King of Cali thoughts: The two free agents that keep getting brought up for the Giants to sign are Nick Johnson and Adrian Beltre. If it’s a choice of these two. Let’s go with Beltre. He’s a great defender and he does have right handed pop that the Giants need. Johnson doesn’t have the pop, but he will be on base a lot. The Giants need someone who can drive in runs with one swing of the bat. Last season we got guys on. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was driving them in. I’m on board with a Beltre signing. Who’s with me?
~King of Cali
Technorati Tags: Adrian Beltre, Brian Sabean, Free Agents, Giants, King of Cali, MLB Hot Stove, Nick Johnson, San Francisco Giants Baseball, Scott Boras, SF Giants Blog, SF Giants Rumors, Winter Meetings
Ausmus batted .295 in 36 games for the Dodgers. He does live in San Diego and has strong preference to play on the West Coast.
King of Cali thoughts: This is the kind of guy I would like to see brought in to catch for the Giants. Ausmus will be able to platoon with Buster Posey and then turn into Posey’s back up when he’s ready to take over as the everyday backstop.
Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi also chime in on the Giants having options for adding offense. They say the Giants should feel confident heading into next week’s winter meetings, because they can add offense without signing Jason Bay or Matt Holliday although that would certainly help.
Multiple major league sources indicated Wednesday that free-agent third baseman Adrian Beltre, free-agent first baseman Nick Johnson and Florida second baseman Dan Uggla are currently high on the Giants list.
King of Cali thoughts:
Uggla – The Uggla rumors never die. Which means they are really true. The Marlins want major league ready players in exchange for Uggla, so I’m thinking they must still want Jonathan Sanchez. I’m not sure which players the Giants are willing to part with. I know the players I wouldn’t mind see going wouldn’t be the players the Marlins would want.
Johnson – The knock on Johnson is that he can’t stay healthy. He’s a guy that’s going to get on base. He will show plate discipline and take a walk.
Beltre – He’s a great defender at third and by signing him Sandoval can play first. Beltre is a career .270 hitter with 250 homers. Last season he only hit 8 but he did 25, 26 and 25 in the three previous seasons. He would bring some right-handed pop to the Giants that they desperately need.
~King of Cali
Technorati Tags: Adrian Beltre, Brad Ausmus, Buster Posey, Dan Uggla, Free Agents, Giants, Jason Bay, King of Cali, Matt Holliday, MLB Hot Stove, MLB Trade Rumors, Nick Johnson, NL West, San Francisco Giants Baseball, SF Giants Rumors
Hey Giants fans! I know it’s been a while since I have actually did a King of Cali blog. I thought I would do one about some free agents that are out there. With it known that the Giants are probably not going to be able to obtain Jason Bay or Matt Holliday. Let’s take a look at a few second tier players that are out there and should be considered by the San Francisco Giants.
Xavier Nady: Nady is someone that the Giants should really be considering. He’s coming off an injury year. He had his second Tommy John elbow surgery. He is hoping to be ready by spring training. Nady only played in 7 games in 2009 for the New York Yankees. He did have career numbers in 2008 with a .305 AVG, 25 homers and 97 RBIs in 2008. He’s only 31, so if he can stay healthy. He would be a good second tier free agent to sign.
Juan Uribe: The Giants have said they would like to bring back Uribe. He was a very valuable piece for the Giants. He was a steal for the Giants when they signed him for $1 million last season. Uribe was able to fill in where ever he was needed in the infield. He played in 122 games, .289 AVG and had 16 homers for a team that was desperate for offense. Renteria is still penciled in as the Giants shortstop, but if the Giants can re-sign Uribe. Renteria might not hold on to that starting role long if he’s not producing.
Adrian Beltre: Is a nice option at third base. He’s coming off a year where he hit .265 with 8 homers in 111 games for the Seattle Mariners. In 2008 Beltre did hit 25 homers in 143 games. He still has the pop that the Giants do desperately need to add to their lineup. He’s also had 2 Gold Gloves within the last 5 years for the Mariners. Word on the street (internet) is that the Phillies are targeting Beltre.
Do you think any of these guys would be a good fit for the Giants?
~King of Cali
Technorati Tags: Adrian Beltre, Free Agents, Hot Stove, Juan Uribe, King of Cali, MLB, MLB Rumors, NL West, San Francisco Giants Baseball, SF Giants Rumors, Xavier Nady
