosecrans and Andrew Baggarly, there were disagreements on a group text that included multiple Major League Baseball players from different teams.

Pham admitted Saturday to slapping Pederson while also providing his side of the story:

"It was regarding my former team [Padres]," Pham told reporters. "I didn't like that and I didn't like the sketchy s--t going on in the fantasy. We had too much money on the line, so I look at it like there's a code. You're f--king with my money, then you're going to say some disrespectful s--t; there's a code to this."

"It's over as far as I'm concerned," Pederson told reporters Friday when asked if he might see Pham on Saturday. "I don't think I'll speak to him. I don't think he wants to speak to me I would assume, I don't know."

Pham was originally in Cincinnati's starting lineup prior to the game, but Rosecrans and Baggarly noted the Giants requested he not play and the Reds eventually relented after the game was delayed because of rain.

MLB announced Saturday that Pham was suspended for three games as a result of the altercation. He was also fined an undisclosed amount.

Pederson is in his first season with the Giants. He split last year between the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves. The 30-year-old hit three homers in 15 games in the playoffs to help the Braves win the World Series.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Tommy Pham said he received a three-game suspension for slapping the San Francisco Giants' Joc Pederson during a dispute about fantasy football before Friday's game.

Pham told reporters Saturday that Pederson made "disrespectful" comments about the San Diego Padres, the Reds slugger's former team, in addition to their fantasy football issues, which he alleged came down to Pederson "messing with my money."

"I'm a big dog in Vegas," Pham said. "I'm a high roller at many casinos."

Pederson provided a detailed version of the events from his perspective after Friday's contest, a 5-1 Reds victory. He explained the pair were in disagreement about how he handled the use of injured reserve in their fantasy league:

Earlier in the day, players from both teams had to intervene when things got heated between the outfielders during batting practice:

If Pederson's version of events is true—one of his players was ruled out before the start of the game and he then placed them on IR in an ESPN league—he's in the right, unless the league made a special rule about those instances prior to the season.

ESPN allows fantasy managers to utilize IR for any player who's ruled out in a given week, even if it's only a one-week injury.

Pham didn't say how much money he lost in the fantasy league, but MLB confirmed he'll pay an "undisclosed fine" for inappropriate conduct in addition to the suspension.

He sat out Friday's matchup while the situation was under review, so he'll be required to sit out the remainder of the teams' three-game series.

He'll be eligible to return Tuesday when Cincinnati visits Fenway Park for a two-game set.

Pederson played Friday, going 1-for-3 with an RBI, and didn't face discipline from MLB.

Cincinnati Reds left fielder Tommy Pham and San Francisco Giants left fielder Joc Pederson got into an altercation before the two teams faced off at Great American Ball Park on Friday night, but it reportedly didn't have anything to do with baseball. 

According to The Athletic's C. Trent Rosecrans and Andrew Baggarly, the altercation stemmed from a fantasy football league disagreement. Pham slapped Pederson before the two were separated by teammates. 

Pederson confirmed he was slapped and offered a detailed explanation about the origin of Pham's frustration: 

Pham sat out Friday's game as MLB investigates the incident, per The Enquirer's Bobby Nightengale. The 34-year-old agreed not to play. Pederson remained in the lineup. 

Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters the team is investigating the situation and that he won't comment on it further until he has "a clearer understanding" of what happened.

Pham and Pederson spent time as division rivals when they played for the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively, during the 2020 season.