The trading deadline has passed and the San Francisco Giants position players remain the same. I do have some mixed feelings about this years trading deadline. Giants GM Brian Sabean did get two relievers in Javier Lopez and Ramon Ramirez. Yes, he did get some much needed help to our bullpen. No, he didn’t get a bat with some power that everyone was expecting.
The Giants have been linked to multiple bats prior to the trading deadline. Name thrown out there like Corey Hart, Prince Fielder, Adam Dunn, Jose Bautista and the list goes on…
My gut feeling was if the Giants couldn’t pull off any big deals that they would at least fallback on Jose Guillen. He would be a rental player, but wouldn’t really cost the Giants much. Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star told me (via email) the Giants could still get him. He can’t imagine Guillen getting claimed off waivers.
I really couldn’t believe that Sabean didn’t pull the trigger on any deals. He’s been saying the Giants need a power bat since last year and still hasn’t made it happen yet. The Padres and Dodger were able to upgrade their teams. Only time will tell how this trading deadline turns out for all teams. I guess let’s just be happy that the Giants are playing some really good ball right now!
I’m relieved that Sabean didn’t hit the panic button and make a dumb trade (right before the deadline) like giving up Madison Bumgarner for a rental player like Dunn. I do believe Sabean could have made a few moves without mortgaging the farm system, or giving away starting pitching. I just don’t like hearing that they couldn’t have done anything without giving up Jonathan Sanchez or Bumgarner. Other teams made trades and I didn’t see everyone giving up those kind of players.
The Giants may be in the mix for free agent slugger Carlos Delgado. Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com reports a couple of teams are showing interest. The Giants are among the teams that could be seeking additional offensive help.
The San Francisco Giants signed the D-Train Dontrelle Willis to a minor league contract. Willis will be reporting to the Fresno Grizzlies on Monday. This is a low risk high reward signing for the Giants. Just like the Pat Burrell signing.
This tells me that Giants GM Brian Sabean is getting serious about trading LHP Jonathan Sanchez for a bat. The Milwaukee Brewers want Sanchez or Madison Bumgarner for Corey Hart. I’m not saying this will be the trade, but this is the rumor that isn’t dying.
When I asked the San Francisco Giants beat writer Chris Haft (via email) if the thinks the Giants are getting serious about trying to trade for Corey Hart, Prince Fielder or Ryan Braun. He told me it will take a lot to get one of those guys. The Brewers would want Matt Cain and somebody else decent, though the Giants might be able to sell them on Jonathan Sanchez.
Anthony Witrado of the Journal Sentinel said rumors have been flying regarding Hart for the last couple of weeks, and with the pitching-heavy but offense-starved Giants in town, the mill really got going with Hart-to-Giants talk.
I asked Witrado (via email) if he thinks the Giants will be able to land Hart, Fielder or Braun, and if so what does he think it would take to land one of them?
Witrado said Fielder and Braun are out of the question, most likely. Fielder would mean the Giants giving up Cain for sure. Hart is possibly, probably for Madison Bumgarner, but I don’t think that’ll happen over the next week. It will likely come after the break if it happens.
When it rains it pours, and it’s definitely pouring in Giantsland. The San Francisco Giants have lost six straight games, and are looking for a heartbeat to show they are still alive in this NL West.
Tom Verducci of SI.com lists his “All-Overlooked All-Star Team”. The only Giants player to make this list is Shortstop Juan Uribe. Verducci says no other shortstop has more than Uribe’s 12 homers and 45 RBI’s.
Damon Bruce of KNBR 1050 told me (via email) it’s going to be hard to deal for a significant player without moving a pitcher (Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, Madison Bumgarner or Brian Wilson). Bruce doesn’t believe the Giants would ever move one of them. He also says it’s hard to think of a big name coming in to save the season.
Giants beat writer Chris Haft also mention to me that the outfield definitely is an area where they could obtain somebody.
For those of you that have seen the website FireSabean.com. I thought I would try to give Giants fans a little more insight on the man behind the site. He’s 23 year old Eric Shackelford who was born in southern California and parents are actually Dodger fans. Eric lived down south for his first 3 years. He became a Junior Giants member and the rest is history! Eric decided to start a site online cause there is a lot of Giants fans online with opinions so it makes talking Giants a lot more fun.
Eric says “I just don’t get our front office, and that’s why I’m here. To represent an entire nation of fans who are tired of this management and I hope others choose to engage with me or continue preaching the truth!”.
King: The first question I must ask you about is your parents being Dodger fans. You must have a really bad relationship with them right?
Eric: I burned down our house when I was four years old. Hah, but seriously, I remember going through a closet one day and seeing a stuffed bear with Dodgers gear on. I took it out front and ripped it’s head off and threw it away. They are good people, just a little misdirected when it comes to sports (I was born in Ventura so I guess they felt obligated to like the pathetic Dodgers).
King: What is your favorite Giants memory?
Eric: Oh man, that’s a tough one. I’ll have to say the 1997 Giants vs. Dodgers. Giants were a game back with 9 to play. The game was so intense and back-and-forth, then Rod Beck takes the mound in the 10th inning with the bases loaded and no one out. He gets a strike out then a home-to-first double play. Then the 12th inning… Brian Johnson’s walk off. I remember running up and down the stairs screaming as loud as I could. Giants won the West that year. Good times..
King: Who’s your two favorite past & present Giants players and why?
Eric: Currently I am a huge fan of Brian Wilson. He is the carbon copy of what a closer should be. Cocky, Mohawk, tattoos, hilarious and a flame-thrower. He will be on par with Rod Beck when it’s all said and done. The attitude of this guy is amazing. I’ve always liked closers, from Beck to Rob Nen to Joe Nathan now Weez. Pretty good following.
Past – The obvious answers would be Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal etc. I am 23 years old and I grew up watching Barry Bonds. Go past the steroid drama because that was the era (as seen in the inflation of stats), you can’t take away the mystique and raw talent that man had. He transcended the team and made McCovey Cove what it is. I can’t say enough about him, I remember going to the Stick (Candlestick Park) and being in awe of every single at-bat. He is the home run champion and I was able to witness it — That’s pretty cool.
King: Do you think Barry Bonds will be voted into the Hall of Fame, or do you think he will be on the blacklist?
Eric: I don’t see it happening right now, but in about 10 years there may be a chance. Think about it, if you don’t let Bonds in you can’t let guys like Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens and Mark McGwire in either. They did the same thing and I don’t know exactly how those voters will feel in 10 years, but right now there is no chance. Pete Rose was never forgiven, and if you leave names like this off the ballot then I think baseball would have committed a huge mistake. I guarantee you at least 75% of players did it for quite some time, it’s sad, but it was part of the game. That’s just my opinion, though.
King: What was your initial reaction when you heard Bruce Bochy and Brian Sabean were coming back in 2010?
Eric: I rolled my eyes. I knew it was going to happen so I wasn’t too surprised. Where Sabes is Bochy will soon follow — the two are attached at the hip. On any other team if a GM doesn’t produce a World Series title in 10 years max they are gone, yet Sabean keeps hanging around which is pretty disgusting. I think Magowan and Baer are stuck on the fact that he took the team to the Series in ‘02 (with Bonds) and that he has the ability to take them there again. They have goggles on, they have to.
King: Since you think Sabean isn’t doing a great job as the GM. If you had his job. Who would you pursue at the trading deadline, and who would you part with to make that trade happen?
Eric: Prince Fielder. This would be the smartest. Or even Adrian Gonzalez. Then Posey can catch and Huff can play the outfield. There’s a lot of talk about a bunch of different guys but I’m still stuck in Prince. Obviously, they want someone like Cain — which we cannot do. Honestly, I have no idea where we can go for Prince, maybe a Jonathan Sanchez/Madison Bumgarner. Stick with me. Prince is an everyday player, pitchers affect 1 out of 5 games a week. Wouldn’t you be willing to part with a top prospect and a good pitcher for a power hitter who’s 26 years old?
King: If and when Sabean is no longer the Giants GM. Will you keep your FireSabean.com site, start a new site or stop blogging all together?
Eric: I have thought about that before. The site has picked up pace recently and I’ve received pretty good feedback. If people are still following the blog when Sabean is fired then I’ll probably buy a new domain (not sure yet of what) and just have people who type in firesabean.com get redirected to the new blog. I love writing and want to do that for the rest of my life (not blogging, but just writing in general) so this is a lot of fun. Hopefully people like it too.
King: Is there anything you want to let Giants fans know about you that they might not know?
Eric: I may come off pessimistic a lot of the time, but that’s where I get the humor. I have been a lifelong Giants fan and those who know me know how much I love watching this team. It’s kind of a catch 22 with Sabean at the helm, if we do well this year that’s awesome but then Sabean will surely get another extension. Would I take a World Series win even if it means Sabean will get a lifelong contract? Hell yeah, that’s what our goal as a fan is: To witness the ultimate triumph — and whether it comes with him as the GM or Jon Doe, it doesn’t matter. We’re all in this together and one World Series in 14 years of torture? Maybe I’ll purchase IveAlwaysLovedSabean.com next.
King: Thank you very much Eric for taking the time to do this Q&A with SF Giants Rumors. Keep up the great work with your site. It’s always fun to read your posts. It’s nice to see that we both have the same passion for the San Francisco Giants!
Chris Haft of MLB.com gives some insight on the Giants and Prince Fielder saga. Pitching in relief last June 28th at Milwaukee, Sanchez opened up the ninth inning by plunking Fielder, who was seen loitering in the corridor near the Giants clubhouse after the game. Nothing came of that non-incident, though the Giants sought revenge for Fielder’s theatrical game-winning home run celebration last Sept. 6. Barry Zito hit Fielder with a pitch on March 4th, which settled matters according to baseball’s rough yet time-honored etiquette.
King of Cali thoughts: Jonathan Sanchez hit Fielder (yesterday’s game), and then both teams were immediately issued warnings. Umpires are aware of the feud going on between the Giants and Brewers since Fielders walk-off homer in September against the Giants. Zito was the first Giants pitcher to face Fielder since that homer/celebration. Zito plunked him on the first pitch. Fielder just picked up the ball and tossed it back to Zito. Fielder knew it was coming, and just took it. That should have ended that.
Now that Sanchez has hit Fielder again. I’m starting to have a feeling that this feud is far from over. Although Sanchez didn’t appear to hit Fielder on purpose. I’m sure there will be some retaliation coming when the Giants face the Brewers for the first time during the season on July 5th in Milwaukee. Let’s see how this turns out. That July 5th date may end up being a bench clearing brawl waiting to happen. Only time will tell…
Chris Haft of MLB.com reports that Jonathan Sanchez has gained 12 pounds to boost his weight to 200 pounds. “Slender” still best describes the 6-foot-2 Sanchez’s physique says Haft.
Sanchez’s weight gain should help him impart more force on his pitches, particularly his already lively fastball. “it’ll have more velocity and it’s going to rise more,” and upbeat Sanchez said recently.
Imagine how formidable the Giants rotation, led by Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Barry Zito, would be with Sanchez, the projected fourth starter, winning 12-15 games. The Giants haven’t had four double-digit winners in one season since ‘02, when all five primary starters (Livan Hernandez, Russ Ortiz, Kirk Rueter, Jason Schmidt and Ryan Jensen) exceeded 12 victories apiece for the National League champions.
King of Cali thoughts: I believe Sanchez’s confidence is exactly where it needs to be going into this 2010 season. He’s always showed some dominate stuff, but once someone got a big hit off him. You knew it was all down hill from there. He just seems to have taken a big stride ever since he tossed that no-hitter. He may end up having a pretty good year in the 4th spot of the rotation this year.
Sanchez career numbers are 21-30 with a 4.81 ERA. It’s nothing to write home about, but I think he’s going to turn a corner this year. I’m hoping he’s going to hit the gas and not stop till he’s headed towards an elite pitching status. What are your thoughts on the kind of year you think Sanchez will have?
Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News says the Giants have been saying since the end of the Barry Bonds era that the team was going to get younger, faster, healthier and homegrown.
A glance at the everyday lineup shows none of that is happening. Six of the eight position players are in their 30’s and were acquired via free agency or trade.
Baggarly asks the questions. Will an older, slower lineup score more runs?
I think they can,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.”
King of Cali thoughts: This lineup is definitely a slow one. You won’t see many straight steals, or anyone really burning up the base paths. I do however think this team will be more capable of scoring more runs on a consistent basis. The lineup is much more balanced throughout the lineup. I’m sure a couple players will have some bounce back years as well.
I do get tired of hearing the Giants over achieved last year. How is it over achieving if your pitching staff is really just that damn good? You have an ace in Tim Lincecum who can pretty much win every time out if he can get some decent run support. Matt Cain is capable of being a 20 game winner as well. Barry Zito has his ups and downs, but he had a stretch where he looked like the Zito of old. Jonathan Sanchez got his confidence back when he tossed a no-hitter, and he can possible take a big step this year as a more elite pitcher. Now you’re even throwing Madison Bumgarner in the mix at the end of the rotation. This guy can flat out pitch, and in time will be a front of the rotation kind of a guy.
The Giants are starting out with another great starting rotation in 2010, so if you can get a few more runs here and there. Then you would be able to get a few more wins than you did last year. Let me guess Giants critics… This will be considered another year of over achieving?
Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune says why some people are picking the Giants to win the NL West: Rookie left-hander Madison Bumgarner, penciled in as the fifth starter, is 27-5 with a 1.65 ERA in 49 games as a pro. Imagine that stacked behind Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Barry Zito and Jonathan Sanchez.
King of Cali thoughts: I really can’t see anyone beat out Bumgarner for the fifth spot in the rotation. I’m sure the Giants management would like to see him get more seasoning in the minors, but he’s already proven that he’s far superior in the minors. He’s young, but he’s already got big league stuff. Do you think Bumgarner is ready to be our fifth starter?
Dan Uggla – The Giants have been linked to Uggla all offseason. The Marlins wanted Jonathan Sanchez in the deal. The Giants have lost Randy Johnson (retired) and Brad Penny (Cardinals). With that said I’m sure that’s why the Giants felt like they couldn’t part with J-Sanchez.
Nick Johnson – It was reported that the Giants had an offer on the table for Johnson, but he decided to take less money to sign with the Yankees ($5.5 million). The Giants had upped their offer to Johnson to $6 million, but that wasn’t tempting enough to land him.
Johnny Damon – The Giants have been linked to Damon. This is because it’s been known that the Giants needed a outfielder and leadoff hitter. When the Giants decided Mark DeRosa was going to be in left-field. That pretty much shut the door on any Damon signing in San Francisco. Damon is still a free agent, so let’s wait and see where he lands.
Adam LaRoche – The Giants had a two year contract offer on the table for LaRoche. He declined it, and the Giants ended up signing Aubrey Huff. LaRoche signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks for a one year contract for less money ($4.5 million). The Giants had offered him a 2-year contract worth $17 million.
Eric Byrnes – The Giants never came out and said they were interested in signing Byrnes. KNBR the Giants Flagship station had Byrnes on the air a couple times and he made it public he wouldn’t mind playing for the Giants. Byrnes has since signed with the Seattle Mariners for the league minimum ($400,000). The Arizona Diamondbacks are paying his remaining $11 million that they owe him before they released him.
