On the latest episode of Balk Talk, Jessica Kleinschmidt asks Jerry Hairston Jr. about the time Tim Lincecum struck him out for his 1,000th career strikeout.
For an organization that has become adept at targeting lesser-known players and getting the best out of them, Wednesday night was a "Christmas came early" situation for the Giants.
President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and general manager Scott Harris led the front office in re-signing six players and making decisions on seven others, but they quickly turned their attention to other rosters.
The non-tender deadline added 56 players to the free-agent class, including several proven outfielders and nearly two dozen relievers. The Giants knew they would have a lot of new options to look at, and they spent the rest of Wednesday making phone calls to agents.
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SIGN UP HERE "I do think there's some interesting names," Zaidi said on the Giants' "Chalk Talk at Home" on Thursday. "Certainly some of the players on that list had health issues or other issues that led to them being non-tendered. A lot of the players that were non-tendered, their former teams are interested in retaining them, but it definitely added a level of activity to what was already happening in free agency. There are certainly more players out there, more movement, and we made calls on quite a few guys."
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Harris said he was calling agents through midnight, and the work has continued the rest of the week. The activity is expected to pick up next week, which was supposed to be the annual Winter Meetings.
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While a crowded free-agent class is bad news for players, it's a positive for a team looking for experienced right-handed relievers and potentially another left-handed bat.
RELATED: What Giants roster looks like through offseason deadlines
The biggest need the Giants have -- a couple of starters -- likely won't be filled from the non-tender list. It's a group that's so unaccomplished the Giants themselves actually let go of one of the best of that bunch in Tyler Anderson, but team officials have been confident they can fill their rotation through traditional free agency.
That's a search that should extend into January, as most starting pitchers looking at one-year deals have waited until after the holidays in recent years before picking the right situation.