The Cactus League is finally over and the Giants are back in San Francisco. I can picture the flight back, players were probably singing “I’m going, going, back, back to Cali, Cali” (Notorious B.I.G.). Okay maybe they weren’t, but I do know they were all ready to finally get out of Arizona and start their title defense! After a while these Spring Training games just seem like groundhogs day. The roster still is not finalized at this time. The Giants are still tight lipped about their plans with Brandon Belt. The closer situation is still up in the air at this time as well. Brian Wilson is likely to start on the DL. Which means another arm has a chance of cracking the Opening Day Roster. If Wilson starts on the DL. He will likely be ready for the Giants Home Opener on April 8th. Who’s In Right?
Fan favorite Cody Ross is starting the season on the DL, so who’s in right field seems to be the question? The Giants have a number of options they can go with. Maybe they can go with Aubrey Huff in right, which I don’t see happening much. AT&T Park has a spacious right-center field, and you need someone that can cover a lot of ground out there. We have heard of maybe the Giants putting Aaron Rowand in the lineup, and if he plays center, Andres Torres can slide over to right field. Opening Day is Thursday night, so the answer to who’s in right should be answered soon.
Side Notes
Two ex-Giants have been released from their teams, or should I say Ex-teams? Randy Winn (Orioles) and Pedro Feliz (Royals) are currently looking for new teams. If I have to take a wild guess. I would say Winn might be calling it a career and Feliz might be able to get one more team to give him a shot.
The San Francisco Giants 2010 Opening Day payroll is up 19% from the 2009 Opening Day payroll. The Giants have had some pay raises and added two bats (DeRosa and Huff) to the everyday lineup.
The 2009 Opening Day payroll was $82,616,450. Some tweaks to the lineup have been made since then. One player gone from that Opening Day Lineup is Randy Winn. That did free up $9.6 million, but that money was spent on raises. You didn’t think Lincecum and company would remain cheap did you?
Tim Lincecum was making $650,000 last year, and is now making $9 million this year. There goes the money that was free when Winn wasn’t re-signed. Randy Johnson (retired) was paid $8 million last year, so that money went to Matt Cain who’s salary went up this year by $2 million (2010 salary $4,583,333). Then the other $6 million went to Giants closer Brian Wilson. Wilson made $480,000 in 2009, and his salary has skyrocketed in 2010. He’s now making $6.5 million.
The two bats that were brought in to help the Giants score more runs on a consistent basis, so far seem to be doing the job. Mark DeRosa is making $6 million this year, and Aubrey Huff is making $3 million. Huff may turn into the big steal of the winter if he can drive in 100 runs. He’s already learned that his homers may take a hit at AT&T Park, but he’s still trying to get them any way he can. He did get his first homer as a Giant. It was an inside the park home-run!
With all of these pay raises and roster changes. The Giants Opening Day payroll is $98,641,333 in 2010. It’s nice to know that the team is willing to spend money to try to put out a team that has a chance to win. Our payroll is way below the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, but at least were in the upper half in the league in payroll. Just be happy you’re not a Pittsburgh Pirates fan. They have the lowest payroll ($34,943,000).
NL West 2010 Payrolls and Top Player Salary
Arizona Diamondbacks – $60,718,166 – Brandon Webb $8.5 million
Colorado Rockies – $84,227,000 – Todd Helton $17,775,000 million
Los Angeles Dodgers – $95,358,016 – Manny Ramirez $18,695,006 million
San Diego Padres – $37,799,300 – Chris Young $6,375,000
San Francisco Giants – $98,641,333 – Barry Zito $18.5 million
Chris Haft of MLB.com says the status of Nate Schierholtz as the Giants Opening Day right fielder has shifted from “projected” to “likely” on Saturday. Brian Sabean endorsed Schierholtz based on his defensive prowess.
Now thatWinn has moved on and signed with the New York Yankees. Sabean said: “You always need your best fielder in right field, and the only guy who really has a chance to do that against the standard of Randy Winn is Schierholtz.”
There is still a possibility that Andres Torres and Eugenio Velez could platoon in right field. The emphasis on Schierholtz as a right fielder means that John Bowker, thought to be a candidate for that position, must concentrate on left field and first base if he’s to earn playing time.
Sabean legitimized reports that the Giants are pursuing Todd Wellemeyer and Hisanori Takahashi, saying “we’re engaged with two “free agents. “I don’t know if we’ll get one or both,” Sabean added. Wellemeyer, 13-9 with a 3.71 ERA for St. Louis in 2008, slumped to 7-10, 5.89 ERA last year.
King of Cali thoughts: Nasty Nate has proven he can hold down the right field spot defensively. Let’s just hope he can hold down the spot with his bat as well. If Schierholtz is struggling bad at the plate. I can see this turning into a platoon situation. Bruce Bochy will want to go with the hottest hitter if it gets to that point. The Giants are going to need all cylinders firing at all times to try to generate as many runs as possible. It’s your job to lose Nate!
Jon Heyman of SI.com gives his eight teams that he says have been losers this offseason, at least for the months of November through February. The Giants are listed as the #4 team, so I guess that’s better than the worst team which happens to be the New York Mets.
Heyman says the Giants brought in a collection of hitters – Mark DeRosa, Aubrey Huff, Juan Uribe and Bengie Molina, but ignored the two true middle of the order threats that were available (Jason Bay and Matt Holliday) and badly needed.
King of Cali thoughts: I don’t think the Giants really are losers this offseason. No we didn’t get that one big bat that we have said we needed for the last two years. We did however upgrade our offense. No, it’s not the Yankees lineup. This team does have the potential to score more runs this year. We still are missing our ideal leadoff hitter, and we have no team speed. We do however have some decent hitters.
2010 Projected Lineup
1. Aaron Rowand CF
2. Freddy Sanchez 2B
3. Pablo Sandoval 3B
4. Aubrey Huff 1B
5. Mark DeRosa LF
6. Bengie Molina C
7. Nate Schierholtz RF
8. Edgar Renteria SS
9. Tim Lincecum P
Now we all know this lineup is subject to change. If Sanchez isn’t ready for opening day. The Giants will likely start Juan Uribe and 2nd base. Which means the lineup would need some shuffling.
This was the 2009 Starting Lineup.
1. Randy Winn RF
2. Edgar Renteria SS
3. Fred Lewis LF
4. Bengie Molina C
5. Pablo Sandoval 3B
6. Travis Ishikawa 1B
7. Aaron Rowand CF
8. Emmanuel Burriss 2B
9. Tim Lincecum P
Now by the looks of that. I would say we are definitely starting off this season with a better starting lineup than last year. Would you say the Giants are losers this offseason?
Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says (via twitter) the Giants like RHP Chan Ho Park. Giants want him on a minor league deal. Park is seeking a big league deal. Still could be a match down the road.
Randy Winn
Joel Sherman of the New York Post has reported that the Yankees have reached a one-year deal with Randy Winn. The deal is believed to be in the $2 million range that the Yankees had allocated for the forth outfielder job, and shuts the door on any late pursuit of Johny Damon.
King of Cali thoughts: The Park rumor was out earlier in the offseason, and then it kind of died. Well I guess it’s back again. I’ve heard the Giants were tapped out as far as anymore offseason signings. I can’t see Park costing much money. He would be a nice option to have in the bullpen, but it’s not a must sign for the Giants. They can afford to take their time and let his options dwindle.
I must say I’m happy for Winn. I’m just glad that he’s going to go to a team that has a chance to win. He definitely deserves it. He will be missed in the Bay Area, but we had to move on. He just wasn’t cutting it at the plate anymore, and he was taking playing time from Nate Schierholtz.
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News was kind enough to do a Q&A for us Giants fans. Tim also has a blog that he updates called Talking Points with Tim Kawakami. You can also follow Tim via twitter.
King: We all know Sabean is usually pretty active when it comes to the offseason. He said this year they were going to take it slow. We all didn’t think it would be this slow. What are your thoughts on the Giants taking the slow approach this offseason to make some moves?
Tim K: You know, the way this off-season has set up, I don’t know that Giants fans should’ve wanted Sabean to move too swiftly. Unless you’re throwing around huge money for Holliday or Bay–and we know the Giants aren’t doing that–then there wasn’t a lot of the Big Deal kind of player available this time around.
So the pick-up of Mark DeRosa this week was certainly not franchise-altering, but better than, say, last December’s Edgar Renteria signing, right? Or Zito, Dave Roberts and Klesko two Decembers ago.
Now, this is not going to stir up the Giants populace, nor should it. They have GOT to add 50 to100 runs or else they risk wasting another year of Lincecum-Cain.
I just don’t see how this administration–which, the last time they had large money to blow, spent it on Aaron Rowand–can do it, given this set of circumstances, unless they were suddenly willing to trade Cain, which I don’t think will happen.
The Giants just aren’t going to go over 100M in payroll. You can be upset about that, fairly. But if that’s the ceiling, with Zito and Rowand choking up the space and Lincecum’s deal to come… well, they’re sort of stuck trying to scour the bargain bin. That’s DeRosa. Maybe Jermaine Dye, etc.
King: I’m sure you’re not going to sugarcoat this answer. What do you think of Bill Neukom so far? Do you think he will open up the wallet and let Sabean get some good players?
Tim K: I’ve been fine with Neukom so far–he’s definitely analytical, which means he’s a lot less apt to go hog-wild on impulse for somebody like Zito. I think that’s a plus. Again, fans want the Zito-like deal (well, not ZITO, but many did love the Zito signing at the time,if I remember correctly), the magic fix.
Neukom’s not a magic-fix guy. Is he being stingy? Well, that’s for the bankers and ticket-buyers to decide. If the Giants remain a top-15 payroll team, which I think they will, and if they’re still loaded down by Zito, Rowand, Renteria… I’m not sure how much Neukom is going to let the money flow for anything new.
He’s counting on Posey and the next wave, if it comes, and maybe a new GM and manager in 2011 or 2012. Does that sound drastic? I think that’s where this is headed. Sabean and Bochy only got two-year deals, remember.
King: If you were the Giants GM. What would moves would you be trying to make this offseason?
Tim K: I’d buy a time machine and go back and prevent myself from ever signing Zito or Rowand. Barring that… I sure would start trying to short-sell Rowand and maybe throw in Brian Wilson if that’s what it took.
I know Wilson’s a fan favorite, TV show, all that. But unless you’re Mariano, closers don’t usually have long shelf-life. Plus Wilson is a closer coming up on arbitration who has a history of high ERAs and WHIPs. If I was the GM–and thank God I’m not–and I knew I couldn’t get a Bay or a Holliday (or trade for Adrian Gonzalez–ain’t happening), then I’d try to be forward-thinking and plan to clean my salary roll into 2011.
That means dumping Rowand, who really isn’t any good and will get increasingly less good, and if it takes sacrificing Wilson or Jonathan Sanchez to do it… Again, sounds drastic. Giants fans won’t like it. But how else is this team going to get the money to really go after the top-level hitters?
King: There is reports that the Giants have offered Mark DeRosa a two year, $12 million contract. Do you see this as a good move for the Giants if he accepts?
Tim K: Obviously, you sent this to me before the DeRosa deal came down. Not a terrible deal, but again, certainly DeRosa, at 34, coming off of wrist problems, is not going to be scaring NL pitchers or adding 50 runs to the Giants offense. He’s OK. He can play third, first, left, right… But is he a huge improvement over Randy Winn? Not really. I was not a Winn fan, but… If this offense is going to get better, the upgrade has to be more than DeRosa for Winn (or for Lewis, or Ishikawa, or whoever).
So you have Freddy Sanchez for the whole season, if his knee lets him be there for the whole season. I thought Uribe was just as good or better than Sanchez last year, and the Giants line-up stunk. Where’s the upgrade? Lose Bengie, and have nobody at center. Where’s the upgrade?
They need a thumper. I just don’t think a thumper’s out there for them. Same old, same old. But at least DeRosa’s only 34. A bit younger than Sabean’s normal free-agent signee.
King: I just wanted to say thanks again to Tim Kawakami for taking the time out of his busy life to do this Q&A for us.
Hey Giants fans here is a Q&A that Dan Dibley was willing to do for us. As most of you reading this know Dibley works for KNBR. The Giants Flagship Station. Dibley is the Sports/Traffic Anchor. He has been a part of the KNBR Morning Show and Gary Radnich Experience since 2005.
King: What’s your thoughts on Bruce Bochy and Brian Sabean coming back in 2010?
Dibley: I think Bruce Bochy did a nice job by enlarge of making that collection of players successful in 2009. I don’t think many skippers would have gotten 90 wins out of the group of hitters. I’m glad to see him back. As for Sabean, while some of his free agent signings are questionable, I applaud him for “trying” to upgrade the offense with Sanchez/Garko. That said, this is his last contract, unless they make a big run in the next 2 years.
King: Who is your favorite player, current and all time?
Dibley: My current favorite player is probably Brian Wilson. He has really nasty stuff and just an odd-enough personality to succeed as a closer. I’d put Affeldt and Velez as my two runners-up, though I have a big soft spot for Freddie Lewis and Randy Winn. My all-time favorite would have to be Willie McCovey. He was in his heyday while I was growing up.
King: What is your best Giants memory?
Dibley: I’d have to say my best memory, and I cannot recall the exact date, was the night of the double-header with the Dodgers back at the Stick when anarchy ruled. I was in the outfield seats when fans began jumping over the wall, clamoring for home run balls, even on short pop ups. It was the last night they allowed fans to leave the seats and chase down HR balls. The crowd was unruly a bit but it was an awesome night.
King: What free agent player out there would you like to see the Giants go after?
Dibley: I would like them to go after Jason Bay, a power hitter who will not totally kill the Giants defense.
King: There has been rumors about a Cain, Fielder trade. If you were the GM would you make this trade?
Dibley: Initially, I would have made that trade but something about the deal does not feel right for me. Maybe it’s the fit of Fielder with the Giants but my gut says don’t do it.
King: There are some 09 Giants players that are now free agents. Which players would you like to see brought back?
Dibley: I would love for them to bring Bengie Molina back, but for only one year, a pipe dream I realize. Aside from that, it’s good that Freddy Sanchez is coming back but aside from that, they can all pretty much go away.
King: There is a lot of people that want to see Posey as the starting catcher next season. Do you think Posey is ready for that role?
Dibley: I don’t think he is ready to be the everyday catcher. The inside word is that he needs to get more musculature. Once he gets bigger he will tear it up.
King: What’s your thoughts on the NL having a DH?
Dibley: Hate the DH. Always have, always will. Baseball is a game of 9 on 9. We teach kids the ethos of playing the field and getting rewarded with an AB. The DH ruins that.
King: For the record… Who do you enjoy working with more.. Murph and Mac or Gary?
Dibley: Murph and Mac are the main course and Gary is the dessert. I get a well balanced meal from 5-9 then I get a terrific, varied “treat” from 9-10:30ish. I’m the the luckiest broadcaster in the market to be able to span two great, yet different shows.
King: Is there anything you want to let Giants fans know about you that they might not know?
Dibley: I love my job at KNBR and it is a partial culmination of my dreams. The fact that a mediocre student who never played professional sports can be such an integral part of a 50,000 watt sports station is testimony to the fact that dreams come true. I want people to know that dreams do in fact come true so keep believing and don’t give up, don’t ever give up.
I just want to say thank you very much to Dan Dibley for taking the time to do this Q&A for us. You can check out Dibley’s blog at dandibley.com and you can also follow him on twitter (twitter.com/dandibley).
What If that we know Part 2 Cain for Fielder By Darrin Reyes
Matt Cain for Prince Fielder Comparing contracts. Matt Cain is signed until next year for 4.25 Mil with a club option for 2011 for 6.25 mil. Prince Fielder is signed until 2010 and will be making 10.5 Mil for the Brewers. The Giants should be willing to take the additional payroll for a player that is well worth the amount. Agreeing to pay the extra amount should be fine with all the extra money coming off the Giants payroll in 2010.
Giants need a big bat desperately but is it worth the cost of losing one of their big arms? Prince Fielder is ahead of every Giant in all category except for Pablo Sandoval’s batting average and total hits.
How the Numbers compare
In 2009 Fielder had 46 Hrs, 141 RBIs, 103 Runs, 110 BBs and 138 SOs.
Bengie Molina 20 HRs +Pablo Sandoval 25 HR would match up to Fielder’s 46 HR
Bengie Molina 52 Runs + Juan Uribe 52 Runs would be behind Fielder’s 103 Runs
Randy Winn 47 BB + Edgar Renteria 39 BB + Juan Uribe 25 BB barely passes Fielder’s 110 BB
Prince had 138 SOs in 2009 and only Aaron Rowand had over 100 SOs last year.
The input of Fielder would give an instant surge to the Giants line up. The home runs increase would be great but I believe that the bigger stats that he would bring to the Giants are the RBIs and the walks. The Giants players are a bunch of table setting players and they really don’t have anyone that can close the deal. Last year the Giants got shut down over 2 dozens times with no runs when they had bases loaded with no outs. Most Giants fan still have nightmares about this true story. Prince Fielder had 51 RBIs more than Pablo Sandoval last year. Looking back, that many additional runs could have given the Giants more than 10 more wins. If the Giants had that many more wins they would’ve made the playoffs and led the National League in wins.
Matt Cain had his best year in 2009 with 14 wins and a 2.89 ERA. His numbers do validate his worth for the trade to be a possibility for the Brewers. He would be among the leaders on Brewers if on there staff. If the Giants sign Brad Penny it could increase the possibility of putting Matt Cain on the trading block. The Giants do have a few good young arms to add to their rotation in case of a trade.
Projected Line up with Fielder (with current Giants roster) Velez LF Sanchez 2B Sandoval 3B Fielder 1B Schierholtz RF Molina C (if resigned) Rowand CF Renteria SS
The Giants contacted Winn’s agent Craig Landis prior to the World Series and thanked Winn for his services, but said they have a number of young outfielders and advised him to seek employment elsewhere.
Winn is looking for an everyday job and he believes he’d be a good fit on a team that is looking to add athleticism to a lineup that already has plenty of power production.
Andrew Baggarly of The San Jose Mercury News provides us with the transcript of the Brian Sabean and Bruce Bochy press conference. Topics such as the Giants re-signing Bengie Molina and other Giants players in question.
The Cactus League is finally over and the Giants are back in San Francisco. I can picture the flight back, players were probably singing “I’m going, going, back, back to Cali, Cali” (Notorious B.I.G.). Okay maybe they weren’t, but I do know they were all ready to finally get out of Arizona and start their title defense! After a while these Spring Training games just seem like groundhogs day.
The San Francisco Giants 2010 Opening Day payroll is up 19% from the 2009 Opening Day payroll. The Giants have had some pay raises and added two bats (DeRosa and Huff) to the everyday lineup.
