This blog is dedicated first and foremost to the San Francisco Giants. Secondly it is devoted to the smearing and ripping of the most disgusting franchise in professional sports: The Los Angeles Dodgers.
Well, Sabean must've read the article I wrote 3 hours ago, because he didn't stand pat. Looks like he got the SS that everyone gets every trade deadline and someone else signs every winter to a one year deal... only to be traded again to a contender a few months later.
He's played everywhere else... why not San Francisco?
I guess one 59 year old Colombian SS helped us last year and we got a 58 year old Colombian to help us this year.
I sound bitter, I know, but I really can't help it. I wanted a REAL impact player to play short. I wanted Jose Reyes. I know it wasn't realistic, but I wanted him anyway.
Cabrera, who has now been traded for the 4th time and will be playing for his 9th team, is only MAYBE better than TeCrawfenot, and having a terrible year for the confusing Cleveland Indians. Honestly, he brings no real promise of a better tomorrow.
He's 36, is hitting just .244, and doesn't have nearly the clutch history that Edgar Renteria has.
It's one of those moves that I believe Sabean just made to make a move. It's more for the fans than the team on the field, and with jerks like me clamoring for huge moves, it doesn't surprise me.
It's possible that Cabrera's move to a team in a real pennant race might get his juices flowing, but those juices have been in decline since he left the Expos. I hope he proves me wrong, but this is just a stupid move. On top of it, as I'm writing this, I hear that Thomas Neal is the guy we traded.
Was Neal disappointing and slow to develop? Yes, but in my opinion, the Indians just made out like complete thieves in this deal, and have a chance to get Neal on track to be the starting Major League OF that we all expected him to be.
I get making a move to shore up SS, but I just don't get this move.
Yes, I get that TeCrawfenot can't hit, but as of 2011, neither can Cabrera. The only explanation (baseball-wise) is that Cabrera has been a member of 6 playoff teams, won a World Series with Boston, and has had 163 playoff plate appearances.
But, by the same token, he's a .228 playoff hitter and has only hit over .300 in ONE out of the NINE playoff series he's taken part in ('04 ALCS w/BOS when they came back to beat NYY after being down 0-3). Even scarier is that in the lower pressure Divisional Series rounds, he's gone a combined 15-83 for a .181 career average.
Not only that, but Cabrera has grounded into 10 double plays in '11 while amassing 40 strikeouts versus only 13 walks on the year.
I really hate to run down the guy, because he's had a very respectable big league career, won a ring, and is one of only two Colombian MLB players (that I know of) in history, but it's kinda like... "Thanks, but I'll pass..."
The sooner you're able to say goodbye to Freddy Sanchez, the better.
Our most consistent hitter in 2011 has probably played the last effective baseball he'll play for our Giants this year.
He helped us win a World Series, he kept us afloat during dry streaks this year, but sadly, he's not going to be contributing much from here on out.
With the Buster, DeRosa, and Freddy all pretty much done this season, it seems like people have been dropping like flies. Almost everyone seems to have spent time on the shelf this year. And yet, we keep getting it done.
Hey, that's why good pitching is so important...
No, I don't know any inside information about Freddy's injury, but look, if you think he's coming back, you're kidding yourself.
The man has been a creaky hinge and a greaseless wheel since even before he was acquired from Pittsburgh. His joints don't work. He'll need some cream, clear, and some hardcore glucosamine geltabs to even sniff effective baseball this year. Hell, give him KY injections and put some Castrol High Mileage 10W-40 into his bloodstream. Anything to keep his joints intact.
When you dislocate your shoulder, screw up your capsule, etc., you're screwed. Especially when you play 2B and have to dive constantly (just like on the play in which he hurt himself). He can rehab all he wants, but it won't help. See "DeRosa, Mark" in the Giants Injury Encyclopedia ($659.99 at the Giants Dugout Store) if you want to see how un-rehabable injuries turn out when you try to play around with colored rubber bands, $70 ice packs, and electrolysis instead of going under the knife.
Frederick will be 34 at the start of next season, and unfortunately, thanks to an under-the-radar one year contract extension handed out to Freddy for no apparent reason in April, we will see Freddy back at 2B in 2012. Honestly, I don't remember hearing about Freddy being extended for another $6MM, and I don't get it, now that I'm discussing it in this forum.
It's not like we have a ML ready 2B being blocked by F-Sanch, but it's just a strange extension that bothers me a lot. His knees and shoulders are just a friggin mess, and although I expect him to be okay to begin 2012, history dictates that we have to pencil him in for at least one DL stint.
With a 2012 free agent second base class headlined by Kelly Johnson and Omar Infante, I feel a little comforted that we already have a solid veteran option. However, we can't really rely on him to stay on the field the whole season. That scares me.
As for right now, I guess we press on with Manny Burriss and Bill Hall... neither of which excite me all that much. Hall has pop and Manny has speed... too bad they can't be combined into one person. I could go for that...
Then there's the matter of Fontenot coming back (does Crawford go back down?), Tejada getting hot (but with Panda at 3B, does Tejada play 2B for the first time?).
Will Sabean try to grab Mark Ellis from Billy Beane for a case of Corona and a scrub to be named later?
Questions abound, but there's one answer I do have: Freddy Sanchez is done for 2011.
Firstly, apologies for not writing much in the last couple weeks. This whole "job" thing is really putting a cramp in my evening sports watching/writing.
Secondly, the last post was about the "Dynamite" video with Keenan Cahill, Weez, and Boss Ross. I'd like to clarify:
Before that video, I'd never heard of Keenan Cahill. Secondly, I didn't watch the video all the way through to see the fundraiser thing at the end. I honestly thought he was a funny little 10 year old kid. Swear to God. So, if anyone was offended by me calling him a "chubby nerd", I hope you understand that I had no clue the kid had a disease or that he was an internet sensation. Obviously I should do more research on amusing internet videos. Now that that's out of the way...
The Giants, are well... still the Giants.
As the title says, we've seen all of this before:
-- Our proven veteran SS sucks major ass (Tejada instead of Renteria)
-- DeRosa's wrist is hurt (although he's in Tuesday night's lineup)
-- Pablo's contributions are missing (this time due to injury, rather than retardation)
-- Highly paid players struggling to start the year (Huff)
-- Zito contributing absolutely nothing in exchange for the Gross Domestic Product of Micronesia
-- Unexpected contributions from players expected to do nothing (Rowand, Fontenot)
-- A total random career minor leaguer making a major impact (Vogelsong instead of Torres)
-- Timmy is Timmy
-- A bunch of improbable comeback wins out of nowhere
It honestly goes on and on, and frickin on.
But hey, this is why we watch, and why we love these guys.
With a sweep of Colorads this past weekend, I really think things are starting to get better... at least I feel like consistency is setting in.
The early injuries to Brian Wilson, Sandoval, DeRosa, Ross, and Torres have really thrown a crazy ass monkey wrench into the unpredictable, yet well-oiled machine that is the San Francisco Giants.
Ross's Sunday offensive outburst and Wilson's rediscovered groove only lend credence to my theory.
Throw in Bumgarner and his last three starts (5 ER in past 3 starts after 16 ER in his first 4), and I think this team is trending in the right direction.
Huff is still struggling, Buster hasn't hit his stride, and Burrell is still a massive question mark, but overall, this team is making me feel more comfortable about life.
The emergence of Mike Fontenot as a serviceable SS and bizzarely-- as a decent 3rd place hitter, means the totally washed up Miguel Tejada can now join Mark DeRosa on the bench as one half of the righty-righty, sub-par backup-infielding $12.5MM combo known as DeJada.
Suddenly this whole Jose Reyes for Zach Wheeler nonsense sounds better.
Speaking of which...
Myke Urban single-handedly blew the Reyes "interest" and "internal discussion" thing totally out of frickin proportion.
I have had internal discussions about marrying Scarlett Johansson and taking Taylor Swift out to dinner too.
The point being...
OF COURSE THE GIANTS BRASS HAS TALKED ABOUT JOSE REYES. HE'S IN THE LAST YEAR OF AN EFFING CONTRACT AND HE'S A TOP 30 PLAYER. HE'S A WELL-DOCUMENTED TRADE PIECE OF A BANKRUPT, USELESS TEAM.
That being said, excellent job getting your name out there Myke. And I really do like him as a Bay Area sports personality... but look...
Jose Reyes is an injury-prone, money-hungry luxury item. Not only does he run on premium fuel, but when you buy him, his warranty only lasts 12,000 miles, you pay a $6,000 gas guzzler tax, his floormats run $600 apeice, and they nail you with a bogus California emissions fee.
It's like yeah, I'd love to buy a 500hp, $200K Aston Martin DBS convertible, but if I have to give up my high speed internet, and DVR service (Zach Wheeler) and have no guarantee of keeping the car long-term, I'm gonna opt for a $43k Dodger Challenger with 470hp.
You catch my drift?
Anyway, as I said, we've seen this all before, and we can't freak out about anything. This is a slightly different version of the same team we know and love. The frustrations will be there, the illogical struggles and surprising comebacks will continue.
As I said so many times last season: just sit back, and enjoy the ride. It's gonna take a while.
After 2 incredibly frustrating games to begin our title defense, 2011 is fun.
With the 10-0 drubbing of the Blue Bastards on Saturday, we all exhaled an elongated sigh of relief. Like our beloved Gyros, we all needed to get off the schneid too. Just because we sit around and eat and drink alcohol while watching other people exercise on TV doesn't mean we aren't physically involved in these games. I feel better already. It's like a weight off our shoulders. Almost like when you get off the treadmill and then walk around and you feel really light and weird and fast.
Anyway, Saturday's victory did other encouraging things.
It was great to see HurriCAIN Matt still in Postseason form. He was sharp from the beginning, and ended up allowing only 5 measly hits in 6 innings with no walks.
It really is a beautiful thing that we have such good pitching. Even Sanchez on Friday with his walks and bad defense, he was still dealing pretty well.
What I liked about Saturday was the way those 10 runs were produced. It was small ball... but I like to call it "effective ball". Getting on base. Not trying to pull the ball all over the place. Singling in runs. Amazing when that works.
I was shocked to see no Sandoval or Torres in the lineup this morning. I really was. I was like, "Well Torres AND Sandoval got two hits on Friday..."
But once I stop thinking like a fantasy baseball manager and start thinking like Bochy, I'm like, oh yeah, I forgot, Torres hit .226 against lefties last year and Sandoval hit .227.
Makes sense. There are a lot of reasons to sit those two against Ted Lilly, and it's pretty obvious that Bochy wants everyone to get in, shake the excitement off and get back to business. That's why Rowand and DeRosa played (in addition to them being righties). And hey, it worked. "DeRow", all $18MM of them went 4-10 with 3 runs scored. That's what we like to see! That's why Whiteside and Schierholtz replaced Posey and Huff, Torres came in later to force Burrell out, and Panda got a random end of the game at bat.
I can't say that I'm in favor of straight L/R platoons for Torres/Panda, especially because they're both switch hitters. The Giants are very deep this year, and while professionals like Rowand and DeRosa need to get in the game, the starters need a rhythm too.
As much as I railed on Boch last season (and he deserved it), when he finally stopped moving like a slug stuck in molasses with his lineup moves, he made all the right calls. I trust him now. He got it done, and for that we should give him more benefits of the doubt. It's natural to question these things, but we all just need to remain calm.
Anyway. It was nice to see the following things:
Tejada getting two hits, knocking in two dudes, and scoring twice
He was not exactly beloved by Giants fans in the first two games at Chavez Latrine. And it's pretty easy to see why. He looked a step slow at short, and looked like a GIDP waiting to happen. The defensive lapses were ugly, but we have to remember who this guy is.
He's not the MVP he used to be. He's old balls now, but he's still a serviceable SS and a veteran bat. He hit 15 HR last year. He's not Juan Uribe, but Boo-Ribe is now dead to us, so what does that matter? You can't compare Tejada to a dead ghost.
Saturday's game gave us hope that he will be an okay short-term player for us. The range at short is a concern, but if he's horrendous and costs us games, Sabean will take care of it. It's easy to find a light-hitting SS that won't hurt you on D.
He also looks really good in a Giants uni. Come on. You know you agree.
Brandon Belt could be our second ROY in a row...
It's been a series of firsts for Brandon Belt. First hit, first walk, first stolen base, first RBIs... but most impressively, his first home run. Wow. That was just awesome on Friday night wasn't it? I don't know about you, but it gave me chills. In only three games, Belt has answered the question I asked a couple days ago. He's not going anywhere. I know you hear the Front Office say things about their intentions with Belt, but once you see all this for yourself in meaningful games, you're like... "Whoa. This guy IS for real. And he's goodNOW!"
He's so patient; so poised. His swing is beautiful. I see a little Palmeiro in that swing. Maybe a touch of Will Clark. I think I've nailed down what he looks most like.
Belt, to me anyway, really looks like John Olerud. @JohnnyUtah530 suggested that to me on Twitter Friday and he was right on. We forget how good of a pure hitter Olerud was. The helmet in the field is his real legacy unfortunately.
And I know this seems like a lazy comparison, but Belt has a similar swing to Buster Posey. While Olerud's front foot is quiet and he takes a short stride toward the pitcher, Belt's is more like "stepping in the bucket" like Posey's. And yes, you can compare the lefty Belt to the righty Posey.
And here's Buster:
I'd say Belt's mechanics are combination of Olerud/Buster and he's got a beautiful damn swing.
Anyway, there's a ton to be excited about, and to get that first W, and to do it in 10-0 style with HurriCAIN Matt pitching like an ace, well that was just Cholula on the omelet (or icing on the cake to you weirdos that eat cake a lot).
Beat LA!
Random Thoughts
-- I feel teased by the fact we only got Kruk & Kuip for the game on Friday. I love being on National TV, but no one comes close to our collection of broadcasters. They're the best.
-- Orel Hershiser, being the Dodger that he is, said on Thursday's ESPN game that Brandon Belt has "...a slow minor league bat...with only gap power."
How'd that dong to deep center look to you on Friday Orel? Or should I say ORAL. Because you suck big time. Belt rules.
-- I love how Huff made two dives in RF on Saturday and caught the second one. Karros was right to point out that he hit his face both times on the turf.
Aubrey Huff? Gamer. -- I'm scared about Zito starting on Sunday. The guy was in a neck brace two days ago... I mean, he wasn't very good when he was healthy, what makes us all think he can be okay with a sore body/neck?
-- Zeets has the sleaziest mustache ever. Cain says it's called "The Stache". I'm down. It's heinous, but aren't all mustaches? It's entertaining to me.
-- I will write a separate article regarding our fellow fans who were assaulted by felons in the Dodger Stadium parking lot. I have to really cool down about it because I don't want to be part of an FBI investigation because of something I said in blind rage.
*Deep breaths*
BEAT LA!
I think I'm going to continue running the "Live Blogging" thing on here. I may do it every game, or I may permanently incorporate it into the site so that it's always picking up fan takes and thoughts on the Giants from Twitter or from you directly on the site.
This is completely unexpected. Miguel Tejada will be a San Francisco Giant... perhaps coming full circle across the bay from where he began his impressive career. I didn't see this one coming. I said it yesterday. I thought Bartlett was the guy, especially with Ryan Theriot being dealt to the Cards and taking them out of the running. What does this mean?
Well, it's another $6.5MM alotted to another old guy with limited range to play SS. It really shows how desperate the SS market is when Tejada is being penciled in to play out there. That's $17.5 committed to Huff & Tejada thus far (for 2011) this offseason, with questions remaining about Panda, left field, and raises due via arbitration to Jon Sanchez, Cody Ross, Mike Fontenot, and Andres Torres.
We'll get into that later. Let's talk Tejada.
Assuming he will play the majority of his games at short, which he did last year after being traded to San Diego, we could certainly do worse. However, the man is damn near 40 and if the hot corner is manned by the Tai Chi Sloth (formerly Kung Fu Panda) or Mark DeRosa, I could see a lot of balls hit to the left side of the infield escaping into left.
Certainly Tejada can play 3rd, and has done so recently, but that would likely mean Tai Chi Sloth's days as a Giant would be numbered. Obviously then, a Jason Bartlett would still be necessary. Let's assume that doesn't happen.
It's a short-term fix for the SS position, and also a motivational tool in management's ongoing effort to get Sandoval's ass into gear. DeRosa's return to the active roster means theoretically, we wouldn't need Sandoval... something that better get his juices going-- hopefully not too much fruit juice though because of all the high fructose corn syrup added to them.
All accounts have Tejada as the Giants new SS, a role he played better than 3B last year interestingly... Here's how Tejada & Uribe compared in 2010.
It's really not a huge dropoff, save for HRs and 3B defense... but as I've pointed out, 3B really doesn't matter too much.
I'm not crazy about Tejada as our starting SS, but with limited options available, the move at least keeps us around the same level of production out of the position as 2010.
Annnnddddd... our dream of a "big bat" is one more veteran contract further away.
I don't even want to write about this... I really don't.
What can I say, there is no honor among thieves and no loyalty in professional sports. I'm not just talking about the players either. There is a lack of loyalty at the management level as well.
As the hangover from our World Series victory begins to subside, we've experienced our first wakeup call. It was one of those shrill hotel room wake up calls that angers the hell out of you because it's just so goddamn unpleasant.
Why Uribe? Why the Dodgers? WHY! WHY!
I mean, yes, the money was excessive, and yes the Dodgers will regret giving him 3 years and $21MM, but the fact that we lost a key player to our hated, disgusting arch rivals is just unacceptable.
The Giants get a compensatory draft pick out of it because they offered Uribe, a Type B free agent, salary arbitration, but that doesn't lessen the sting of losing such a well-rounded player.
He is an above-average shortstop, an above-average hitter, and is the type of lineup and clubhouse glue that got us our first World Championship in San Francisco. He was just nearly as important as Aubrey Huff, who in my opinion got $2-3MM more per year than was necessary.
I understand why Uribe took the money. Money is good, and this will be his last chance to score a multi-year deal like this, I just wish the Giants would've tried harder to keep him. To me, it just sounds like they let him go... and that's a tough pill to swallow for fans like me who become so attached to players.
Now we'll have to see our beloved Uuuu-Ribe do his patented jazz hands in Dodger Blue, a thought that makes me seriously nauseous.
It's not quite Johnny Damon bolting Boston for Pinstripes but that's what it feels like. The last such thing we saw was Jason Schmidt signing for huge dollars with the Dodgers... a move that hamstrung them for years.
I will never be able to root for Uribe again, which is unfortunate. In addition, he will suffer horrible effects from the traitor's curse he brought upon himself. Like Schmidt did, Uribe will toil in both injury, mediocrity, malaise, or all 3. It is not that I wish this on him, it is just what will happen. His fate is sealed, and there's nothing he or anyone can do about it.
As for our shortstop options now... the market is not very attractive, hence the big contract for the newly hexed Juan Uribe. Here are the available shortstops, thanks as always for the ever-handy MLB Trade Rumors
Orlando Cabrera (36) - Type B, not offered arb Juan Castro (39) Craig Counsell (40) Bobby Crosby (31) Adam Everett (34) Cristian Guzman (33) Jerry Hairston Jr. (35) Cesar Izturis (31) Derek Jeter (37) - Type A, not offered arb Julio Lugo (35) Nick Punto (33) Edgar Renteria (34) Miguel Tejada (37) - Type A, not offered arb
That, my friends is one ugly list. The only people on that list that deserve a starting role are Derek Jeter, Miguel Tejada, maybe Nick Punto and possibly Izturis simply because of his defense.
Derek Jeter's agent has been contacted by the Giants, but he will not be signing with us. If Jeter and his camp even entertain a phone call from Brian Sabean, it will be solely to drive up his price with the Yankees and it will turn into a one-sided pissing contest. So forget Jeter. It's not worth thinking about.
Tejada is old balls as well, and although he can still hit, I wouldn't want him necessarily as an every day SS at age 37.
Basically, our options are in house guys like Manny Burriss (not a viable option), Brandon Crawford (who hit .241 in AA and is not close to being ready with the bat), or to make a trade.
See, this is why I wanted Uribe back... it's ugly out there. The trade options include Jason Bartlett, who the Giants have discussed with Tampa Bay, and possibly Jose Reyes of the Mets, who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Bartlett is the more likely scenario, but he's only a slightly above average player.
Bartlett will likely make $5MM via arbitration this year and Tampa has little use for him at that salary with Reid Brignac ready to step into a full-time gig.
There are other teams eying Bartlett, but that probably won't drive his price up too much. He is a good defender, gets on base at a decent rate, and won't hurt you, but he also can't hit it out or do anything spectacular. Although he a Bay Area native with ties to Mountain View and Stockton... so there's that.
As for Jose Reyes, he's a name I've heard floated recently. The Mets, who've dealt with Reyes's creaky hamstrings, occasional brilliance, and general disappointment, perhaps are ready to move on... especially with his pending free agency in '12 and totally new regime in place.
With Jonathan Sanchez likely available, this may be an intriguing deal to explore... And in case you're wondering, Sanchez becomes expendable due to the fact that Dan Runzler is being groomed as a starter.
