Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com says via twitter that Mark DeRosa is close with the San Francisco Giants on a two year deal.
Rosenthal says on FOXSports.com that a major league source says the Giants are closing in on a two year deal with Mark DeRosa.
The Giants are expected to use DeRosa at third base and also as a super-utility man who could fill in at multiple positions.
King of Cali thoughts: Now this isn’t the deal that I’m sure most Giants fans have been looking for, but at least it’s a step in the right direction. This isn’t a bad move as long as they continue to sign or trade for another player. Let’s just be happy that our team is now starting to improve. Lets now sign Tejada, Beltre or trade for Uggla!
UPDATE
It has been said via twitter by ESPN that DeRosa has take a physical for the San Francisco Giants.
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.
Chris Haft of MLB.com answers questions from Giants fans. One question asked was if Buster Posey would become as good and talented as Mauer. Haft said Posey might not be as much of a “can’t-miss” prospect as Mauer was, but he’s close. The catcher I’ve heard most frequently linked to Posey is Atlanta’s Brian McCann, who’s not as stellar as Mauer but is still very good.
King of Cali thoughts: I myself personally think Posey is going to be better than McCann. Only time will tell if he can raise his game to Mauer status.
When asked about the catcher position. Haft doesn’t think the Giants should sign Ivan Rodriguez. He doesn’t think the Giants need a 38-year-old who hit .249 with 10 home runs. He does think Henry Blanco would provide an excellent complement to Posey if the Giants wanted to ease the rookie into a regular role. Blanco’s agent, Steve Schneider, said that the Giants hadn’t contacted him.
King of Cali thoughts: This would be a good move, because it would save some money. Pudge is going to demand more money and I can’t see him wanting to platoon with Posey. Blanco would come cheap and would be willing to share time with Posey. I would give that signing a thumbs up. =)
Jon Heyman of SI.com has some daily scoop. He still has the Giants as a possibility for Milton Bradley.
King of Cali thoughts: I personally don’t think this will happen. Bradley does have a good bat, but he comes with a lot of baggage and is also injury prone.
Heyman also says he was told by one MLB GM that even though the Giants have said they are not going to pursue Jason Bay or Matt Holliday. He’s not going to count them out, despite what they say.
King of Cali thoughts: Despite this rumor that the Giants may still be in it for one of these top two free agents. I don’t see them able to pony up enough $$$ to land either one.
One competing agent suggests he may be able to get a three-year deal for Miguel Tejada, who is thought to be drawing interest from the Cardinals, Astros, Phillies, Rangers and Giants.
King of Cali thoughts: Tejada is a guy that I think would be a good signing for the Giants. Tejada can still hit and we have so many movable parts in the infield. That we can make this signing work and add a nice bat to our struggling offense.
Hey Giants fans! I know it’s been a while since I have actually did a King of Cali blog. I thought I would do one about some free agents that are out there. With it known that the Giants are probably not going to be able to obtain Jason Bay or Matt Holliday. Let’s take a look at a few second tier players that are out there and should be considered by the San Francisco Giants.
Xavier Nady: Nady is someone that the Giants should really be considering. He’s coming off an injury year. He had his second Tommy John elbow surgery. He is hoping to be ready by spring training. Nady only played in 7 games in 2009 for the New York Yankees. He did have career numbers in 2008 with a .305 AVG, 25 homers and 97 RBIs in 2008. He’s only 31, so if he can stay healthy. He would be a good second tier free agent to sign.
Juan Uribe: The Giants have said they would like to bring back Uribe. He was a very valuable piece for the Giants. He was a steal for the Giants when they signed him for $1 million last season. Uribe was able to fill in where ever he was needed in the infield. He played in 122 games, .289 AVG and had 16 homers for a team that was desperate for offense. Renteria is still penciled in as the Giants shortstop, but if the Giants can re-sign Uribe. Renteria might not hold on to that starting role long if he’s not producing.
Adrian Beltre: Is a nice option at third base. He’s coming off a year where he hit .265 with 8 homers in 111 games for the Seattle Mariners. In 2008 Beltre did hit 25 homers in 143 games. He still has the pop that the Giants do desperately need to add to their lineup. He’s also had 2 Gold Gloves within the last 5 years for the Mariners. Word on the street (internet) is that the Phillies are targeting Beltre.
Do you think any of these guys would be a good fit for the Giants?
Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi have the latest gossip and buzz about Jermaine Dye. Dye has only one career appearance at first base, in 2005. Yet teams are asking his agent, Robert Bry, if he is willing to play first, and Dye is open to the idea.
Dye, 35, could be a right-handed hitting alternative at first for several clubs, including the Braves, Mets, Orioles and Giants.
The negative on Dye is that he slumped after the All-Star break last season, batting .179 with a .293 on-base percentage and .297 slugging percentage.
Do you Giants fans think signing Dye to play first would be a good idea?
Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe says there should be no shortage of teams that need a right-handed power bat. Gary Sheffield will be looking for a team this off-season and Nick Cafardo has listed the Mets, Mariners, Braves, Cardinals, Rays, Twins, Orioles, A’s, Rangers and Giants as the teams that could find some role for him. Sheffield wants to reach 3,000 hits and right now he’s currently at 2,689.
King of Cali thoughts: Sheffield was always a guy I wanted the Giants to get. He’s now 41 years old, and he’s by far not the force he once was. Let’s hope the Giants don’t fall back on Sheffield. I would rather Keep Velez, Rowand and Schierholtz in the outfield. Sheffield would need to stick to the American League if he wants to have a chance to reach 3,000 hits.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post says Yorvit Torrealba, who turned down a two-year, $4.5 million deal from the Rockies. Is expected to receive an offer soon from the clubs that have called about him, including one from the NL West. Troy says he hasn’t pinpointed the NL West team, but the Giants make a lot of sense since they are expected to lose Bengie Molina and need someone they can trust in prospect Buster Posey needs more Triple-A seasoning.
King of Cali thoughts: I have always liked Torrealba, and think he would be a good fit with the Giants. Yorvit did hit .291 in 64 games, so sharing time between him and Posey would also work for Posey’s first full year in the show.
Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Marlins are looking to trade some players to free up space on their already microscopic payroll. Dan Uggla is still the name that keeps coming up, and the Giants and Orioles are still showing interest.
Milton Bradley: The Cubs are eager to unload him, with the Rangers, Rays and Giants appearing to be the most likely to land the talented-yet-troubled outfielder.
Mark DeRosa: There is now around a dozen teams that have inquired about DeRosa. The San Francisco Giants are one of those teams.
Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of Foxsports.com say Marco Scutaro is not just a shortstop, and would consider changing positions for the right team. Rosenthal and Morosi say the Mariners, Phillies, Angels, Orioles, Twins, Cardinals and Giants are among the teams that could look for help at third.
King of Cali thoughts: I personally wouldn’t want to see the Giants go out and get Scutaro. Leave him in the AL. Lets focus on guys who can spark the offense!
