Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the future Giants backstop Buster Posey is feeling comfortable at first base. He currently rates himself a 7 on a scale of 1-10. The Giants are giving Posey a longer look at first as they try to gauge what he can bring to the 25-man roster if he makes the team out of camp.
Posey went 0-4 at the plate against the Oakland A’s, but still is hitting .375 this spring.
King of Cali thoughts: The reason the Giants brought Bengie Molina back was because they felt like Posey wasn’t fully ready to handle the pitching staff. They thought he can use some work, so what I heard was they would probably send him down to triple A so he can continue to work on his catching.
Now it’s sounding more and more like they are really considering him as the backup catcher/first baseman. I really think that’s a really good idea. If they can give him enough AB’s in San Francisco then it’s a no brainer. He can catch one or two games a week. This will keep Molina fresh, and Posey can have Molina talking to him between innings about different things he’s doing right/wrong behind the plate.
There is no doubt that Posey can handle himself with the bat, so by making him the backup. They can ease him into more and more playing time. That way when he really takes over as the everyday backstop there is no surprise as to what we may get from him. Before I get the hate mail. I’m not saying he’s taking over anytime soon. Even if it’s next season. At least by then he will have big league experience under his belt. What do you think the Giants should do with Posey?
King of Cali thoughts: I know what you’re thinking. What’s up with that face before you hit play? I know, it’s pretty crazy looking. I guess when I shot the quick video that’s how my face looked when I first hit record. I will be sure to not let that happen again.
These are just my thoughts on Lewis and Posey. I look forward to reading your comments on these two players.
Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com says the Giants have increased their offer to Nick Johnson. The offer was $5.5 million and now is at the $6 million range. The Yankees and Mariners are also looking to sign Johnson.
King of Cali thoughts: This isn’t a sexy signing to me, but I’m sure Johnson can help if he stays healthy. He will take a walk and does get on base a lot. He’s not a power bat, but would sure be an upgrade at first. If the Giants sign Johnson or Mark DeRosa I won’t be happy unless they sign at least two players. Just one of them will not cut it. They can’t boost this offense by themselves. They need multiple bats since they are probably not going to sign that one big bat.
Buster Olney of ESPN.com tweets, and says “NYY on the verge of signing Nick Johnson. Contract details to be worked out — it’s not final — plus the physical. At the 1 1/2 yard line.”
King of Cali thoughts: Time to start trying harder to sign Beltre, or hope you can work out a trade for Dan Uggla to get some pop before it’s to late.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com reports that the Giants have signed Tony Pena Jr. He’s a shortstop that turned reliever. Pena struggled offensively and move to the mound midway through this year. He went 1-2 with a 2.33 ERA over 10 outings in the Royals farm system.
Pena is a free agent and currently pitching in the Dominican Winter League. He’s 2-0 with a 5.14 ERA in 17 relief outings.
King of Cali thoughts: I have never heard of this guy, but he doesn’t sound to bad as relief pitcher. He’s not the signing that we all have been waiting for, but at least we know the Giants front office is alive and not home on Christmas vacation.
Here is a Q&A that I did with Ann Killion. I’m sure a lot of you out there know who she is. She’s an award winning sports columnist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Here is a little background on her. She’s been a Bay Area sportswriter for the past two decades. She covered the 49ers as a beat writer for a couple of (glory) years in the early 90′s. She’s been a general sports columnist for most of her career. Which means she’s spent a lot of life writing about the Giants, particularly Barry Bonds and his milestones and scandals. Ann says the Giants are definitely her bread and butter. She left the Mercury News last summer and is now working for SI.com and Comcast Sports Net Bay Area.
King: What are your thoughts on Bill Neukom after his first year in charge?
Ann: I haven’t spent that much time around Neukom though I did sit down with him the day he took over. I think he’s very lawyerly – pragmatic and analytic. He might not have the emotional connection to the team that Magowan had, but that could be a good thing. He’s unlikely to make mistakes like giving Barry Zito a ridiculous contract because he looks good or outbidding phantom bidders so as not to “humiliate” Bonds. The team improved during his first year. I think he did the right thing in holding off on contracts for Bochy and Sabean. In terms of spending, I think the jury is still out.
King: Sabean has said the Giants will be after second tier free agents. Who do would you say should be the Giants number 1 target as a second tier free agent?
Ann: I’m not too excited about any of the names. Jermaine Dye peaks my interest a little because he’s local, coming off a decent year and is a great guy. But there’s no one I feel strongly about out there.
What are your thoughts on Tim Lincecum hitting arbitration with two Cy Young’s under his belt?
I think he’s going to be a very rich young man. And – unlike a lot of overpaid athletes – he deserves whatever he’s going to make. I’m a big Lincecum fan.
King: There has been some recent talk that Buster Posey can be the next Joe Mauer or Brian McCann. What type of a player do you see Posey turning into?
Ann: I think if he could be the next Mauer the Giants would be very lucky. I think he shows a lot of promise but is still about 12 years old.
King: We all know Bonds was the poster child for the steroids era. Do you think he will get voted in to the Hall of Fame, or do you think he will be on the black list?
Ann: I’m a Hall of Fame voter and I can’t tell you. I think all the guys from the steroid era are on the black list right now. I think Bonds will likely have to wait a few years. I’ve written in the past that I think baseball needs to take some responsibility for its own legacy, rather than just foisting it on the writers. Maybe a blue-ribbon committee with Hall of Famers like Hank Aaron could provide some guidance. I think overlooking the “morals” clause is ridiculous – it’s part of the voting guidelines. Everyone says, ‘well Bonds was a Hall of Famer before he cheated.” My response to that is: doesn’t that make it even worse? It’s a problem.
King: What do you think the Giants really need to improve this team?
Ann: Get a bat. Just like last year and the year before.
King: You have covered a lot of sports, so what’s your greatest sports memory of all?
Ann: That’s a hard one. Most of my goosebump moments have come at the Olympics – I’ve covered the past eight and seem some crazy things. Covering the Tour de France in 2004 was amazing – especially the time trial up the Alpe d’Huez. The 2002 World Series is definitely up there on the list of memorable events. My favorite assignment of all time was covering the 1998 World Cup in France – incredible!
King: Do you see the Giants turning into a force in the NL West in the near future with the pieces they currently have in place?
Ann: Yes. Their pitching is so fantastic. And the Dodgers appear to be headed toward chaos, thanks to the divorce of the MCourts. If some of the Giants prospects, like Posey, turn into the real deal, I think they’ll be back in contention.
King: Giants fans are desperate for a World Series Championship. I’m telling myself that McGwire and Canseco were probably on the juice in 89, so I will take that as a forfeit. Giants are now the 1989 World Series Champions. =) Would you agree with me?
Ann: Hmmm, if I follow that logic I’m pretty sure there wouldn’t be any teams to award a championship to in the past decade-plus. Including those Red Sox championships…But I agree that McGwire and Canseco were on the juice – everyone talked about it even back then.
King: Thank you very much for taking the time to do this Q&A for us Giants fans. Is there anything that you would like to let Giants fans know about you?
Ann: My late father was so excited about the Giants moving to San Francisco he stood on Market Street in the tickertape parade welcoming them, with my older brother on his shoulders. He was a die-hard Giants fan and I grew up with Giants games as the background noise to my childhood. He didn’t like it when I became infatuated with the Swingin’ A’s in the 70s. Sharing Giants games with him late in his life was a real pleasure – I am happy that he lived long enough to see the new ballpark. One of these days he might look down on his team winning a World Series. Maybe.
King: Ann does have her own site. You can check it out at annkillion.com, and you can also follow her via twitter.
I know a lot of Giants fans are very interested to hear about Zack Wheeler. Wheeler was the Giants number one pick in the 2009 draft. He was the 6th overall pick in the draft. He’s 19 years old and straight out of high school. If you’re looking for a good Q&A with Wheeler. Joseph of AZGIANTS had a sit down with Wheeler. Check it out, cause there is some good stuff from this high school phenom.
Two players that have been linked to SF Giants Rumors have signed elsewhere. It’s nice to see deals starting to happen. The Giants have made any moves yet, but I’m sure it won’t be long.
Ivan Rodriguez – Jon Heyman of SI.com reports Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez has agreed to a two-year, $6 million contract with the Washington Nationals. The 38-year old Rodriguez hit .249 with 10 home runs and 47 RBIs last season.
King of Cali thoughts: Pudge couldn’t pass that offer up. I’m glad the Giants didn’t sign him for 2 years, $6 million. There is no need to if Buster Posey is pretty much ready to start a platoon job and learn the ropes.
Brad Penny – Jon Heyman of SI.com says Penny has signed a one-year, $7.5 million deal with St. Louis. The deal includes an additional $1.5 million in innings-based bonuses. Penny went 11-9 last season with the Red Sox and Giants.
Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News says the Giants gave it their best shot on signing Penny. They’re out and not looking back. The Giants made several offers to Brad Penny in November. It’s believed that the Cardinals didn’t outbid the Giants by much.
King of Cali thoughts: I was really hoping that Penny would re-sign with the Giants. He brought a lot of attitude and emotion out on the field every time he pitched. Now it’s time to let Bumgarner take that 5th spot in the rotation and start the Bumgarner era. Not a bad fallback is it?
Joe Capozzi of Palm Beach Post says the San Francisco Giants are said to have shown the most interest in Dan Uggla, but they’re reluctant to give away their top prospects. The Marlins are asking for left-hander Madison Bumgarner, among other players, but the Giants consider him off-limits.
King of Cali thoughts: I would love to see a trade for Uggla, but there is no way the Giants will part with Bumgarner. If that’s a deal breaker. Then let the rumors end there and move on. We can find someone on the free agent market and keep our top prospects.
Nick Cafardo of Boston Globe reports that the Marlins could deal second baseman Dan Uggla or third baseman Jorge Cantu; both are in demand. The Giants are very interested in Uggla.
King of Cali thoughts: Nothing new on that Uggla rumor, but everyone around the Major League keeps reporting how interested the Giants are in trading for Uggla. The Giants do not want to part with any pitching, so the question is how they can get this deal to work.
Nick also says the Giants need bats. At least two big ones for the middle of the order. Anyone and anything is possible. With Molina likely to depart, the Giants want a veteran to nurture rookie Buster Posey (Pudge Rodriguez?), one back-end starter, and some bullpen help. He does think pitching prospect Jonathan Sanchez could be dangled for the right bat.
King of Cali thoughts: Pudge would be a smart move for the Giants. He had a down year with the bat, but if he’s willing to platoon. That’s someone you want to mentor Posey. He also will draw some fans into the seats to see him. He’s not the big name guy you want, but Pudge still has a fan base.
Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com says the Cubs and Giants were among the teams interested in Rafael Betancourt before the Rockies offered him salary arbitration on Tuesday, multiple major league sources told FOXSports.com.
The question now is will either team be willing to part with a draft pick in order to sign the free agent reliever?
King of Cali thoughts: Betancourt would be a great reliever to add to the bullpen. The Giants might look to save some money by not signing him and hope Sergio Romo, Dan Runzler and Waldis Joaquin can fill the gap to get the ball to Jeremy Affeldt and Brian Wilson.
Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the future Giants backstop Buster Posey is feeling comfortable at first base. He currently rates himself a 7 on a scale of 1-10. The Giants are giving Posey a longer look at first as they try to gauge what he can bring to the 25-man roster if he makes the team out of camp.
