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Pitching Shines in Series Finale
2008-04-04 00:27:00 Although the Giants still have yet to get their offense going after the first series of the season, their pitching is looking as good as advertised. Tim Lincecum didn't start the game Wednesday night as the Giants were expecting the game to be called in the middle innings, but he got the win in relief. He turned in a very gutsy performance and still dealt with a rain delay right in the middle of his outing. Lincecum also went 1-1 with the bat and scored what turned out being the winning run on a Randy Winn sac fly in the 6th. It wasn't just Lincecum who was impressed on the mound Wednesday night either. Merkin Valdez got the emergency start and kicked off the game in fashion by striking out the side with impressive 95 mph heaters and a wicked split. He ended up going 2 scoreless, hitless innings to start and Jack Taschner came in and threw well in his relief. It was also good to see Brian Wilson notch his first save of the year in harsh conditions and he did it with a very nice de... More About: Series , Finale
Giants Go Quietly In Opener
2008-04-01 22:32:00 Barry Zito's second opening day start as a Giant looked a lot like his first on. Zito struggled through 5 innings giving up 4 runs and 8 hits as the Giants were shut out for the second consecutive opener. Zito was around 83 mph with his fastball and although his curve is a big one, it's so slow that hitters can re-adjust at the plate and still be effective against the pitch. It looks like it's going to be another long season for Zito if he's around 82-83 mph on the fastball without much command. It's not like anybody can be too surprised with the outcome of Monday's game, but I think that Giants fans were expecting a little more life out of this team. The so called "warrior spirit" and "swagger" they supposedly now carry, didn't translate to much and the Giants looked identical to last year, minus Barry Bonds. We also didn't see the youth movement that was promised, as Brian Bocock and Jose Castillo were the only players in their twenties to start yesterday.Now that the open...
Playoff and Award Predictions
2008-03-30 22:28:00 AMERICAN LEAGUE AWARDSAL MVP: Miguel Cabrera, Det.(First year in Detroit's potent lineup should yield huge numbers and a trip to the postseason)AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander, Det. (Has improved over the last 2 years and could win 22 this year with that lineup behind him) Rookie of the Year: Evan Longoria, Tam. (Will be called upon early in the season, and should be a full time starter after that)Manager of the Year: John McClaren, Sea. ( Seattle is poised to break out with a big year this year and McClaren will be pushing all the buttons)Comeback Player: Francisco Liriaino, Min. (After missing all of the '07 season recovering from TJ surgery, he should return to form in '08)NATIONAL LEAGUE AWARDSNL MVP: David Wright, NYM ( Look for his 4th full season to be his best yet: .320, 40-30 with 120+ rbi)NL Cy Young: Johan Santana, NYM (After winning 2 AL Cy Young awards, he figures to start collecting a few in the NL)Rookie of the Year: Joey Votto, Cin. (In a stacked Reds' lineup, the... More About: Predictions , Award
National League West Preview
2008-03-28 22:50:00 1st Place, Los Angeles DodgersLineup:SS Rafael FurcalC Russel MartinRF Matt KempCF Andruw Jones1B Jared Looney2B Jeff KentLF Andre Eithier3B Nomar Garciapara/Andy LaRocheRotation:RHP Brad PennyRHP Derrick LoweRHP Chad BillingslyRHP Esteban LoaziaRHP Hiroki KurodaSU: Jonathon BroxtonCL: Takashi SaitoAs much as it pains me to do so, It's hard not to pick the Dodgers to win the NL West this season. They have an excellent blend of productive veterans, and youngsters on the rise. Even if Jeff Kent and Nomar Garciapara cannot stay healthy all year, the Dodgers have a ton of talent who could come up and take those positions from them. Andre Either and Matt Kemp have already put Juan Pierre and his 11 million dollar-a-year salary on the bench. Their pitching has the same depth as Chad Billingsly proved last year that he's ready and capable. The Dodgers also have young lefty Clayton Kershaw waiting in the wings. If Jason Schmidt can come back healthy by mid-season, it would be like adding ... More About: National , Preview , National League , League
National League Central Preview
2008-03-24 22:27:00 1st Place, Chicago Cubs Lineup:SS Ryan TheriotLF Alfonso Soriano1B Derrick Lee3B Aramis RamirezRF Kasuke Fukudome2B Mark DeRosaC Geovany SotoCF Felix PieRotation:RHP Carlos ZambranoLHP Ted LillyRHP Ryan DempsterLHP Rich HillRHP Jason MarquisSU: Carlos MarmolCL: Kerry WoodThe Cubs brought over Kasuke Fukudome from Japan this winter to help solidify the middle of their order. It's still tough to tell what kind of power numbers he will put up in America, but he should be around .300 providing speed and solid defense. If Derrick Lee rebounds this year and can stay healthy, the Cubs should score plenty of runs. I like Theriot and Soriano at the top of the lineup. While their offense may not have quite the weapons that a few of the other division contenders do, they have the best pitching. Carlos Zambrano and Rich Hill haven't even hit their prime yet and both are among the better starters in the NL already. Lilly is very steady in the 2 spot. It will be interesting to see how Dempster... More About: National , Preview , National League , League , Central
National League East Preview
2008-03-22 23:00:00 1st Place, New York MetsLineup:SS Jose Reyes2B Louis Castillo3B David WrightCF Carlos Beltran1B Carlos DelgadoLF Moises AlouRF Ryan ChurchC Brian SchniederRotation:LHP Johan SantanaRHP Pedro MartinezRHP John MaineLHP Oliver PerezRHP Orlando HernandezSU: Aaron HeilmanCL: Billy WagnerThe Mets' acquisition of Johan Santana, the games best starting pitcher, should finally put them over the hump in the National League . They have 3 legit MVP candidates in their everyday lineup and their starting pitching has looked incredibly strong this spring. Pedro Martinez looks healthy and ready to go and he and Santana should form a nice 1-2 punch. Jose Reyes took a small step back last season after a great '06 campaign. I'm expecting him to have his best year yet hitting over .300 with 20 home runs and 70 stolen bases at the top of that lineup. Their outfield surrounding Carlos Beltran is their only question mark heading into the season. Moises Alou is hurt and going to start the year on the DL ... More About: Preview , National League , East
American League West Preview
2008-03-21 02:50:00 1st Place, Los Angeles AngelsLineup:3B Chone Figgens2B Howie KendrickCF Torii HunterRF Vladimer GuerreroDH Garret AndersonLF Gary Matthews Jr.1B Casey KotchmanC Mike NapolieSS Erick AybarRotation:RHP John Lackey (out till May)RHP Jared WeaverRHP Kelvim Escobar (out till May)RHP Jon GarlandRHP Ervin SantanaSU: Scott ShieldsCL: Francisco RodriguezThe Angels went out and added another outfielder to an already deep outfield this winter. Torri Hunter gives them a great defensive presence in the center and another quality, middle of the order bat. There lineup is the best it's been since the Vlad era began. Not only do they have a ton of power throughout the lineup, they also have 4 guys who could easily steal 30 bases with Mike Scoscia pushing the buttons. I also like the mixture of youth and veterans they have going on in their everyday lineup. However, their pitching isn't sitting as pretty at the moment. Their top two starters, John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar, aren't expected back ... More About: Preview , American League , American , West , League
AL Central Preview
2008-03-17 21:00:00 1st Place, Detroit TigersLineup:CF Curtis Granderson1B Carlos Guillen3B Miguel CabreraRF Maglio OrdonezDH Gary SheffieldSS Edgar RenteriaC Ivan Rodriguez2B Placido PolancoLF Jacque Jones/Marcus ThamesRotation:RHP Justin VerlanderLHP Kenny RogersRHP Jeremy BondermanLHP Dontrelle WillisLHP Nate RobertsonSU: Fernando RodneyCL: Todd JonesThe Tigers pushed themselves ahead of the rest of the AL Central after the blockbuster deal in December that landed them Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis. Cabrera makes the Tigers offense one of the best (if not the top) offenses in the league. Their pitching has some question marks, but so does every other team in the division. Verlander is solid, but Bonderman and Willis are coming off sub-par years and need to pitch like they're capable of. Getting a full season out of Kenny Rogers should help. The bullpen, led by Todd Jones, is fragile and a little thin at the moment, but the team is expecting Fernando Rodney to start the year healthy, and Joel ... More About: Preview
AL East Preview
2008-03-13 21:21:00 Every year, at about the middle of March, I break down the divisions in baseball and pick how I think they will finish. As always, I will start in the AL East and finish in the NL West. 1st Place, Boston Red SoxLineup:CF Jacob Ellsbury2B Dustin PeroiaDH David OrtizLF Manny Ramirez3B Mike Lowell1B Kevin YoukilisRF J.D. DrewC Jason VaritekSS Julio LugoRotation:RHP Josh BeckettRHP Daisuke MatsuzakaRHP Tim WakefieldLHP Jon LesterRHP Bartolo ColonSU: Hideki OkajiemaCL: Jonathan PapelbonDL: RHP Curt SchillingThe Red Sox return practically the same exact team that cruised to an easy World Series tittle just five months ago. Their bullpen is second to none in all of baseball and their offense is always going to be among the leagues best. The lineup should be even better than last years' if they can get bounce back seasons from J.D. Drew and Manny Ramirez who both performed way below their career standards last season. Their starting pitching is very solid, but still has some question marks... More About: Preview
Giants' Roster Shaping Up
2008-03-10 20:17:00 With about 2 1/2 weeks of Cactus league play left, some of the Giants ' roster questions are starting to become more clear, but now they have another one. The biggest uncertainty that faces the Giants as they round out the Cactus league is who will start the season with Noah Lowry's spot in the starting rotation. The Giants rotation is supposed to be the teams strength, but Lowry, their number three starter and their top winner from a year ago had surgery just last Thursday and isn't expected to start the season in the Giants rotation. It looks like Pat Misch may have a leg up on Jonathon Sanchez for the opening at this point, but both guys will have about 3 more starts until anything is determined. Misch continues to have a good spring while Sanchez is still trying to figure out his mechanics. The Lowry injury has also apparently staled whatever conversations the Giants have had with the White Sox about Joe Crede. Brian Sabean was asked about the chances of pursuing Crede after t... More About: Roster
Giants Shut Down Lowry
2008-03-05 21:55:00 Noah Lowry 's recent bout with wildness has had people wondering whether the 27 year old lefty has gone Rick Ankiel, or if he possibly has a serious elbow issue. The Giants are hoping it's neither, but they are shutting him down for a while to hopefully get a grasp on some elbow tendinitis issues that have been bothering him. Lowry had to cut short his 2007 season by a month due to elbow stiffness and Bruce Bochy is wondering if he's fully recovered yet. Anytime there are on going elbow problems, you can't help but thinking of the worst case scenario which is the ligament transplant operation that all pitchers fear, Tommy John Surgery. I'm not saying that I think Lowry will eventually need the surgery, but if he comes back in a few weeks and is still having issues, the question may be raised. Going into the off-season, Lowry was talked about as being the most likely trading chip for the Giants in their search for offense, but other GM's had their questions about his health an e... More About: Shut
Early Spring Analysis
2008-03-03 04:50:00 The Giants have looked sloppy through the first week of spring training, but there have been a some bright spots. Eugenio Velez and Freddy Lewis, two guys who are fighting for an opening day roster spot, have absolutely torn up the cactus league thus far. Lewis is leading the Giants with a .500 average, .700 slugging percentage and 4 rbi's through his first 4 games. Velez has been on base seven times, scored 6 runs and stolen 5 bases. Both of these players are out of options so they can no longer be sent to the minor leagues without first clearing waivers. It's a pretty safe bet that neither player would clear waivers, so it would be in the Giants best interest to have them on the team come March 31st in Los Angeles. Lewis has thoroughly outplayed Nate Schierholtz and Rajai Davis so far this spring, and if he keeps it up, it's likely that Schierholtz will start the year in Fresno as he still has an option year left. A couple young players who won't make the team right away but h... More About: Analysis , Spring , Early
Giants Roughed Up In Spring Opener
2008-02-28 22:16:00 It was only the first game of the spring, and you can't take anything too seriously at this point, but there weren't many positives going on for the Giants Thursday afternoon in Scottsdale. In fact, it was so ugly by the 3rd inning that Jon Miller and Duane Kuiper started discussing the Academy Awards. The offense, the area of the team that everyone is wondering about, looked stale and went down quickly and quietly through the first 4 innings. They were, however, without 3/8 of their projected opening day lineup missing Ray Durham (hamstring), Omar Vizquel (knee) and Bengie Molina (back). Randy Winn hit a bomb in the first inning and Aaron Rowand had a couple solid singles in his first un-official at bats as a Giant, but that was about it for the starters. The young hitters did a little better later on in the game. Eugenio Velez flashed some of his speed and offensive ability with an RBI triple in the sixth, something he had a knack for doing with the Giants late last year. Freddi... More About: Spring
Young Players the Talk of Camp
2008-02-25 23:15:00 The Giants' full squad has been at work for almost a week now, and most the talk around the Giants camp has been of the young players that will fill out this teams' roster come opening day. There have been plenty of articles written this spring about the stud pitchers Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum, as well as the teams young outfielders and second basemen Kevin Frandsen. One guy who is starting to get some attention, and a guy who I'm sure a lot of casual Giants' fans aren't familiar with is John Bowker. It looks like the Giants may have future plans for the 24-year old power bat who led all Giants minor leaguer's with 22 home runs and 90 RBI's in AA ball last season. A 22 home run season doesn't jump out at you too much, but he hit them playing in the Eastern League which is very rich with pitching and big ballparks. He also made the Eastern League All-Star team which is no small feat for a Giants' minor league hitter. Due to the fact that there are about 7 outfielders curre... More About: Players , Talk , Young , Camp
Spring Training Notes
2008-02-19 02:10:00 Most all of the Giants' 40-man roster had arrived in camp Monday, with the first full squad workout of the spring scheduled for Tuesday morning. Not much new news to talk about yet, but that should change Tuesday when the whole calvary goes to work. Most of the talk around the camp so far has been about the Giants' impending second base battle as well as their new philosophy on running more as a team. It seems like they have been talking about running more every year for a while now, but this year they are actually going to have to do some things on the bases in order to produce runs. Outside of Aaron Rowand and Bengie Molina, I would be pleasantly surprised to see any other player on the current roster top 15 home runs or 75 RBI's this year, so they are going to have to manufacture runs and taking extra bases will be crucial. Everybody in the Giants projected starting lineup is a threat to take a base except for Molina so they have the pieces to enforce that kind of baseball if ... More About: Spring Training , Training , Spring , Notes
Capellan and Sanchez Impress Bochy
2008-02-16 01:24:00 The Giants have only been through a couple workouts this spring, and with camp full of pitchers to scour over, Bruce Bochy has been particularly impressed with Jonathon Sanchez as well as 21-year old Rule 5 draftee Jose Capellan. Bochy mentioned Capellan's size and velocity as something that stuck out as well as Sanchez's improved command and mechanics. Capellan is listed on the Giants official roster as being 6'2" 170 pounds, but appeared in camp closer to 6'3" 250 pounds. Both Sanchez and Capellan are competing for a left-handed bullpen spot with Sanchez also in the mix for the fifth starters spot. Capellan has to make the roster out of spring or else he can be taken back by the Red Sox if they want him. I think this is a good year for the Giants to take a shot on a rule 5 guy and if Capellan shows he belongs during the spring, he should be given a bullpen spot, even if it's at the expense of veterans Jack Taschner or Steve Kline. Sanchez on the other hand, will be better sui... More About: Impress
Spring Training Preview
2008-02-12 04:04:00 Pitchers and catchers are set for their first workout of the spring on Thursday, and this will be my final post of what has seemed like a very long and boring off-season. Come Thursday, there will be some actual baseball to talk about and even though the Giants are likely looking at their 4th consecutive losing season, spring fever is starting to swing into full effect with Giant fans.Brian Sabean made an interesting move Monday, signing reliever Scott Williamson to a minor league deal with an invite to camp. This move is a low risk, high reward type deal that could end up giving the Giants a valuable bullpen commodity for the league minimum. Williamson threw well in his brief, injury shortened 2007 campaign. When healthy, he still brings a decent fastball and isn't easy to hit (16 k's and a .235 BAA in only 14 innings pitched last year). At worst, he gets cut or starts the year in Fresno, at best, the Giants have themselves a solid middle reliever. His injury last year wasn't ar... More About: Preview , Spring Training , Training , Spring
Offseason Review
2008-02-05 22:09:00 With the Giants' pitchers and catchers ready to break for spring training in 9 short days and no Giant news to report on (besides the steroid debacle), I figured now would be a decent time to recap the offseason, although there wasn't much movement on the Giants' front:Who's Here: CF Aaron Rowand (Phillies)Who's Gone: Barry Bonds (FA), Pedro Feliz (Phillies), Ryan Klesko (FA)Aaron Rowand takes Bonds spot in the lineup and in the outfield which helps this team's defense significantly, but losing Bonds' bat and not adequately replacing it will have this team struggling to score runs, even more so than last year. As for Feliz and Klesko, both are very replaceable and neither were high priorities for the club at the end of the year. Feliz was in talks with the Giants for most of the winter, but the sides never seemed to get to close on anything. Losing Feliz and Klesko means a lot more ab's for Rich Aurilia, Kevin Frandsen and Dan Ortmeier which is a good thing. The loss of Bon... More About: Review , Offseason
Phillies Grab Feliz
2008-01-31 02:17:00 The Giants and Pedro Feliz have officially seperated after the 3rd basemen signed a 2 year, 8.5 million dollar deal with the Philadelphia Phillies . Obviously, if you've read my posts over the last 3 months, you know how satisfied I am that the Giants will finally have someone other than Pedro Feliz manning 3rd base for them in 2008. With that said, and through all his struggles with the bat (career .288 OBP), Feliz still did some good things for the San Francisco Giants. He played very solid defense at a position that isn't easy, and I still think he has one of the best arms of any 3rd basemen in baseball. However, his bat is one that is better suited for a balanced lineup, one in which he could hit 7th or 8th and isn't counted on being a high average or on-base percentage guy. With the 2008 Giants who are rebuilding and could use 3rd base as a spot to put a young, power hitter, he made absolutely no sense, and I'm glad Sabean realized it. With the Phills, who have Jimmy Rolens,... More About: Grab
Spring Bargains
2008-01-26 02:53:00 Spring training reporting dates are just around the corner, and there are still 86 free agents left on the market. I highly doubt the Giants actually sign someone to a major league contract between now and their reporting date of February 13th, but there are still a hand full of guys that could make some sense with this team. I recently injured my finger so I am going to keep this post pretty short. Here are a list of the fa's who I wouldn't be opposed to taking a shot with on a 1 year deal:3B Dallas McPherson: One of the most intriguing names still on the market. Has proved absolutely nothing at the big league level, but is a former number 1 pick and is still has some learning time left at age 27. He could go on to be an all-star caliber corner infielder when he gets healthy, or he could end up a total bust. Either way, he makes a lot of sense for this Giants team that needs a third basemen and a young potential power hitter. If some team gets him on a minor league invite while t... More About: Spring
One Roster Spot Left
2008-01-15 22:37:00 We are officially one month away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, and it appears as if Brian Sabean and the Giants front office aren't looking to add much to the current roster. Sabean has continued to stay at a stand-still ever since the Aaron Rowand signing a month ago. There have been indications that the Giants may go into spring training without a clear cut 1st or 3rd basemen as they are willing to wait and see if they can't work a deal for a corner infielder during the spring. They only have one spot open on their 40 man roster, so unless they work a trade or cut somebody, they can only go out and sign one more free agent. They also could decide to sign a reliever to fill that spot as there are still a few decent ones on the market (Akinori Otsuka, Jeremy Affeldt) but I would be very surprised if the spot didn't go to Pedro Feliz. For a while last week it looked like Feliz had some suitors and that he may leave San Francisco after all. The Brewers we... More About: Spot , Left , Roster
40 Days and Counting.....
2008-01-05 23:58:00 The Holiday season has come and gone, which means Spring training is just around the corner. The Giants' official reporting date hasn't been announced, but pitchers and catchers are expected to be in Scottsdale on February 15th with the first full squad workout scheduled for February 20th. Brian Sabean has been MIA since the Aaron Rowand signing and there isn't much off-season left to upgrade the worst team in the division. There still are glaring holes that need to be addressed. They must decide what they are going to do at the corner infield spots and unless they have confidence in Jack Taschner and Randy Messenger miraculously turning into solid relievers, they have work to do with the bullpen as well. They also need another hitter in the middle of the lineup. If the season started right now, Bengie Molina would be the cleanup hitter by default, with Randy Winn and Aaron Rowand surrounding him. Not exactly the most intimidating 3-4-5 hitters out there. Actually, if the Giants ... More About: Days , Counting
2008 Mock Roster #3
2007-12-27 01:19:00 There really hasn't been much going on with the Giants since they signed Aaron Rowand a few weeks ago and it doesn't look like much will happen until after the new year. Even though the off-season is starting to wind down, the Giants are nowhere near complete and Sabean is going to have to be active in the month of January in order to tune this team up. Here is my 3rd (and possibly final) installment of the 2008 mock roster postings, the first since the Aaron Rowand signing.Trade: lhp Noah Lowry, of Dave Roberts, of-1b Dan Ortmeier to St. Louis for 3b Scott Rolen, of-1b Chris Duncan, $6 millionFA Signings: 1b Tony Clark (1 yr. $3.5 million + incentives), lhp Jeremy Affeldt (2 yr. $7.5 million) Freddy Garcia (1 yr. 2 million + incentives)LineupRF Randy WinnLF Rajai Davis/Nate Schierholtz1B Chris Duncan3B Scott RolenCF Aaron RowandC Bengie Molina2B Ray DurhamSS Omar VizquelBench1B Tony ClarkIF Kevin FrandsenIF-OF Eugenio VelezC Elezier AlfonzoOF Nate Schierholtz/Fred LewisRotationR... More About: Roster , Mock
Giants Top 10 Prospects
2007-12-19 23:15:00 Baseball America recently listed the Giants ' top 10 prospects heading into 2008. The most surprising thing about this list is how many players it contains from the 2007 amateur draft. That just goes to show you how thin the Giants' farm system is when 4/10 of the prospects listed were in high school at this time last year. Here is a short rundown of the players who were listed and my quick take on them, as well as a few guys who didn't make the list but should be watched as well:1. Angel Villalona, 3b- The 17 year-old is still at least 3 years away, but is the Giants' equivalent to what Miguel Cabrera was for the Marlins when he was coming up. He's playing 3rd now, but could move to first by the time he reaches the bigs. Easily the best Giants' positional prospect in the last 15 years and he's still just 17. Only Giants' prospect to make baseball's top 50 list.2. Tim Alderson, rhp- Scouts feel the Giants' 2nd overall pick from '07 could be the first of the class to reach ...
Giants Sign Rowand
2007-12-13 01:03:00 The Giants made their first big move of the offseason Wednesday, signing Aaron Rowand to a 5 year, 60 million dollar contract to be the teams new center fielder. If you've followed the Giants closely this offseason, you could see this one coming. Rowand had a career year last season (.309, 27, 89, 105) and was a major part in the Phillies winning the NL East. I thought that Rowand was set to be overpaid this winter due to the way he played last year and to the fact that he was one of the top 3 outfielders available on a weak free agent market this winter. I really didn't want to see the Giants pursue him whatsoever. However, after seeing the terms of the deal, and comparing that to what Andruw Jones and Torii Hunter got, the Giants actually got themselves a real solid player for a decent deal. In comparison, Rowand is 2 years younger than Hunter, possesses a better career average and OPS, and he's signed at 2/3 of the price. The 5 years is a little too long, but 12 million annual... More About: Sign
Lots of Talk, Little Action at the Meetings
2007-12-07 23:20:00 The Winter Meetings came and went with very little action to speak of on the Giants' front. A ton of talk and rumors, but no moves materialized. The Giants did however offer Pedro Feliz arbitration and unless he gets his coveted 3 year offer from some team, it looks like he will accept arbitration and return to the Giants for yet another season. The Giants just can't seem to get rid of this guy. Now they have filled up a spot where they had a chance to improve at. Without having 3rd base as an option to acquire a bat, it also increases the chances of a Tim Lincecum/Alex Rios trade (which is still on the table) or a Noah Lowry/Hideki Matsui trade. This offseason is slowly getting worse as it moves along. At this point, Sabean should just hold onto his pieces and try his best to fix the bullpen. They're building around their starting pitching and the best way they can help that this winter is to add arms to the bullpen. Remember all those games that Matt Cain ended up losing or get... More About: Action , Talk
Winter Meetings Preview
2007-12-02 01:01:00 Baseball's annual winter meetings start on Monday, and according the the Giants beat writers, the team is expected to be active. We should have a much clearer picture of what the 2008 San Francisco Giants will look like after the meetings. The Giants' main goal is to come out of the meetings with a middle of the order type young hitter without giving up Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and preferably Noah Lowry. Brian Sabean also said the team is trying to steer clear of the free agent market, so Andruw Jones (though I have a weird feeling he could be a Giant) and Aaron Rowand don't seem to be in the mix. I highly doubt they are going to deal Cain or Lincecum, even with all the Miguel Cabrera rumors flying around. Therefore, if they want to get a young and somewhat proven player, which would be ideal, the would have to part with at least Lowry. There are many of teams that would love to deal for a 27 year old, winning left-hander who is under contract for 3 more seasons. Not only that, bu... More About: Winter , Preview , Meetings , Winter meetings
2008 Mock Roster #2
2007-11-25 00:59:00 The Giants have been one of the most quiet teams so far this offseason and it's really tough to judge at this point exactly what direction they are headed in. Brian Sabean said at the end of the season that he would likely have to deal some young pitching in order to obtain some offense and at the pace free agents are being signed right now, it's likely they will have to do just that.Trade 1: 2b Ray Durham and lhp Pat Misch to Seattle for 1b Richie SexsonTrade 2: lhp Jonathon Sanchez, of Dave Roberts and cash to Chicago for 3b Joe Crede Free Agent Signings: rhp Troy Percival (1 yr. $4.5 million plus incentives) and lhp Jeremy Affeldt (2 yr. $8 million)Lineup:CF Rajai DavisRF Randy Winn3B Joe Crede1B Richie SexsonC Bengie MolinaLF Nate Shierholtz2B Kevin FrandsenSS Omar VizquelBench:OF Freddie LewisIF Rich Aurilia1B/OF Dan OrtmeierOF/IF Eugenio VelezC Elezier AlfonzoStarting Rotation:LHP Barry ZitoRHP Matt CainLHP Noah LowryRHP Tim LincecumRHP Kevin CorrieaBullpen:CL: Brian Wilson... More About: Roster , 2008 , Mock
Who's On Third?
2007-11-16 00:59:00 After locking up Omar Vizquel for next season, Brian Sabean said he would now turn his attention towards finding the team's next third basemen. Alex Rodriguez is on the brink of resigning with the Yankee's so any slight possibility of louring ARod to the bay is out the window. That leaves Mike Lowell as the top 3rd basemen left on the market and even though they haven't ruled him out, I'm pretty sure the Giants will not pursue him. So if they are going to add another 3rd basemen from outside the organization this winter, it will have to be via trade. Here are some names that have been thrown around the trade market:Miguel Cabrera: Sabean mentioned that the Giants definitely would have interest in a guy like Cabrera, as any other team in the league would, but it's hard to believe they could come up with a package to get him unless they included one of or both Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum. The Giants are building around pitching, so I would rather hang onto the two young aces. Cabr... More About: Third
Vizquel Returns
More articles from this author:2007-11-09 00:33:00 The Giants announced Wednesday that they had re-signed Omar Vizquel to a one year contract with a mutual option for a second year. I fully expected this move, but didn't expect the Giants to give Omar 5.5 million dollars in 2008. This means he's getting a pay increase after one of his worst offensive seasons in his career. This just goes to show how bare the free agent market is for infielders this winter. If the Giants had taken a chance and let Vizquel explore the open market, he would have gotten better offers. Although signing a 42-year old shortstop doesn't fit into the Giants ultimate plan of getting younger, faster and healthier, I do see the logic in bringing Vizquel back for a year and I do expect him to be better with the bat next year. His contract for 2009 will be activated if he plays in 140+ games. With the Giants most likely going through a rebuilding year in 2008, he's not going to play 140 games unless he's earning it. Most of all, this signing likely signifie... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
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