In a surprising move, pitcher Ryan Vogelsong broke off talks with the Houston Astros and signed a one-year deal returning to the San Francisco Giants. The contract is worth $ 4 million.
“I know what I’ve signed up for,” Vogelsong told SFGate. “If I’m starting, I’ll pitch when they tell me to pitch and stop when they tell me to stop. If I come out of the bullpen, I’ll pitch when they tell me to pitch and stop when they tell me to stop.”
Vogelsong gives the Giants a deeper rotation with two starters returning from surgery. Both Matt Cain and Tim Hudson are expected to start, but there is still a question of how well the surgeries have gone. Vogelsong might start the season if Hudson’s ankle is not ready. If both starters return, however, it is unclear where Vogelsong will fit into the roster.
Vogelsong had spoken to a number of teams after last season and was in negotiations with Houston until earlier this week. He flew to Houston and met with the manager of the Astros, A.J.Hinch, but Vogelsong said, “some things happened that just weren’t comfortable. Negotiations broke down. It’s crazy, but as soon as I re-engaged with the Giants, it was like a big weight lifted off my shoulders.”
Vogelsong has a long history with the Giants. He has pitched on two World Series teams and pitched 182 innings in 2014. When Vogelsong returned to the majors from Japan in 2011, it was the Giants who brought him back.
Vogelsong, and his wife, Nicole, are fans of San Francisco and have made the city their home. He is notoriously superstitious about the meal he eats prior to playing and there is no Super Duper Burger in Houston.
“I have a wife [Nicole] that loves San Francisco and loves the fans,” Vogelsong said prior to the contract signing, “and I’ve got her chirping in my ear every two seconds.” Now, she doesn’t have to worry about where they are going to be for the next year at least.
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