Sabean: Burriss Likely to Replace Vizquel at Short

There must have been something in the Colorado River Compact, because Brian Sabean came back from Denver displaying a bit more chutzpah than his usual listless self in his fireside chat on KNBR last night.

Among the revelations in Sabes's brief flirtation with candor:

- Manny Burriss is penciled in to start at shortstop next year and all indications are that he will be given every opportunity to be there long-term. Omar Vizquel will not be back.

Ivan Ochoa will compete to be the primary middle infield backup, but, in a miraculous moment of clarity, Sabean now does not view him as an everyday player.

- Pablo Sandoval is likely an everyday player next year. What position that may be at is anyone's guess, although, given that he seems to be unaffected by the position carousel he's riding thus far, the current setup may continue through 2009.

- Regarding the position prospects, Sabean seemed to be strikingly emboldened by the success of the youngsters this year, and said he's not constrained by anything but the player's ability to play at the big league level to promote him.

Taking into account the past production and polish of '08 draftees Buster Posey, who was just promoted again, and Conor Gillaspie, those guys should be in San Francisco in less than two years and maybe even in one.

- With respect to 18 year old wunderkind Angel Villalona's arrival at Pac Bell: "anything's possible."

- As for offseason plans, Brian sees third base as the position most likely to be upgraded with a power bat, given the current free agent landscape, although I'm not sure what landscape he's looking at. Suffice it to say, his past flirtations with the likes of Hank Blalock and Joe Crede renders this poseur beat writer nervous.

- Sabean said he's looking to move pitching for hitting help, and his third base evaluation may make more sense if you include possible trade targets, with names like Beltre, Atkins, and Kouzmanoff potentially available.

Other names I would throw out at third would include Brandon Wood, Jorge Cantu, and Dallas McPherson.

But despite reports of Tigers owner Mike Ilitch ordering an offseason slash in payroll, my personal white whale (no pun intended) Miguel Cabrera probably isn't going anywhere.

- Other nuggets Sabean peddled: Fred Lewis and his toe may be heading to surgery given the recent leveling off of his play, giving Nate Schierholtz an extended look; absent an outside addition, Kevin Frandsen and Eugenio Velez would compete for the job at second (no mention of Travis Denker, although I hope it's an oversight); and an extension for Randy Winn will be discussed this offseason.

Comment! You can make one move this offseason: what do you do?

Good Takeaways From A Bad Long Weekend

- Dirty returns and puts together a nice quality start; San Francisc still loses.

- Manny Burriss at shortstop. I'm not sure if Sabchy is grossly inept, doesn't care, or is pulling an Andy Kaufman on the Lunatic Fringe, but I guess it's better to have a completely obvious good idea later rather than never.

If Manny can hold down the position, and all indications are that he can, it frees up second base for a spring training competition between Kevin Frandsen (who's rehab from an Achilles rupture seems to be progressing), Travis Denker (who has put together a nice stat line since his demotion to Fresno), and Eugenio Velez.

- Yippee ki-yay, Scott McClain got called up!

Call me a sap, but I want this guy to get one good year in the majors. I can't think of a better team for him to do it than this rudderless ship. Do you have any better ideas for acquiring a dirt cheap power-hitting corner infielder?

- Speaking of power-hitting corner infielders, The One just had the best month of his pro career.

- The Franchise goes tonight. For those of you haven't noticed, NL Cy Young frontrunner Brandon Webb hasn't been all that in his past two starts.

Another dominant outing by Timmy and, at the outset of September, he could be in control of his Cy Young destiny.

Comment! Why will you watch the Giants this September? Or, perhaps, why won't you (you bandwagon fan)?

Washed Up Major Leaguers Seek Brains

A hopeful start by the youth-infused lineup is once again obliterated by a haggard bullpen.

But I'm sure you all are more ticked at something else:

LaTroy Freaking Hawkins.

I can't even believe he has a job. But, of course, he picks up the W, joining the likes of Chan Ho Park, Jason Johnson and Mike Hampton as baseball zombies who have feasted on the collective ineptitude of this meek, meek franchise.

And now, without further ado, your midday roundup.

Snark Alert: I really debated kicking this guy while he's down. But, ultimately, I decided to be the smaller, more petty person.

Jose Castillo (remember him?) had a bit of a reputation as a malcontent on his previous stops on his DFA Tour of the NL. So while John Bowker was nothing but classy in accepting his assignment to Fresno, what did Castillo have to say?

"I'm not happy," he said. "I'm surprised. I think I played good for this team. It was the first year I played third base."

Well, in addition to the fact that Shrekstillo made more than a few of his appearances at third with the Pirates last year, I'd like to pose this question to Jose: what, exactly, is your definition of "good"? Does it include an assessment of a .191 average post-All Star Break?

Add "delusional" to the list of colorful adjectives you may already ascribe to Jose.

Cold-Blooded: The Giants cost Geno Espineli his Olympic dreams by calling him up just ahead of the games in Beijing.

So it makes perfect sense that they would send him down just as Olympic baseball heats up. Matt Palmer is the beneficiary of Sabean's ice cold trigger finger, in a move that presumably covers the Giants if they need long-relief or spot start in the dog days.

Prospect Bonanza Continued: Baggarly (who's on a roll, I must say) reports that the Giants inked intriguing 13th-rounder Juan Carlos Perez. The D2 outfielder slipped because of visa issues, but you can't argue with the numbers. This is what Baseball America had to say:

Perez put up the craziest statistics in the state. Playing at hitter-friendly Western Oklahoma JC, he set Division II junior college records with 37 homers (one short of the overall juco mark) and 102 RBIs while batting .465 with a 1.102 slugging percentage. While his stats might be inflated, the 6-foot, 185-pounder has legitimate tools. He has a sound swing with bat speed and easy power, average speed and arm strength, and a chance to play center field. The bigger issues with Perez are his age (he'll be 22 in November) and his immigration status. A Dominican, he stayed in the United States after his original tourist visa expired, which could prevent him from gaining a work visa to play pro ball. If he gets his paperwork, he could go in the first 10 rounds.

Baggs, meanwhile, makes a comparison with this guy.

From your mouth to God's ears, Andy.

Contract Talk: A quick primer for those of you who are wondering what the difference between a major league contract (which Buster Posey signed) and a minor league contract, the more traditional contract for draftees.

Essentially, a major league contract is guaranteed, and the signee is eligible for the minimum required salary of a major leaguer, which is set at $390K this year.

Perez, for example, will get his bonus money, but will be salaried at a minor league level, which is generally peanuts at the lower levels, and, um, cashews once you work your way up.

Look Out, Earthquakes: James at A Giants Minor League Blog (a nice recent complement to the already excellent Giants blogosphere) proposes a very interesting, and likely, scenario for the Single-A Giants next spring:

Various baseball people have been musing about whether or not Conor Gillaspie should be moved to second. Here’s one reason why it might not happen. It is likely that he will begin next year on the San Jose roster with Nick Noonan who is limited to only second base. There has been some talk that Noonan might be promoted straight to Connecticut but that’s absolutely crazy. Unless Noonan makes huge strides in plate discipline this offseason, sending him to Connecticut is just setting him up to fail. So, it is likely that the San Jose roster next year will consist of Angel Villalona at 1B, Nick Noonan at 2B, Conor Gillaspie at 3B, and Buster Posey at C. That’s a hell of an infield. Madison Bumgarner will also be on that team.

So, come '09, there could very well be a dominant Giants ballclub - you'll just have to head further down 280 to find it.

Comment! Freak excluded, who is your favorite current Giant? Tough, isn't it?

Trade Deadline News No Match for Veriz*n Crappiness

You can pin the no-post weekend on a certain unnamed internet service provider that, quite frankly, never delivered on their said promises of a telecommunications entourage.

I'm sure the loyal crazies, er, readers of the blog were up in arms over the lack of my pontifications regarding the ghastly D'Bag sweep of the good guys. A few positives, including a Fred Lewis four-hit game against one of the best, albeit, ugliest lefties of all time and another lights-out start by The Franchise in the game that shall not be mentioned.

(On an unrelated note, in case any giant-headed managers are reading: Scott Linebrink > Akinori Otsuka > Alan Embree > Steve Reed > Jim Poole > Your Mom > Everyone > Tyler Walker)

And now, your Monday Before The Deadline Primer!

~ Randy Winn: Winn seems to be drawing tepid interest from the corner outfielder-poor Metropolitans. ESPN speculates that the Giants are amenable to sending some cash with Randy in order to facilitate getting actual talent back.

The Yanks had been scouting Winn, but it looks like they've addressed their outfield vacancy by dealing for Xavier Nady.

~ Bengie Molina: The Marlins and the Yankees have emerged as potential suitors for Molina.

Following the Yanks' emptying out of their already thin cupboard in the Nady/Damaso Marte deal, the Marlins would seem to be a preferable match for the Giants. They have a lot of depth on the farm if not top-line talent (that seems to be pretty much all with the big league club, Cameron Maybin exempted). Given the Marlins depth at the corner infield spots, there could be a match here somewhere.

~ Rich Aurilia: Looks like the Cards may be interested.

As a fungible piece in the last year of his deal, I'm sure he could get moved for a low-level prospect. But he's one guy I don't necessarily want to see get moved. He's a solid backup and a great presence on this team, the kind of guy who will mentor the youth and embody the notion that this franchise was once relevant.

~ Jack Taschner: Left-handed reliever. Available. If the Giants want to trade him, they will be able to. The Marlins are also looking for a lefty reliever, so there's a larger trade possibility here.

~ Tyler Walker: Seriously, he has come up in rumors involving his the Rays, for whom Walker moonlighted in 2006.

If Tampa is willing to cover 3% of his salary and promises not to make fun of the Giants, that's Brian Sabean's biggest win since the Jason Schmidt deal.

~ Omar Vizquel: No real news that I can find. A team could theoretically opt for him as an insurance policy. Once again, wouldn't expect anything but some salary relief.

~ Matt Cain: Included simply out of due diligence, although indications seem to be strong he's not even close to being on the block.

Then again, Brian Sabean does have a certain cloak and dagger element to his oft-questioned ways, so I would never take him at his word.

The Rangers, as I've harped on before, would be a perfect match in any potential Cain trade. But the only thing I'm seeing is that the Giants are scouting Hank Blalock.

While the writer in the above article has a point that Sabean ain't all that, I will pay the gas-cost inflated ticket price to fly to Dallas and punch him in the face if Madison Bumgarner or Tim Alderson were to be included in a package to secure Blalock.

Don't really know what to believe, but for a guy who hasn't hit very well in recent seasons in a hitter's paradise while battling back problems, I simply don't see the Giants moving anything more than a couple B-level (read: not Bumgarner, Alderson, Villalona) prospects for him.

For the record, I would still think that's too much.

Comment! Open trade possibility thread! Great opportunity for first time commenters.

Vlad 2.0

I'm sure you all remember the TBS permaplay classic A Christmas Story.

You know, the tale of the lovable Ralphie, who wants nothing more than an official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model BB gun for Christmas. His repeated requests for the gun are met with a refrain of "you'll shoot your eye out," and our downtrodden protagonist is eventually resigned to a Christmas filled with underwhelming gifts.

But, lo and behold, when Christmas seems all but concluded (spoiler alert - but seriously, you haven't seen it?), Ralphie's dad comes through, delivering on said BB gun. Ralphie's happy. The end.

Well, the Giants 2008 draft class may be remembered the same way: the fans playing the part of Ralphie, Buster Posey the part of the bunny suit, and Rafael Rodriguez (a.k.a. "Mini-Vlad") the part of the BB gun.

ESPNDeportes reports that the Giants have come to terms with Rodriguez, the 16 year old Dominican phenom, to a team-record $2.5M deal (surpassing the $2.3M they gave Angel Villalona, and the $2.1M Lincecum received). From ESPN:

To many, he is a duplicate of Vladimir Guerrero because of his size and power with the bat. Rodriguez can work the entire outfield and drive the ball anywhere. He has reportedly accepted an offer from the San Francisco Giants worth $2.5 million.

And to prove my Christmas Story parallel (from the same piece):

"Inoa, Rodriguez, Yorman and Portillo would [challenge] the first selection if they were eligible for the American draft this year; I have no doubt about that," said a top AL executive.

The Giants are predictably denying the report as they can't officially sign the young outfielder until July 2. But it looks like a done deal.

Don't shoot your eye out, my friends.

UPDATE (8:50AM): The Google-translated version of the ESPNDeportes article that originally broke the story is much more...descriptive:

For many, is a copy of Vladimir Guerrero because of their size and power to shoulder with the wood. Rodriguez can trigger in any of the three gardens and hurl the ball by either side. Se cree que already accepted an offer by $ 2.5 million the San Francisco Giants.