Josh Johnson is a former white whale, a dominant All-Star who was languishing on dumb Marlins team. He was, for every other franchise, the best example of "So ... you gonna eat that?" in baseball. It was implied that the Marlins should just give him away instead of wasting him. For two years, he was among the best pitchers in baseball; for two years after that, he was merely very, very good. Then he broke and broke again, disappearing after 16 miserable starts in 2013.
The Giants signed him to a minor-league deal, which is a move with about as much upside as any minor-league deal you’ll see.