2010 SF Giants Hot Stove

[chris14]

The Giants signed free-agent infielder Mark DeRosa on a two-year deal worth $12 million.
Pablo is moving to 1st now. I guess Ishikawa will come off the bench?

[Honus Wagner Rules]

There is no need to move Sandoval to first base.

[chris14]

There is no need to move Sandoval to first base.

Many in the Giants organization have said Pablo's future is at 1B so do you think they wont make that move now?

Who is the 1B then?

[Rich the Giants fan]

So very unenthused about DeRosa.

[chris14]

So very unenthused about DeRosa.

I would rather have had Uggla.
DeRosa gets 12 mil over 2 years. Not too bad for a 35 year old.
I hope he does well.

[KHenry14]

I can't tell you how underwhelmed I am by this...

This improves us how???

[CandlestickBum]

I can't tell you how underwhelmed I am by this...

This improves us how???

He can play outfield, so instead of Fred Lewis, DeRosa? It's a stretch, I know.

What the heck are they doing about the catcher position? Thought Torrealba was available for a 2 year deal? I'd rather see Cain bat than Whiteside.

Whiteside has a negative OPS effect. Geeze is he a black hole at the plate or what.

[Rich the Giants fan]

He can play outfield, so instead of Fred Lewis, DeRosa? It's a stretch, I know.

What the heck are they doing about the catcher position? Thought Torrealba was available for a 2 year deal? I'd rather see Cain bat than Whiteside.

Whiteside has a negative OPS effect. Geeze is he a black hole at the plate or what.

I'm not saying he's Johnny Bench or Mike Piazza, but it's very difficult to hit well consistently when you generally play 1 day a week.

[CandlestickBum]

I'm not saying he's Johnny Bench or Mike Piazza, but it's very difficult to hit well consistently when you generally play 1 day a week.

True that, he still inspires no confidence with that swing of his, he looks overmatched against a mid 80's fast ball. I suppose he might go from complete vacuum to some less suckage.

I'd be happy if I thought he (or any signing) could approach league average.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

Many in the Giants organization have said Pablo's future is at 1B so do you think they wont make that move now?

Who is this "Many"? Pablo is just 23 years old. He played his first full season as a third baseman in '09. It seems strange to me to just give up on Pablo at third base after one full year,

Who is the 1B then?

Adam LaRoche. The giants have offered LaRoche a contract.

[hallzee]

I'm too lazy to look it up (can you feel my excitement?), but didn't DeRosa hit mid-200's last year? Hit just over 20 HR I think.

[Dravecky43]

I'm too lazy to look it up (can you feel my excitement?), but didn't DeRosa hit mid-200's last year? Hit just over 20 HR I think.

He hit exactly .250, but that was with missing a month because of a wrist injury and that injury hampering him when he came back. He'll probably produce about what Aaron Rowand has done with a slightly better batting average.

[CTaka]

Signing DeRosa didn't surprise me. I expected Sabean to talk it up like this is a great move for the team, fills key needs, and then we can watch DeRosa not live up to expectations. See Roberts, Dave or Renteria, Edgar or Rowand, Aaron or .....

Panda played a solid 3B last year. I wouldn't rush him off to 1B unless/until he shows that he can't play the position. I would have rather seen the Giants get someone like Mike Jacobs to play 1B and keep Panda at the hot corner. Yes, Jacobs uses a frying pan instead of a mitt. Let's get JT Snow to spend some time with him and get him up to adequate. Yes, Jacobs refuses to walk and doesn't get on base - he'd fit right in with the Giants offensive philosophy. Yes, Jacobs does have legit 30-homer power, something the Giants desperately need. You aren't going to get anything close to that with DeRosa.

So my reaction to the DeRosa signing is ZZzzzzz

[Greg Maddux's Biggest Fan]

Signing DeRosa didn't surprise me. I expected Sabean to talk it up like this is a great move for the team, fills key needs, and then we can watch DeRosa not live up to expectations. See Roberts, Dave or Renteria, Edgar or Rowand, Aaron or .....

Panda played a solid 3B last year. I wouldn't rush him off to 1B unless/until he shows that he can't play the position. I would have rather seen the Giants get someone like Mike Jacobs to play 1B and keep Panda at the hot corner. Yes, Jacobs uses a frying pan instead of a mitt. Let's get JT Snow to spend some time with him and get him up to adequate. Yes, Jacobs refuses to walk and doesn't get on base - he'd fit right in with the Giants offensive philosophy. Yes, Jacobs does have legit 30-homer power, something the Giants desperately need. You aren't going to get anything close to that with DeRosa.

So my reaction to the DeRosa signing is ZZzzzzz

Jacobs would be an absolutely dreadful pickup since he's essentially a one-trick pony - power - but doesn't have nearly enough of it to subsidize below average production in every other offensive facet. Take into account the relatively weak defensive and the onerous hitting dynamic PacBell has on LH batters, that move would be a disaster...

Getting back to the DeRosa signing; Sabean convinces me more & more everyday his head is permanently planted up his ass. DeRosa is not the right fit at this age for the Giants. His middling power would play much better in a more hitting friendly yard such as Fenway park, where he still has enough of it to smash 20 HR and 40 doubles. He will see many a flyball caught on the warning track in SF. Signing Uggla would have been much better: he's 6 years younger, has more power and works the count more adeptly. He can play the infield, albeit not particularly well, whereas DeRosa probably cant at this stage. Its also a well known fact the Marlins are trying to save money by dumping Uggla's salary so he could be had given the right deal. Uggla also makes just over $6M/year so this is in line with DeRosa. If we could give up promising pitcher Scott Barnes up for Ryan Garko why couldn't we make a decent offer for Uggla?

This reeks of more take-it-or-leave-it lateral uninspiring signings by Sabean. Somebody HAS to prevent this man from making FA signings in the future. My prediction on DeRosa's performance in 2010: .260 / 15 HR / 65 RBI / 24 doubles in 450 AB's; he also spends at least one stint on the DL, possibly two. And this is going to adavnce the teams playoff hopes how exactly? Sure seems like Sabean loves his FA mediocrity.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

Jacobs would be an absolutely dreadful pickup since he's essentially a one-trick pony - power - but doesn't have nearly enough of it to subsidize below average production in every other offensive facet. Take into account the relatively weak defensive and the onerous hitting dynamic PacBell has on LH batters, that move would be a disaster...

Getting back to the DeRosa signing; Sabean convinces me more & more everyday his head is permanently planted up his ass. DeRosa is not the right fit at this age for the Giants. His middling power would play much better in a more hitting friendly yard such as Fenway park, where he still has enough of it to smash 20 HR and 40 doubles. He will see many a flyball caught on the warning track in SF. Signing Uggla would have been much better: he's 6 years younger, has more power and works the count more adeptly. He can play the infield, albeit not particularly well, whereas DeRosa probably cant at this stage. Its also a well known fact the Marlins are trying to save money by dumping Uggla's salary so he could be had given the right deal. Uggla also makes just over $6M/year so this is in line with DeRosa. If we could give up promising pitcher Scott Barnes up for Ryan Garko why couldn't we make a decent offer for Uggla?

This reeks of more take-it-or-leave-it lateral uninspiring signings by Sabean. Somebody HAS to prevent this man from making FA signings in the future. My prediction on DeRosa's performance in 2010: .260 / 15 HR / 65 RBI / 24 doubles in 450 AB's; he also spends at least one stint on the DL, possibly two. And this is going to adavnce the teams playoff hopes how exactly? Sure seems like Sabean loves his FA mediocrity.

The thing is that Sabean:

1) Has no vision of a long term plan
The Giants have some pieces in place for a legit playoff team. They lack serious offensive production. Yet Sabean doesn't really address these areas.

2). Has zero understanding as to how a modern offense works.
Sabean has stated that thinking about OBP makes his his head hurt. Apparently, Sabean thinks "gamers", "professional hitters", and "winners" can makes up for lack of getting on base and hitting for power.

[Rich the Giants fan]

Mike Jacobs would be AWFUL!!

My prediction for Mark DeRosa: .265/.325/.395 - 15 HR

[Ralph Zig Tyko]

Jacobs would be an absolutely dreadful pickup since he's essentially a one-trick pony - power - but doesn't have nearly enough of it to subsidize below average production in every other offensive facet. Take into account the relatively weak defensive and the onerous hitting dynamic PacBell has on LH batters, that move would be a disaster...

Getting back to the DeRosa signing; Sabean convinces me more & more everyday his head is permanently planted up his ass. DeRosa is not the right fit at this age for the Giants. His middling power would play much better in a more hitting friendly yard such as Fenway park, where he still has enough of it to smash 20 HR and 40 doubles. He will see many a flyball caught on the warning track in SF. Signing Uggla would have been much better: he's 6 years younger, has more power and works the count more adeptly. He can play the infield, albeit not particularly well, whereas DeRosa probably cant at this stage. Its also a well known fact the Marlins are trying to save money by dumping Uggla's salary so he could be had given the right deal. Uggla also makes just over $6M/year so this is in line with DeRosa. If we could give up promising pitcher Scott Barnes up for Ryan Garko why couldn't we make a decent offer for Uggla?

This reeks of more take-it-or-leave-it lateral uninspiring signings by Sabean. Somebody HAS to prevent this man from making FA signings in the future. My prediction on DeRosa's performance in 2010: .260 / 15 HR / 65 RBI / 24 doubles in 450 AB's; he also spends at least one stint on the DL, possibly two. And this is going to adavnce the teams playoff hopes how exactly? Sure seems like Sabean loves his FA mediocrity.

The reason they coudn't make a decent offer to Uggla may be because they gave up Barnes for Garko, and their cupboard of second tier prospects is running dry.
They need to bite the bullet and trade Cain for Fielder.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

The reason they coudn't make a decent offer to Uggla may be because they gave up Barnes for Garko,

More evidence that Sabean has no long term plan. Where are all the Giants' fans that supported the Sanchez and Garko trades now?

and their cupboard of second tier prospects is running dry.

Not really. I believe Baseball America ranks the Giants minor league system #4 or #5 among the 30 major league teams. However, most of their top talent is in the lower minors.

They need to bite the bullet and trade Cain for Fielder.

I seriously doubt the Brewers would trade Fielder for Cain straight up. They'd want more in return. Besides, do the giants really need to big bodies (Fielder and Sandoval) playing the corner infield positions?

[CandlestickBum]

More evidence that Sabean has no long term plan. Where are all the Giants' fans that supported the Sanchez and Garko trades now?

I tried to tell those idiots how stoopid that was, but nothing doing. Bunch rocks for brains those guys.

I still say the same people complaining about these trades would have complained about none, and there was only one possibility that was proffered as an alternative that looks like it would have been better (at the time, and now).

Yeah,yeah, Garko turned out bad. And agree, the Giant's organization doesn't seem to have any long term plans. Just look how poorly their minor leagues are stocked. Kidding, I agree with your point actually.

Personally had few expectations this off season based on the available talent. The most coveted batter available was Jason Bay? He's a regular solid batter being given a almost Superstar paycheck. 16M/Year and a bum knee?

There seems to be a dearth of batting talent available right now.

[mavillen]

Do we think Uribe can help as well as he did last season in the utility role or should he play mors consistently somewhere? Looks like we can use another .289 season.



http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/n...t=.jsp&c_id=sf

/Mats

[chris14]

What the heck are they doing about the catcher position? Thought Torrealba was available for a 2 year deal? I'd rather see Cain bat than Whiteside. Whiteside has a negative OPS effect. Geeze is he a black hole at the plate or what.

As of now, it looks like Posey would start and Whiteside is the backup.

Who is this "Many"? Pablo is just 23 years old. He played his first full season as a third baseman in '09. It seems strange to me to just give up on Pablo at third base after one full year, Adam LaRoche. The giants have offered LaRoche a contract.

Many would include Sabean. Today on SFgate it was said that if the Giants do not go out and get a left handed outfielder, DeRosa would be in LF and Uribe would be at 3B with Sandoval at 1B.

Looks like the will not get rid of Cain for a big bat like Fielder and M. Bumgarner will be the 5th starter.

I wonder if they may surprise everyone and get Damon.....

[chris14]

More evidence that Sabean has no long term plan. Where are all the Giants' fans that supported the Sanchez and Garko trades now?

Seems to me he is looking at our long term plans by not wanting to get rid of our pitching.

Starting rotation right now most likely would be...

Lincecum
Cain
Zito
Sanchez
Bumgarner

That right there seems to stand up to any other rotation in MLB.
Kinda reminds me of the 90's Braves a little. A team built around its pitching.

[Greg Maddux's Biggest Fan]

Seems to me he is looking at our long term plans by not wanting to get rid of our pitching.

Starting rotation right now most likely would be...

Lincecum
Cain
Zito
Sanchez
Bumgarner

That right there seems to stand up to any other rotation in MLB.
Kinda reminds me of the 90's Braves a little. A team built around its pitching.

All the more frustrating to see Sabean not get the right FA offensive players in here because the team has WS potential otherwise. Even the Braves back in the days of Maddux-Smoltz-Glavine-decent 4th guy had two or three offensive standouts which could provide at least league average offense, if not better. Jones (Chipper & Andruw), McGriff, Justice, Gant, Pendleton, Lopez, Klesko etc were all part of those great teams in combination, so although the pitching was dominant the Braves weren't 1-dimensional like the Giants are. ANd we all know the reason which has been repeated ad naseum: Sabean keeps bringing in guys who's best offensive output is in decline or overpays for the wrong guys (see Rowand, Renteria & soon to be Derosa).

[Greg Maddux's Biggest Fan]

LaRoche Turns Down Giants' Offer
By Mark Polishuk [January 5 at 6:08pm CST]
ESPN's Buster Olney reports (via Twitter) that Adam LaRoche turned down a two-year, $17MM deal from San Francisco, and now the Giants may have pulled their offer back altogether. LaRoche has been mentioned as a possible target for the Giants this winter and would certainly fill their need for a left-handed hitter, but as Olney notes in a follow-up tweet, San Francisco is "discussing alternatives" to signing the first baseman.

The Giants' stance could also be a negotiating tactic to get LaRoche to drop his asking price given that, as Olney pointed out, LaRoche seems to be down to just the Giants and Orioles as potential suitors. (The Mariners were scratched from the list given their acquisition of Casey Kotchman.)


Again we have to ask [what] Sabean is thinking here. LaRoche is probably not the guy you should be looking at to fill the roster. His stat line, which was similar to his past three seasons, was decent in '09 (.277 / 25HR / 88 RBI / 38 Doubles) but he's not suited for AT&T park, with those prodigious dimensions in Right-Center. LaRoche is a dead-pull hitter, so because he has good not outstanding power, you have to figure many of his fly balls will get caught on the warning track. LaRoche is also very streaky offensively, and has been known to start off years stone-cold through May. Odds are pretty good with the onerous AT&T park dimensions and streaky nature his production would fall off at a fair clip (.750 OPS or so). His defense is pretty good however.

The problem as I see it is that Sabean goes after the wrong types of Free Agents. Mark DeRosa and Laroche are but a couple of many recent examples. Sabaen should instead concentrate on speed/OBP guys like Chone Figgins or on bringing hitters that use the whole field, such as Bobby Abreu or Victor Martinez. Yet he mercilessly continues to get the over-the-hill guys or guys who are pull hitters with unspectacular power; and the results are predictably lackluster.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

Seems to me he is looking at our long term plans by not wanting to get rid of our pitching.

Not getting rid of pitchers is a long term plan?

Starting rotation right now most likely would be...

Lincecum
Cain
Zito
Sanchez
Bumgarner

That right there seems to stand up to any other rotation in MLB.
Kinda reminds me of the 90's Braves a little. A team built around its pitching.

I don't see the resemblence. The Braves had three HoF caliber pitchers in their primes for most of the 90's. The Giants have one pitcher with HoF caliber talent. Those three Braves pitchers won six Cy Young Awards in eight seasons. As for the Giants pitchers Zito is in career decline, Sanchez has a career 4.81 ERA and 92 ERA+, and Bumgarner has pitched 10 innings in his major league career.