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.
Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says a major league source said conversations with the Brewers about Corey Hart and Prince Fielder, were “dead in the water.”
The San Francisco Giants have asked the Nationals about Adam Dunn, but they would want Madison Bumgarner in return. Now that would make no sense to lose an up and coming star in Bumgarner for a rental in Dunn. I guess that means we can cross Dunn off the list for now.
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times says Derrek Lee has been linked to the Rangers and Angels, but the Giants could be next in line after talks with the Brewers on Fielder have broke down.
I asked Chris Haft the Giants beat writer what he thought the Giants chances of landing Hart, Jose Bautista, Scott Podsednik, or rental players like Dunn, Jorge Cantu or Jose Guillen. Haft said he thinks they could have any of these guys right now if they wanted. It’s just a matter of whether they think the cost is worth it. The later they wait, the less they’ll have to give up (of course, then they run the risk of another team grabbing one of these guys).
Erik Swanson and Brian Helfrich of Sports Business Daily have done it again! They share with us the results of their exclusive survey of 50 sports business execs and media personalities. This time it’s the MLB’s Most Marketable Under The Age of 25.
MLB’s Most Marketable Players Under The Age of 25
1. Stephen Strasburg, Nationals
2. Evan Longoria, Rays
3. Jason Heyward, Braves
4. David Price, Rays
5. Bryce Harper, Nationals
6. Phil Hughes, Yankees
7. Ike Davis, Mets
8. Pablo Sandoval, Giants
9. Felix Hernandez, Mariners
10. Matt Wieters, Orioles
11. Colby Rasmus, Cardinals
t12. Austin Jackson, Tigers
t12. Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
t12. Mike Leake, Reds
t15. Clay Buchholz, Red Sox
t15. Mike Stanton, Marlins
17. Andrew McCutchen, Pirates
t18. Buster Posey, Giants
t18. Justin Upton, Diamondbacks
t20. Starlin Castro, Cubs
t20. Drew Storen, Nationals
The San Francisco Giants have two players on the list. The Kung Fu Panda (Pablo Sandoval) and Buster Posey. I’m sure if they do this survey again in the near future, Madison Bumgarner will be added to the list. The Giants future isn’t looking too shabby!
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.
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pittsburgh Pirates have demoted pitching prospect Tim Alderson from Class AA Altoona to Class A Bradenton. In AA Altoona, Alderson was 7-5 with a 5.62 ERA.The San Francisco Giants sent Alderson to the Pirates for Freddy Sanchez. At the time of the trade a lot of fans were skeptic. Alderson was one of the top prospects in the Giants organization behind Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner. I thought it was a great move by Giants GM Brian Sabean. He got an All Star second baseman who’s proven for a prospect that has potential. Alderson is still only 21 years old, so he has plenty of time to show in the long run the trade may have been worth it for both clubs.
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.
I’m going to have a little fun with this blog post today. =) I attended the San Francisco Giants vs. Boston Red Sox game on Friday night with my girlfriend. We went with a group, so we sat in the upper deck and I was thinking we might have a better view of the A’s game than the Giants. We weren’t too excited to be sitting up there, cause we love being in the bleachers, however it wasn’t as bad as we had anticipated. We were surrounded by Red Sox fans which made it a unique experience and the view wasn’t bad at all. It was like having a birds-eye view of the game, and it was very cool to see the fog roll in. The only bad thing was we couldn’t see the scoreboard very well.
The Red Sox fans were very friendly and just loved talking baseball. It was just really cool to hear them talk with their Boston accents. We did however have one thing in common, we both didn’t like the New York Yankees. I met some Red Sox fans that moved to the Bay Area a while back, and there were others that flew here from Boston to follow their team and vacation in San Francisco. The energy out there was very electric! It felt like a playoff game and the Giants haven’t made the playoffs since 2003. The game was super exciting and had both Giants and Red Sox fans on the edge of their seats.
I have been to a ton of games, but this one will definitely stand out when I look back at games I have attended. The Red Sox jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. I knew if I didn’t do something fast this game would get out of hand. My girlfriend and I knew we had to pull out the big guns if we were going to get luck back on our side. No lucky penny was going to work. We went straight to the Garlic Fries! Once we started munching on them we knew it would be a matter of time before the Giants would make it a game again. The Giants did come back and then took the lead on a Juan Uribe homer. I don’t think the Garlic Fries are really lucky at all, we just love them, so we had to have them right away.
It was a scary ending as the Red Sox loaded the bases, but closer Brian Wilson was able to prevail! I do have a video that I recorded at the game. I will upload it to the site in the next few days. It’s the Red Sox fans doing their chant (Lets Go Red Sox). The Giants took game one of the three game series. I had high hopes with Madison Bumgarner and Tim Lincecum pitching games two and three, but the evil Red Sox showed their lineup was far superior.
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!
This weekend didn’t turn out the way I was hoping, but I’m glad the San Francisco Giants were at least able to salvage the last game against the Toronto Blue Jays. I will take that instead of going 0-for-Canada! Ex-Giant Fred Lewis got a chance to play against his former team. He went 2-for-11 and scored 2 runs in the 3 games. Not exactly redemption, but he can brag since his team won 2-out-of-3. Was I the only one waiting for him to drop a fly ball? Don’t get me wrong I’m not a F-Lewis hater. I thought he had a lot of potential but he just couldn’t get it together in a Giants uniform. I think a change of scenery is what he needed.
I’m sure most Giants fans have heard about Lewis updating his Facebook and snapping at Giants fans. I’m not going to get into details about it. If you haven’t seen it. Check it out at Pro Rumors. Kevin Frandsen even felt the need to chime in.
Side Notes
Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com says bullpen is the number one priority for the Giants. “The bullpen is a one-man show, and Brian Wilson needs help.” says Urban. Urban also believes the Giants don’t need another big hitter. He says it’s a vastly improved offense over the past few months.I personally don’t see the Giants pulling off that big trade during this years trading deadline. Madison Bumgarner is our blue chip in Triple-A Fresno. Brian Sabean has said he’s not willing to part ways with him. Sabean will make a move to help this team. Just don’t expect that blockbuster trade to happen this year.
UPDATE
Jon Paul Morosi of Foxsports.com says the Giants are interested in Royals OF David DeJesus. Morosi says it doesn’t appear that the clubs are engaged in serious talks.
