GM Brian Sabean said the San Francisco Giants top priority this offseason is to keep their pitching intact. Matt Cain is in the final year of his contract, and the Giants are hoping to lock him up.
Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News says the six-year, $99 million offer C.J. Wilson left on the table from the Marlins will provide a baseline for negotiations with Cain.
Baggarly points out that the Giants pitchers are winners after the winter meetings. They will have a speedy outfield with Melky Cabrera, Angel Pagan and Nate Schierholtz in the outfield (if they all play at the same time). Let’s also not forget about the upgraded defensive shortstop in Brandon Crawford. Sounds like some really good defense to help a very good pitching staff.
Side Note
I hate to put a negative spin on the Pagan trade, but Baggarly says Pagan is an .069 hitter at AT&T Park. He’s 2-for-29 in 9 games. However, one of his hits was a clutch, two-run homer off Ryan Vogelsong that gave the Mets the lead in a game on July 8th.
~King of Cali (Steven)
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I’m sure you have already heard that the San Francisco Giants budget is tapped out for the 2012 season. Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News says GM Brian Sabean has eliminated any possibility of re-signing Carlos Beltran or Cody Ross.
“Being brutally honest, we pretty much got to the top of the budget,” said Sabean.
Sabean also said it’s down to Jeff Keppinger and Mike Fontenot as the extra man on the roster. Both guys are good players to have on the team, but if Freddy Sanchez goes down again. It would be nice to plug in Keppinger as the everyday second baseman if needed.
What’s your thoughts on the door now closed for Beltran/Ross and who do you want as the extra man?
~King of Cali (Steven)
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Technorati Tags: Brian Sabean, Carlos Beltran, Cody Ross, Freddy Sanchez, Giants Hot Stove, Giants Trade Rumors, Jeff Keppinger, King of Cali, Mike Fontenot, San Francisco Giants, SF Giants Rumors

Tim Lincecum, Spring Training
The
San Francisco Giants offered Tim Lincecum a 4-year deal, but Lincecum wants a 8-year deal. He’s also okay with just signing a 1 or 2-year deal, according to Jon Heyman (via twitter).
Heyman also says (via twitter) the Giants have since talked to Lincecum’s agent, but still not much progress. They still have the big gab between the 8-years Timmy wants and the 4-years the Giants offered. They may just do a 1 or 2-year deal.
Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports says (via twitter) the Giants are not comfortable (yet) with offering 3-year contracts. Michael Cuddyer would require a 3-year deal, and the Twins have offered Cuddyer that for $25 million.
Danny Knobler of CBS Sports says (via twitter) the Giants are trying to move Jeff Keppinger, Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez. They’re planning on keeping Jeremy Affeldt.
GM Brian Sabean knows he doesn’t have a blank check this offseason, so he’s kicking the tires on any possible trade out there to find a way to upgrade the offense.
~King of Cali (Steven)
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John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports there will be no big splash additions for the San Francisco Giants and the 2012 payroll will be $130 million.
Giants GM Brian Sabean will be in Dallas next week for the winter meetings, and is open to trades and free agency.
“There won’t be a big splash,” said Sabean.
VP of Baseball Operations, Bobby Evans said he has engaged in preliminary talks with Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain‘s agents. They have had some conversations about numbers and exchanged ideas.
~King of Cali (Steven)
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Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports says the San Francisco Giants are trying to trade Jeremy Affeldt and/or Ramon Ramirez.
The Giants recently picked up Affeldt’s option for $5 million. Ramirez is in his final year of being arbitration eligible and will be getting a raise from his 2011 salary ($1.6 million). Ramirez will get around $2.5 to $3 million in 2012.
The Winter Meetings start Monday December 5th, so I’m sure that’s when Brian Sabean will start to dangle these relievers to see what possible moves are out there.
What’s your thoughts on Affeldt and Ramirez on the trade market?
~King of Cali (Steven)
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John Shea says (via twitter) that GM Brian Sabean will speak with Carlos Beltran‘s camp today.
“It’s a fluid situation as well as other conversations we’re in,” Sabean on Beltran.
Bill Ladson of MLB.com says the Nationals are looking to acquire bench strength at first base. They are kicking the tires on free agent Mark DeRosa, who can play infield and the outfield.
DeRosa is a good guy in the locker room, and was a good player for the San Francisco Giants when healthy, but he was injured pretty much his whole Giants tenure. If he can stay healthy and his wrist holds up. He will be a decent pickup for someone.
Alternate Road Jersey
Sportslogos.net says they have learned from a reliable source that the Giants will be bringing back a slightly updated version of their 1980′s road jersey as a road alternate jersey for the 2012 season.
~King of Cali (Steven)
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Technorati Tags: Brian Sabean, Carlos Beltran, Giants Hot Stove, Giants Trade Rumors, King of Cali, Mark DeRosa, San Francisco Giants, SF Giants Rumors, SFG Rumors
The San Francisco Giants said (via twitter) that they have extended the contracts for GM Brian Sabean and Manager Bruce Bochy through 2013 with a club option for 2014.
This extension makes sense to me, since they helped bring a World Series Championship to San Francisco!
What’s your thoughts on their contract extensions?
~King of Cali (Steven)
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John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle says the San Francisco Giants need to sign outfielder Carlos Beltran. He’s the fourth best hitter in the free agent market.
Shea believes the Giants can go with Brandon Crawford at shortstop with Beltran, Buster Posey, Freddy Sanchez and a in-shape Aubrey Huff in the lineup. Let’s not forget about Pablo Sandoval either!
Now for the centerfield postion. Shea thinks Coco Crisp seems doable unless Brian Sabean sees a comeback story in Grady Sizemore.
Gary Brown Update
Henry Schulman said (via twitter) that the Giants are shutting down Gary Brown from playing in the AFL. Brown got a nasty virus and is still recovering. The Giants think he’s fatigued from his first full season and playing winter ball.
~King of Cali (Steven)
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For those of you that haven’t already heard… Pablo Sandoval and Carlos Beltran came up short in the Rawlings Gold Glove Awards. Placido Polanco of the Phillies and Andre Ethier of the hated Dodgers beat out Sandoval and Beltran for the Gold Gloves at 3rd and right field.
CSNBayArea.com has reported that San Francisco Giants number one pick (29th overall) in the 2011 draft (Joe Panik) has been named to the AFL Rising Stars Game.
Panik is currently hitting .250 with two home runs in 16 games for the Scottsdale Scorpions. Let’s hope he can work on his swing to get that average up a little bit. He does however have a .344 on-base percentage.
Brian Sabean has said that Panik is playing in the AFL to get some higher level at-bats. He was drafted as a shortstop, but is playing 2nd base to get playing time in the AFL. He’s the 4th infielder selected by the Giants in the first round since 1985. The Giants front office has a lot of high hopes for Panik. Marc Raimondi of the New York Post has compared Panik to ex-Giant Rich Aurilia.
The Rising Stars Game will be televised on MLB Network this Saturday at 5:10pm. Are you going to be watching?
~King of Cali (Steven)
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Comments Off
Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle thinks the Giants might have some concerns about Brian Wilson‘s long-term health, and that’s why they may pick up Jeremy Affeldt‘s $5 million option.
Matt Cain could be close to signing a contract extension since he’s a free agent after the 2012 season. He’s a top priority for the Giants right now since Brian Sabean has said he wants to keep the pitching staff together.
Schulman also believes the Giants revenues and payroll have reached a threshold that allows them to take contract risks for the future in order to win now, especially with the Aaron Rowand and Barry Zito deals coming off the books in 2013 and 2014.
~King of Cali (Steven)
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Technorati Tags: Aaron Rowand, Barry Zito, Brian Sabean, Brian Wilson, Giants Hot Stove, Giants Trade Rumors, Jeremy Affeldt, Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants, SF Giants Rumors