San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson will start the 2011 season on the disabled list. Wilson is still recovering from an oblique injury. The Giants are hoping he will be ready by the home opener on April 8th vs. the Cardinals. The Giants have some pretty good arms in the bullpen, so I don’t see Wilson being out as a cause of concern. John Shea tweeted “Heard management wants to keep Brandon Belt, leaning towards making him their starting first baseman. Announcement Wednesday.”
The Giants did release Jeff Suppan yesterday. More roster announcements are going to come after today’s game against the A’s… Stay tuned!
You may want to add the SF Giants Rumors Facebook page if you’re not already following it. Sometimes it’s quicker to get updates, as I can update that directly from my phone.
Friday February 4, 2011 was Media Day for the San Francisco Giants. The media got a chance to meet with the players/coaches, and ask questions. I will be uploading some pictures and videos (over the next couple days) from Media Day, and also from Giants Fan Fest. The first players to come out were Sergio Romo, Freddy Sanchez and Andres Torres. I was able to record a quick video of Pat Burrell and Madison Bumgarner making their way to their assigned seating area.
Sergio Romo was the only player out at this point that wasn’t in a suite. This video gives you an idea of what the area looked like and how easy it was to access the players.
There will be more video’s and pictures to follow, so don’t forget to check back soon! ~King of Cali
Tom Krasovic of Fanhouse says the Giants have invited Marc Kroon to Spring Training. Which means it’s a minor league deal. Kroon was clocked at 101 miles per hour three years ago. He will be competing for a relief job with the San Francisco Giants. Kroon has had 177 saves and a 2.68 ERA in Japan the last six years. Arbitration Breakdown The Giants have signed all of their arbitration eligible players. These seven players will make a combined $18.48 million dollars. The payroll is expected to be around $115 million. Cody Ross – $6.3 Million
If you haven’t heard by now, Showtime wants to follow the 2010 World Series Champions during spring training. I hear that MLB Productions is really behind this, and they actually were talking to the San Francisco Giants before they won the World Series. It actually came to more of a reality in November. The idea is to focus on a few key players, and show the Giants behind the scenes. Now who wouldn’t love to see their team with an all access pass? Anyone that watches the MLB Network channel knows that MLB Productions is always in locker rooms and on the fields during batting practices. It was never a distraction then, so I don’t see this being one now. Do you see this being a distraction? ~King of Cali
Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com says (via twitter) theSan Francisco Giants have discussed a trade with the Cubs. This would be Aaron Rowand for Kosuke Fukudome. Crasnick says it’s a classic bad contract, change-of-scenery deal.
In another tweet Crasnick says he thinks the deal is a long shot. Rowand is still owed $25 million over the next two years, and Fukudome will make $13.5 million in 2011.
In another tweet Crasnick says if the Giants can’t move Rowand, they might entertain offers for Nate Schierholtz. There is a surplus of outfielders in San Francisco.Crasnick tells SF Giants Rumors that he does think it’s a long shot. He says Fukudome isn’t great, but he does only have one more year at $13.5 million. He says without knowing the particulars, he thinks the Giants will be more motivated to make this deal than the Cubs.If the Giants shop Schierholtz Crasnick and myself don’t think the Giants will get much in return unless it’s a package deal.
Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times says middle infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka’s preferred team is the Dodgers. A source said the 26 year old switch-hitting shortstop wants to play on the West Coast, and is also interested in playing for the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks. Nishioka led Japan’s Pacific League in hitting this year with a .346 average. World Series MVP Edgar Renteria wants to skip the celebration in his honor in his home country, and wants that money to be donated to Columbia flood victims. ~King of Cali
The San Francisco Giants hottest hitter in the playoffs Cody Ross says he wants to finish his career with the Giants. Ross is in his final year of arbitration, and should receive a slight raise from the $4.45 million he received this year.
For all you fans that were tired of hearing about the Dan Uggla rumors. I have another for you! Ross has been trying to persuade Uggla from signing a long term deal with the Marlins. He wants Uggla to play his final arbitration year with the Marlins, so he can sign with the Giants after the 2011 season.
Ross said, “This team is built for years to come, and I’d love to play here longer than this run we’re having. I’d like to stay for my career.”
The San Francisco Giants played their first playoff game since 2003, and the fans were more than ready for it. If you have any pictures or videos from last night or tonight’s game. Go to SF Giants Rumors Facebook page and upload them! ~King of Cali
Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says Freddy Sanchez will undergo an MRI exam today on his right shoulder. Sanchez can still swing the bat, but he’s not able to make any throws. Sanchez did play in yesterday’s game like this, and was able to hit a homerun.
Sanchez said “We’ll see. Obviously, I want to do everything I can to be in there. At the same time, I don’t want to hurt the team in any way if I can’t make a play or turn a double play.”
I asked the Giants Beat writer Chris Haft if he still wants to see Sanchez at second base for his bat, or just have him grab some pine and just pinch hit.Haft said, “Freddy’s swinging the bat so well that it’s tempting to leave him in there. But I think you have to go with Fontenot. If you can’t turn double plays, you’re hurting the team.”
If you haven’t heard by now, Showtime wants to follow the 
