This offseason has been a pretty quiet one for the Sna Francisco Giants. But that has pretty much been Brian Sabean's M.O. since he traded Matt Williams for Jeff Kent way back in the 90's. A case could be made that his biggest move was the re-signing of Aubrey Huff to a 2 year $22 million deal. The signing of Miguel Tejada, the leaving of Juan Uribe, and the drama with Edgar Renteria can all be lumped together as the second biggest storylines of the offseason.
The talking heads are all predicting Colorado to win the division and the Dodgers to finish in second. I'm not sure how they arrived at these predictions since neither team is really all that much better and, aside from a hot streak in August by the Rockies, neither was all that competitive last season.
But that suits the Giants just fine. For some reason, they are always picked to finish at or near the bottom of the division. Even in the early 2000's when they were competing for the division crown on a regular basis, they were always being picked to finish in third or fourth place.
But do the Giants have what it takes to compete?
As long as Barry Zito is the team's fifth starter and the rest of the rotation is filled out with Lincecum, Cain, Bumgarner, and Sanchez, they will compete with anyone. Sure the Phillies added Cliff Lee, but he lost his postseason magic against the Giants and I don't see him regaining it any time soon.
As for the offense, it has a chance to be greatly improved from last season. Obviously, having Buster Posey for a full season helps. But the reports on Pablo Sandoval are that he has dropped 22 lbs (!) so far this offseason and that could translate into a huge threat at the plate.
A note on Pablo: I don't think his weight is necessarily the reason he struggled so much last season. nor do I think his many personal problems are entirely to blame either. (although I'm sure they didn't help much.) I think Pablo's problems at Home Plate are the same as his problems at the Dinner Plate. His lack of discipline. If Pablo can lay off that pitch just off the lower half of the plate that Barry Bonds would have spit on I think he will remind us all of the Panda that we all fell in love with in 2009.
As for the rest of the offense, Bochy should know by now that Aaron Rowand's days as an everyday player are behind him. He has a solid platoon of Cody Ross and Nate Schierholtz in right and Pat Burrell is the only guy I can see starting in left field every day as the roster stands now. Although Left could very well be manned by either Aubrey Huff or Brandon Belt if the latter continues to impress in either spring training or in Fresno.
The only real open spot on the Giants' roster is the backup shortstop role. With the talk of Emmanuel Burris and Brandon Crawford competing for that opening I think the Giants may make a move for someone right around the beginning of spring training to fill that hole.
There is no reason that can't duplicate what they did last season. Their rotation and bullpen is the deepest in baseball. Their offense should continue to "Torture" us just enough to make it into the playoffs and then after that, they have to be considered the favorites
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Busy week for the Giants
It's been a week since my last post and the Giants have been busy.
They kicked off with the Miguel Tejada signing, they resigned Pat Burrell to an incentive-laden deal, resigned Mike Fontenot, and parted ways with Chris Ray and Eugenio Velez.
At this point, the Giants are just about where they ended last season talent-wise. Maybe at a slight downgrade when you compare Tejada to Uribe. I can't argue too much with the Giants basically standing pat especially since they won it all last season with this same bunch of rag-tag castoffs.
But the rest of the division won't be standing pat. The Dodgers picked up Jon Garland to help with their rotation that was a huge liability last season and there are rumors that they may be able to swing a Loney for Fielder deal (although ESPN is now reporting that may no longer be the case) and of course they stole Juan Uribe.
I do have to applaud Brian Sabean for not jumping in on the ridiculousness that is the Jayson Werth contract. The Nationals made what many sources are saying is the worst free agent deal on the market and maybe kicked off insanity in the free-agent market. As long as he doesn't pay $150 million to sign Carl Crawford for 10 years we will be OK.
Based on the crazy happenings in the free agent market, I don't expect any big-name signings by the Giants. Not that I did before that, but there was at least that stray, crazy thought.
Stay tuned as the Giants try to get more athletic and have a bigger left-handed presence in the lineup at the winter meetings this week.
They kicked off with the Miguel Tejada signing, they resigned Pat Burrell to an incentive-laden deal, resigned Mike Fontenot, and parted ways with Chris Ray and Eugenio Velez.
At this point, the Giants are just about where they ended last season talent-wise. Maybe at a slight downgrade when you compare Tejada to Uribe. I can't argue too much with the Giants basically standing pat especially since they won it all last season with this same bunch of rag-tag castoffs.
But the rest of the division won't be standing pat. The Dodgers picked up Jon Garland to help with their rotation that was a huge liability last season and there are rumors that they may be able to swing a Loney for Fielder deal (although ESPN is now reporting that may no longer be the case) and of course they stole Juan Uribe.
I do have to applaud Brian Sabean for not jumping in on the ridiculousness that is the Jayson Werth contract. The Nationals made what many sources are saying is the worst free agent deal on the market and maybe kicked off insanity in the free-agent market. As long as he doesn't pay $150 million to sign Carl Crawford for 10 years we will be OK.
Based on the crazy happenings in the free agent market, I don't expect any big-name signings by the Giants. Not that I did before that, but there was at least that stray, crazy thought.
Stay tuned as the Giants try to get more athletic and have a bigger left-handed presence in the lineup at the winter meetings this week.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Giants land Tejada for one year.
The San Francisco Giants signed Miguel Tejada to a one year deal for $6.5 million dollars. The Giants are now paying two former Oakland A's about half of the entire payrolls the early 2000's teams were pulling down. I don't hate this deal. I don't like this deal. I do think it's a little much for a guy who will hit .260 and give you maybe 10-15 homers. Couldn't they get that much production from Emmanuel Burriss?
Probably, but they wouldn't get the leadership that a guy like Tejada brings to the table. Unless it's a major injury, this guy isn't going to miss a whole lot of time on the field. At one point Tejada was the active leader in consecutive games played.
His power numbers actually went up when he came to San Diego last season in a ballpark that is just as pitcher friendly as AT&T is. There have been scouts out there who said that that Tejada is going to be the free agent bargain of the season. So this could be a diamond in the rough type of signing. Not Aubrey Huff type diamond in the rough but good for the value. A guy who got stronger in the second half of the season at 35 years is not necessarily a sign of a guy who is breaking down.
Tejada is more of a third baseman at this point in his career so this could be a challenge to Pablo Sandoval. Although if they wind up playing Tejada at third they still have a hole at short. Mark Derosa has played short in his career, but he is more of a left-fielder at this point and I would suspect that the Giants are really hoping DeRosa fills more of that Super-Utility role that Uribe has filled for them the last few seasons.
Lastly, I still think the Giants can make a move for Jason Bartlett of Tampa Bay. The price has got to be right however. He is young and cheap. His hitting style would probably play well in the spacious AT&T park. There is no guarantee that Sandoval is going to be counted on and Tejada at third with Bartlett at short would be a real possibility.
Now to paint my Miguel Tejada Atheletics bobblehead orange and black!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Uribe to LA
Juan Uribe assured that another nice thing will ever be posted about him on this page!
Juan signed a 3 year $21 million deal to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
This deal may work out to the Giants' favor in the long run. Uribe has missed a few games in each of the last few seasons due to nagging injuries. His average and OBP are subpar, his defense is OK at best, and did I mention that he tends to have a lot of nagging injuries? The injury bug is really the biggest question mark that I have about this deal. A guy who has a lot of muscle strain type injuries like Uribe has will only miss more games as he gets older. Although I'm not too upset that it will be the Dodgers dealing with this.
Juan made a big impact on the Giants in his two years with the team. He had two huge RBIs in the Phillies series and is a huge reason they made the World Series. The homeruns he hit during the regular season always seemed to come at key moments. He will definitely be missed.
This does leave the Giants with a glaring hole at shortstop. Look for them to make a deal for a guy like Jason Bartlett from the Rays. The Rays are said to be looking for some bullpen help which I think that the Giants can come up with. The internal options are not good. They can try Emmanuel Burriss but he has not shown anything at the big league level that would make you think he could come close to filling Uribe's shoes. Brandon Crawford is just terrible with the bat and beyond him there isn't much help. The Giants may resign Edgar Renteria but if they do it will not be as a starter.
The Giants are also said to be interested in Miguel Tejada, but his best days are behind him. If they could give up Dan Runzler and another bullpen arm, they may be able to swing a deal for Bartlett and while he isn't going to put up 20+ HRs he may just be the guy that is available and is the best fit for the Giants.
Only time will tell.
Juan signed a 3 year $21 million deal to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
This deal may work out to the Giants' favor in the long run. Uribe has missed a few games in each of the last few seasons due to nagging injuries. His average and OBP are subpar, his defense is OK at best, and did I mention that he tends to have a lot of nagging injuries? The injury bug is really the biggest question mark that I have about this deal. A guy who has a lot of muscle strain type injuries like Uribe has will only miss more games as he gets older. Although I'm not too upset that it will be the Dodgers dealing with this.
Juan made a big impact on the Giants in his two years with the team. He had two huge RBIs in the Phillies series and is a huge reason they made the World Series. The homeruns he hit during the regular season always seemed to come at key moments. He will definitely be missed.
This does leave the Giants with a glaring hole at shortstop. Look for them to make a deal for a guy like Jason Bartlett from the Rays. The Rays are said to be looking for some bullpen help which I think that the Giants can come up with. The internal options are not good. They can try Emmanuel Burriss but he has not shown anything at the big league level that would make you think he could come close to filling Uribe's shoes. Brandon Crawford is just terrible with the bat and beyond him there isn't much help. The Giants may resign Edgar Renteria but if they do it will not be as a starter.
The Giants are also said to be interested in Miguel Tejada, but his best days are behind him. If they could give up Dan Runzler and another bullpen arm, they may be able to swing a deal for Bartlett and while he isn't going to put up 20+ HRs he may just be the guy that is available and is the best fit for the Giants.
Only time will tell.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Aubrey Huff will be a Giant for the next 2 years!
If you haven't heard about it by now then you must have been under a rock!
Aubrey Huff resigned with the Giants!
The deal is for 2 years and is valued at $22 million. There is also a team option for a third year.
On the face of it, the dollars seem like a lot. But when you consider that Huff has put up similar numbers in the past, the fact that he can play multiple positions, and how much of a clubhouse leader this guy is, you start to realize that this deal isn't all that bad.
The way the deal is constructed is pretty good too. If Huff shows some decline next season, the Giants still will have another season to decide if they will retain him for the third year.
Look for this to be the model that the Giants go with for veterans over the age of 30 in the future. We can also gain some insight into how the Giants are going to approach the Juan Uribe negotiations as well. Uribe's numbers were almost identical to Huff's. He had 1 less RBI, 2 less homeruns, but only scored 64 runs to Huff's 105, and hit for a much lower average than Huff(about 50 points lower). Uribe does have some added value due to the fact that he can play multiple infield positions as well.
The story from SFGiants.com that I linked above quotes Sabean as saying Uribe and the Giants "weren't talking the same language yet" as far as figures go. Hopefully now that Huff the sides will come together quickly. But if Uribe someone were to offer Uribe a four year deal or even a 3 year deal with the third year not an option year. I could see him walking. I just don't see anyone giving a 34 year old super utility guy who has some issues with nagging injuries a 3 or 4 year deal.
But stranger things have happened.
Anyway, Welcome back Aubrey Huff! It will be good to see you in a Giants uniform for the next few seasons. If nothing else but to read all of your quotes!
Or to hear you sing!
Aubrey Huff resigned with the Giants!
The deal is for 2 years and is valued at $22 million. There is also a team option for a third year.
On the face of it, the dollars seem like a lot. But when you consider that Huff has put up similar numbers in the past, the fact that he can play multiple positions, and how much of a clubhouse leader this guy is, you start to realize that this deal isn't all that bad.
The way the deal is constructed is pretty good too. If Huff shows some decline next season, the Giants still will have another season to decide if they will retain him for the third year.
Look for this to be the model that the Giants go with for veterans over the age of 30 in the future. We can also gain some insight into how the Giants are going to approach the Juan Uribe negotiations as well. Uribe's numbers were almost identical to Huff's. He had 1 less RBI, 2 less homeruns, but only scored 64 runs to Huff's 105, and hit for a much lower average than Huff(about 50 points lower). Uribe does have some added value due to the fact that he can play multiple infield positions as well.
The story from SFGiants.com that I linked above quotes Sabean as saying Uribe and the Giants "weren't talking the same language yet" as far as figures go. Hopefully now that Huff the sides will come together quickly. But if Uribe someone were to offer Uribe a four year deal or even a 3 year deal with the third year not an option year. I could see him walking. I just don't see anyone giving a 34 year old super utility guy who has some issues with nagging injuries a 3 or 4 year deal.
But stranger things have happened.
Anyway, Welcome back Aubrey Huff! It will be good to see you in a Giants uniform for the next few seasons. If nothing else but to read all of your quotes!
Or to hear you sing!
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