Renteria Signs

The Giants have inked Edgar Renteria to a two-year, $18.5 million deal with a $10.5 million club option for 2010.

If the strategy is that he's a placeholder until the Noonans, Frannys, Poseys, and Mannys develop, then so be it.  Let's just cross our fingers that he isn't keeping SS warm for Sabean's inevitable scramble to sign a 36 year old Derek Jeter to a five-year deal  in 2010.

Having already signed two free agents, Old Sabes was at the height of his myopic rhetoric during the announcement:

"He is a complete player on both sides of the ball, a clutch performer and a winner," Giants general manager Brian Sabean said in a statement Thursday announcing the deal. "He has the hardware to show it with the awards he has garnered and a World Series ring. We look forward to seeing him in a Giants uniform." 

It's a bit of a stretch to call him a complete player at this stage in his career, but here's to hoping that he can benefit both from a return to the National League and from leaving a team with as toxic a mentality as the 2008 Tigers.

Cyber Monday Deal on Edgar Renteria!

The Tigers decline to offer arbitration to Edgar Renteria, paving the way for Edgar to join the Giants without losing a second-rounder.

As long as it's a two year deal, and upon further reflection, I'm perfectly fine with the move. Although many fans are clamoring to see a youth movement, there is little else in the middle infield cupboard besides Manny Burriss, who, in spite of a nice rookie campaign, has a long ways to go as a major league hitter. Kevin Frandsen is coming off a big injury and isn't necessarily a guy you hand a starting position to, and Eugenio Velez is best-suited in a utility role, preferably one that doesn't require him to play defense.

And, even with Renteria on board, one will have to play second.

Two years of Renteria provides a bridge to the Nick Noonans and Charlie Culbersons of the world. Or perhaps even Buster Posey the shortstop, though I wouldn't hold my breath on that one.

And, even if Renteria succumbs to old age or a catastrophic injury, the length of the deal won't cripple the organization by any means. (Unlike some people.)

Rent-A-Shortstop (UPDATED)

(UPDATE #2 (5:10PM): Per Baggs, the report is "premature, or just plain wrong," which makes sense given the upcoming arbitration deadline. If the deal has been reached in principle, Baggarly opines the leak severely undermines the Giants' position to retain their pick as the Tigers can now offer Renteria arbitration and be assured of getting a pick. Very reminiscent of the Yankees situation with Gary Sheffield a few years back.)

(UPDATE (3:18PM): Jerry Crasnick tells MLB Trade Rumors that the report is false, according to Renteria's agent. Meanwhile, Schulman says that the Giants and Rafael Furcal remain in contact. Ordinarily, reports of a deal are summarily denied by player and team until the contract is finalized, but there seems to be some serious questions as to the validity of WFAN's original report. The Giants nation turns it lonely eyes to you, Andy.)

Judging by the free agent posturing, it had become clear that Brian Sabean was intent on cobbling together a team that could contend in the porous NL West. And, today, Sabes made his second strike in free agency, signing shortstop Edgar Renteria, according to WFAN in New York. Unconfirmed details of the agreement: 2 years at $18 million.

Off the top of my head, a quick Point Counter Point -

Point: There's little in the way of organizational depth at shortstop position in the system, so it makes some sense to supplement the team there through free agency.

Counterpoint: Manny Burriss presumably shifts to second base, diminishing his value.

Point: Two year deal.

Counterpoint: $9 million a year to a 33 year old coming off a season in which he accumulated a Neifi-esque .699 OPS. Oh, and the Giants also forfeit their second-rounder.

Point: Renteria has been historically terrible in the AL and and a solid hitter in the NL. He's a year removed from an .860 OPS with Atlanta.

Counterpoint: That doesn't explain his decline defensively last season, when he posted the fourth lowest Zone Rating in the majors.

Point: The entire Tigers team was caught up in a highly contagious malaise that affected team morale.

Counterpoint: Expecting players in their mid-30s to experience a major revival is the height Sabeanmetric cognitive dissonance.

I could go on (Renteria's second half turnaround or the fact that the cold hard statistics belie the common belief that he's a clutch hitter) but I'll leave it to you to for further consternation.

My favorite part of this deal is the deal the Giants didn't make: by not giving a long-term deal to Rafael Furcal, the team avoids committing a long term monies to a guy who could go all Edgardo Alfonzo on us on a dime. Furcal's coming off a 36 game season, and backs are the trickiest of body parts to project. Even Alfonzo was healthy the year before Sabean signed him.

Comment! Open Renteria consternation thread.

Mission: Destroy Brandon Webb

San Francisco losses pile up in the desert - perhaps, may I speculate, due to the losses of Freddy Lewis and Manny Burriss - but, no matter. Because, for tonight, the real drama of the 2008 season continues: can The Franchise win the Cy Young?

Tonight, the offensive offense can redeem itself for the past two stinkers by hanging a crooked number on Timmy's chief competition in Brandon Webb, whose unpleasant September has put the hardware within his reach.

Relish the rarity of having a vested interest in the outcome of the game and cheer on Dirty and the troops.

- Power Vacuum: Both Schulman and Baggs mention the necessity of looking outside the organization in the offseason for reinforcements in the lineup, a list that includes Prince Fielder, Pat Burrell and Adrian Beltre.

Serious question marks with all of them, but man, does this make me depressed enough to pick up someone not coached by the Giants minor league instructors:

Haren played mind games in the eighth, after Conor Gillaspie came off the bench and made crisp contact on his first major league hit [Ed: Congrats, kid!]. Pinch hitter John Bowker was next. Haren turned to the scoreboard and noted that the rookie had drawn 19 walks all season.

"I didn't throw him one strike," said Haren, who offered a succession of splitters that Bowker swung through. "He's up there trying to tie the game, so I tried to take advantage of his aggressiveness."

Simply wow, both on JB's ineptitude and Haren's shocking candor.

Comment! Of Fielder, Burrell and Beltre, who makes the most sense for the Giants at this juncture?

A. U. Haynio.

In spite of a blown save by Brian "Frown" Wilson, the Giants' lineup got a walkoff in the ninth against the venomless D-Backs.

In this game, while the kids played a big role, it was actually the work of the ----- WAIT A SECOND, this isn't the same story at all.  This game was about the kids, most specifically, A-U-Haynio Valez.  Four RBI, a double, a walk-off triple (his second walkoff in as many days, although OBnB failed to note it).  He is Manny Ramirez-clutch right now, and even playing decent defense (zero errors yesterday!) as he makes a bid to be this team's everyday starting 2B in 2009.  Worse things have happened.

At the top of the order, Win, Win, Win with Randy Winn looked great again, with three knocks to move his average to .315, which would be the highest of any everyday Giants Starter if the Pablominable Snowmandoval weren't swinging a scorching stick.

And Brad Hennessey was a welcome sight, providing a quality start on 100 pitches and leaving the game with his team in the lead.  If he were pitching every fifth day for this team, he'd realize he could do a lot worse than a No-Decision given that sort of effort.  Better luck next time.

Also, don't miss Baggs today - everybody loves a little rookie hazing, and Kuip said this morning that Manny Burriss was the French Maid and "shook his toosh like he knew what to do with it".

Happy Dance

I guess the Cy race ain't over just yet.

Unfortunately, the win wasn't without a crappy casualty. Get strong and come back well next spring, Manny.

Many of you have inquired as to the reasoning behind the Giants shocking callup 2008 sandwich pick Conor Gillaspie. Per usual, looks like Andy Baggarly has the best theory:

So why call up a guy that you don’t intend to play?

I have to believe that Gillaspie’s promotion is part of a predraft understanding. It’s no secret that Gillaspie thought he should have been a first-round pick instead of falling to the supplemental first round. I’ll bet this was a way for the Giants to appease him into taking MLB’s suggested signing bonus of $970,000 – which puts the team in a little less hot water for going way, way, way over slot for giving $6.2 million to fifth-overall choice Buster Posey.

In return, Gillaspie gets a 40-man spot and all the requisite benefits — plus he’ll spend four weeks making a prorated portion of the major league minimum salary, which is $400,000. That’s roughly $66,000, not counting meal money.

Pretty good kickback right there.

Far be it for me to look down on opportunism, so I'll just say I hope the kid can back up his chutzpah come 2009. It looks like we might need a second or a third baseman.

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)?

Walk/Run-Off Wonders; The Posey-Sandoval Question

Another walkoff win for the Little Giants, who have taken to playing at home in a way their much older predecessors did not.

In typical San Francisc (the omission of O is intentional) Giants fashion, the fateful ninth inning run was scored without a hit - praise be to Manny Burriss's batting eye and feet as well as Kevin Gregg's wayward accuracy.

And give credit to big Matt Palmer, who bounced back from a horrific debut to go 6 and 2.

Also, I've noticed I've been remiss in lauding Dandy Randy Winn for hitting in a manner so hot, Paris Hilton's thinking of suing.

Future Ruminations: While watching Pablo "Runaway Beer Truck" Sandoval motor around in one of his frequent trips to the basepaths, I thought to myself, this 22 year old could be really the future at catcher.

Then I realized we just signed him.

But, with apologies to Ivan Ochoa, our situation at shortstop is a little less rosy. However, do we already have a solution?

Many of you heard about Buster Posey playing all nine positions in a game this past season at FSU. His prowess at all nine positions was due in part to the fact that he was recruited as a shortstop, playing there his freshman year before transitioning to catching.

Now although the Giants just made a huge investment in Posey, it's not as if shortstop is a position of far less scarcity, particularly given the fact that Posey's bat would play just as well there. In addition, Posey, who's game has been compared to Craig Biggio's, might have a longer career by playing a less physically demanding position.

With his mid-90s fastball and leadership skills, heck, we may even get our own Derek Jeter out of it.

Bear in mind, my sole impetus for the idea is due to the absurdly small sample size of Sandoval's major league career, notwithstanding his sublime year in the minors. But Sandoval is producing at the major league level and looks to have a lot of potential at the position, having thrown out 44% (30 for 68) of basestealers in the minors - and he can do it with both hands, too! Sandoval, already looking like he belongs in The Show, is only seven months older than Posey.

The case that Sandoval could shift to first to make room for Posey is a little bit of a tougher pill to swallow, mostly because of the continued ease at which you can either find or develop power hitting first basemen, Brian Sabean's struggles aside. It would be a waste of Sandoval's skills behind the dish to have him at first, anyhow.

So I leave it to you: is this a terrible idea? How do you envision the 2011 infield?

DING DONG, CASTILLO'S DFA'D (And Everyone's Up)

Well, how about that for a move? (From Baggs)

Huge, huge shift today. The Giants have a whole new corner infield. John Bowker and Steve Holm were optioned to Fresno and Jose Castillo was designated for assignment. Rohlinger, a third baseman, comes from Double-A Connecticut along with Sandoval, who can catch and play first base. Ishikawa was lighting it up at Triple-A Fresno. He switches spots with Bowker, who was hitting .154 since the All-Star break.

Wow, is it me or did it just get a whole lot less suck in here?

Okay, I'm not going to go overboard, but this is a big day for the youth movement. We could conceivably see this lineup tonight:

RF Winn

2B Burriss

LF Lewis

CF Rowand

1B Ishikawa

C Sandoval

3B Rohlinger

SS Ochoa

What a difference a day makes.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go scrub OBnB of any acknowledgment of the existence of Shrekstillo. (Prances off, giggling.)

UPDATE (3:33PM): And, in typical Giants fashion, the only one of the trio to get the start is Rohlinger, who is penciled in at third and batting second tonight. Even Omar, God bless him, is playing.

Freak Is Fine, Giants Still Suck; Bye Bye Bowker?

From Extra Baggs:

He’s OK, according to his agent, and expects to make his next start. The liner hit him on the tibia just below the knee. Bad bruise. You may breathe normally now.

Well [gasp] said.

Give [gasp] me [gasp] one [gasp] second.

Okay, now, in case you passed out and/or blacked out the rest of the game, I'm sure you assumed, correctly, that the other, less talented, Giants lost...badly.

Which means it's time for, you guessed it, a reactionary move!

Once again, from the always intrepid Andrew Baggarly:

All signs point to Bowker going down

Once I noticed that Travis Ishikawa wasn’t in the lineup for Fresno tonight at Portland, I went into a whirlwind trying to figure out whether he was on his way to Houston. (Late update: He pinch-hit in extra innings, so no, he wasn’t enjoying a bag of peanuts on the first Southwest flight to Houston Hobby.)

But there are indications that something is coming, as they say. For one, Brian Sabean showed up today. Demoting John Bowker is a fairly significant move given the tenor of this Giants season. It’s certainly a call that the GM wouldn’t want to make from afar. Plus, when you break the news to a player with Bowker’s potential future role in the organization, it’s probably best that the GM is in the room.

Add to that Bruce Bochy’s non-denial….”We’re talking about it” … and even with the roof closed at Minute Maid Park, you could tell which way the wind is blowing.

To me, the decision isn’t whether to send down Bowker but whether to replace him with Ishikawa or Pablo Sandoval. (I checked, and yes, Sandoval played for Connecticut tonight.)

So, though it looks like nothing is immediate, there's a good chance we'll see some type of transaction this series.

Optioning Bowker would be a blow for the half-assed youth movement for this franchise - the kid came up with a bang and had a very solid first two months in the big leagues. Right now, though, he's in a 9 for 75 slide, and sounds pretty lost in his approach.

However, the real impetus for a switch would not simply be to get Bowker some pressure-free regular ABs in the minors, but the lights-out hitting of prospect-turned-has-been-turned-prospect-again Ishikawa. Most of you remember him as a smooth fielding first baseman who had a cup of coffee with the 2006 team, only to regress and find himself in Single-A last year. But this year's been a different story altogether:

Travis Ishikawa is hitting .312 with 16 homers and 46 RBIs since his June promotion from Double-A. Ishikawa, 24, played 12 games for the 2006 Giants, backtracked last year when he was demoted to Class A San Jose (in part because of injuries) but re-emerged as a viable prospect this year.

In his first eight games of August, he hit seven homers. Of his 53 hits, 38 have gone for extra bases. Counting his stats from Double-A and Triple-A, he has 24 homers and 94 RBIs, numbers that he didn't come close to producing in any of his first six years of pro ball.

Although most local scribes feel Sando-Yeti is in the mix for a call-up, Ishikawa, who is the same age as Bowker, makes a lot more sense, both because of his fielding prowess at first as well as the logical development curve of the 21 year old Sandoval.

Then again, who said logic plays a part in any of these moves?

Carney and Manny On the plus side, Manny Burriss appears to be in the team's long term plans. But Carney Lansford thinks that he needs to spend a lot of extra time this off-season hitting from the left side. Looking at the stats, he's got a point.

AuRayLia? In the above pieces, both Baggarly and John Shea speculate that, with All-Star rookie sensation Evan Longoria out, the Rays may have an interest in Rich Aurilia. Don't know if this is a case of two reporters echoing one another's idea or an actual corroboration of a legitimate rumor, but it's worth noting.

Henry Schulman, however, appears to be plum crazy.

Who's Afraid Of Jim and Randy Wolf? For the second time this year, the Giants faced Randy Wolf while his brother, Jim, umped. Pardon me, Mr. Selig, but it would seem that with the less than holy officiating going on throughout the sports world, there would be a provision that would recuse said umpire from umping his kid brother's games.

Arms Race On a positive note, the Giants farm system has talented pitchers coming out of their ears these days. You've all heard of Madison Bumgarner (who had another magnificent start Saturday) and Tim Alderson, both '07 first rounders.

But two other heralded prospects shined on Monday:

Three left-handers in the Giants organization took no-hitters into the sixth inning Monday night. Jonathan Sanchez's effort at Houston was the most conspicuous, but he was joined by San Jose's Clayton Tanner and Augusta's Scott Barnes on the Class A level.

Gillaspie Shines And finally, while Buster Posey remains unsigned ahead of tomorrow's deadline, Conor Gillaspie has had a hot start in the Arizona Rookie League, driving in 7 runs in his first 20 PAs to go along with a .316 average.

Taking the liberty of speaking for all Giants fans, when it comes to third base, this is our most desperate hour. Help us, Obi-Con; you're our only hope.

Comment! Which youngster will make the biggest splash for the Giants?

Youth Got Served!

Another day, another victory for these baby Giants.

In a shocking twist, they did so at home.

For Matt Cain.

This ain't July's Giants, that's for sure.

One of my favorite developments: the double play combo of Ivan Ochoa and Manny Burriss, both of whom are putting on a defensive display as well as swinging nice bats.

The triumphant return of Steve Holm certainly ranks up there as well.

My least favorite development? The continued presence of Jose Castillo in my life in any meaningful capacity. Thus, understanding the so-shallow-you'll break-your-neck-if-you-dive depth of the position, it filled me with great hope and pleasure to hear KSN (Wichita) report that the Giants have come to terms with 2008 sandwich round pick (and third baseman) Conor Gillaspie, fomerly of the wonderfully named Wichita State Shockers:

The 37th pick overall will receive slot money for that pick, which is around $975,000 along with other un-disclosed incentives. That was the deal-maker enticing the Shocker All-American to sign.

Gillaspie will begin his pro career in rookie ball for the first few weeks. The Giants plan to give him work at both second and third base before the season comes to an end.

Gillaspie was perceived by many to be a first round pick and was mostly regarded as a great value pick where the Giants picked him up. We wrote this on draft day:

Conor Gillaspie, 3B, Wichita St., at #37. MLB.com compares him to...

Bill Mueller.

That being said, he's the defending Thurman Munson Award winner in 2007 Cape League play, an honor that's gone to the likes of Berkman and Jeter (and [Justin] Smoak in 2006).

Good news, indeed. But with deadline to sign draftees now just ten days out, snippets like these make me a bit queasy regarding the remaining three of our top four picks:

Buster Posey, the Giants' first pick and the fifth overall selection, is one of seven top-10 picks who've yet to sign. Of the 16 players in the supplemental round, though, Gillaspie, the 37th pick, is one of only two who haven't come to terms.

[Snip]

Among third-round selections, Roger Kieschnick, the Giants' third pick and the 82nd overall choice, is one of only three unsigned players. Brandon Crawford, the Giants' fourth pick, is one of just six unsigned players in the fourth round.

"I know [Director of Player Personnel] Bobby [Evans] has been having a lot of discussions with all of those guys," [Giants' Special Assistant John] Barr said. "We're working on finalizing all those guys."

Gulp. If this blog ceases to be updated August 15th, can one of you find a sub-letter for me and take care of Fido?

In other news: remember Barry Lamar Bonds? It has seemed this year like maybe the Giants don't.

But in an interesting development, he has been invited to return to Pac Bell this Saturday as part of a tribute to the great outfielders of the Giants' fifty years in San Francisco. No word yet regarding his attendance.

Should shape up to be a fun week for a Bonds-starved media corps.

Armchair Managers Rejoice as Young Guys Prove Less Crappy Than Old Guys

Bloggers, fantasy baseball enthusiasts, and terrible athletes compensating for their lack of motor skills with an encyclopedic knowledge of their favorite teams were vindicated this weekend as it turned out that the San Francisco Giants are indeed a less bad team when younger players who have yet to forge a track record of ineptitude start over veterans who have proved it over many decades.

And a special shoutout to Barry Zito, who turned in his best start in nearly half a decade on Saturday.

In a tribute to management's keen sense of causation, Zito will now throw batting practice to both teams every day for the rest of the season.

When it comes to yesterday's loss, I'll say only this: Father Time's ownership of the Giants transcends personnel, situation, and possibly the time-space continuum. Just mark his starts against the Giants as an 'L' and move on. Every time.

Snippets from the weekend:

Our Manny Ain't So Bad Amid the anointing of Team Voldemort as the NL West Champs following their trade for Lazy Predator, another, hugely more likeable, Manny has others salivating. From Extra Baggs:

But [Emmanuel] Burriss made a positive impact with the glove. A day after Giants officials said that Burriss could become one of the best defensive second basemen in the game, the rookie made them look smart by snagging Tadahito Iguchi’s line drive in the first inning.

It was a breathtaking play. A longtime San Diego baseball observer turned to me and said, “The Padres haven’t had an infielder who could make that play in many, many years. Maybe Khalil Greene, but I’m not sure of that.”

In other words, athleticism is good. Padres bad.

Burriss was at it again in the third. Tad Iguchi hit a double-play grounder that shortstop Ivan Ochoa bobbled. Burriss made a barehand catch of Ochoa’s late feed, and with the linebacker-sized Hairston bearing down on him, he sidearmed a strong throw in time to turn two.

Oh, Burriss also had a big hit in the ninth inning to pad the Giants’ lead.

So Now That You Feel Optimistic...Check out this (horrific) nugget Bleacher Report throws out:

While there may be hopes amongst the hierarchy that they could still contend for the division crown, mainly because of some of the best young pitching in the league, those thoughts should be thrown out immediately.

An interesting stat recently said that, including AA and AAA, the Giants have the fourth-fewest amount of home runs in the majors.

So a team that has no power and has scored the third fewest runs in the majors thinks they can contend? Bud Selig should immediately administer a piss test.

Well played, Bleacher Report. Well played.

Comment! Which one of the young 'uns are you most excited to see play for the remainder of this season?

Silver Lining-Free Zone

I'm sure you're all aware of the skeletal plot of a contrived sports movie: a team of scrappy unheralded players perseveres through a period of complete incompetence, meeting the expectations of every outsider, only to band together and prove that the sum is greater than the value of its parts, leading to a sappy and painfully predictable ending.

This Giants team is the antithesis of that. Except you have the same general disregard you did for these guys as you did for the duration of Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch.

The Giants, from the top levels of management down, demise into preseason expectations is officially complete. Let's count the ways, shall we?

The Lineup: You all remember Jason Johnson, right? Oh wait, why should you? Quick refresher: the guy was a craptastic pitcher for the Orioles in the late 90s and early 2000s before eventually pitching his way out of the MLB and onto the Seibu Lions last year.

So, obviously, he shuts the Giants down for six.

To add insult to injury, Chan Ho Park came into relieve and also proceed to do away with the lineup in a cruel and efficient manner.

Don Drysdale was up in the ninth, but I can only assume Joe Torre, classy guy that he is, spared us his wrath.

Brian Sabean: He actually sold a part in Ray Durham, so there's that. And it doesn't look like he wants to buy, which is okay.

But for Ganesha's sake, snippets like these make me want to unleash the lunatic inside:

Sabean will listen to offers for Molina and Winn, but the Giants would have to win the deal. In other words, the Giants would have to receive, for openers, a young position player who could fill a glaring need. In the Giants' case, that is power. As Sabean said on his radio show Thursday, "I personally don't see those deals out there."

I'll forgo the outrage bit and simply state this opinion: I would trade Molina and Winn (and their 2009 contracts) for Pablo Sandoval and Nate Schierholtz in a heartbeat.

If anyone's offering a the Air Bud Trilogy for the entirety of their contracts, please just do it now.

But then, to destroy my spirit even more, Schulman weighs in with this:

"I think you have to be open minded because of the division we're in," Sabean said Tuesday.

[Snip.]

[In relation to Molina] The Marlins are said to be dangling first baseman Mike Jacobs, who has 22 home runs this year. John Bowker, at 24 is three years younger and, in the Giants' eyes, could become a better hitter than Jacobs.

Meanwhile, teams are stepping up conversations about left-handed reliever Jack Taschner, but again, the Giants are reluctant to deal a commodity - namely, a left-handed setup man whom the team can control for the next three years - that would not be easily replaced.

Really? Think we're all set at first with Bowker (who I love)? Not worth taking on a 27 year old plus power corner infielder who has more than twice as many homers as anyone else on our team in an extreme pitchers park?

Oh, don't know if you forgot, but John Bowker is an OUTFIELDER!

Better get used to this bunch of clowns.

And finally...

Bruce Bochy: That's right, I've turned. Jose Castillo, after doing his best Chuck Knoblauch on Monday, was out there again last night. Bochy's defense?

"We want to take somewhat of a look at him," Bochy said.

[Snip]

"I like the way he swings the bat," Bochy said.

Schulman puts it more bluntly:

Jose Castillo started at second base for the second straight game. Manager Bruce Bochy said the Giants want to evaluate him as a potential second baseman for the future.

Translation? The 2009 Bruce Bochy-led Giants will live and die by Shrekstillo.

It is an absolute disgrace that our team has once again been hijacked by a huge headed BB. Taking a look at a repeated failure like Jose Castillo while Manny Burriss toils on the bench? Hell, I'm not the biggest Eugenio Velez booster, but at least he hasn't been released by the Pirates and the Marlins.

I almost wish that Bochy copped to showcasing Castillo rather than implying that he's a part of this team's future. The Giants picked this guy up off waivers mere days before the start of the season because, lo and behold, Sabean had done nothing to address the position after the departure of Pedro Feliz.

That's like being forced to lick a piece of dog poop by the local bully, deciding it doesn't taste as bad as you thought, and making it a part of your regular diet.

(Yeah, the 12 year old in all of you should probably check out Step Brothers if you haven't already.)

I can't even look at these guys right now.

Oh yeah, the Giants lost.

More on Hammond

Ryan Topp did a prospect analysis of the Brewers last offseason and had an interesting blurb on brand new Giant Steve Hammond and his best potential future role:

#19 Steve Hammond,, LHP
6'2” 205 lbs. Born 4/30/1982

Drafted in the 6th round of the 2005 draft out of Long Beach State University

Call me stubborn, but I'm not ready to give up on this personal favorite just yet. Drafted with an eye towards making him a reliever eventually, he performed so well in 2006 between High A Brevard and AA Huntsville that the team decided to keep him in the rotation for the foreseeable future. Things didn't go well in 2007 for Hammond in AA, a change largely driven by a 2.5 hits per 9 inning increase and a resulting .26 jump in WHIP. His K rate only declined slightly and his walks actually went down, which got me to thinking about a potential move to the pen. Sure enough, his K rate steadily declines as each inning passes all the way through the 5th, which would indicate some trouble holding his stuff deep into games. He did show trouble with walks in the first inning, which would be a problem were he to move into short relief. Still, I would like to see how he reacts to a move to the pen before writing him off as a prospect. If last years struggles as a starter persist into this season, I would expect that move sooner rather than later.

This predates Hammond's AAA debacle (in a very limited sample size) this season (0-4, 7.41 ERA in 17.1 innings) but it's still interesting to note.

Perhaps the Giants picked up him up with an eye towards replacing Jack Taschner.

It also turns out the Giants did kick in about half of Ray Durham's remaining salary. Although I hated on Darren Ford yesterday, the addition of Hammond to the trade, while clearing a spot for Manny Burriss to play every day, makes this deal pretty palatable.

Oh, in case you still care, the Brewers took the Giants' dignity as well as Durham, completing the sweep in a forgettable game.

Comment! What's next? In addition to Taschner and Omar Vizquel, should the Giants start aggressively shopping Bengie Molina and Randy Winn?

Deal Done

Announcement expected after the game, but the Giants are also supposed to receive AAA lefty Steve Hammond in addition to Darren Ford, ESPN reports.

In a probable sign of things to come, Manny Burriss got the start at second.

Ivan Ochoa, Come On Down!

Travis Denker has been a fairly head-scratching call-up.  He's an intriguing young player who should be playing every day as we move towards an all-out competition for the second base job next year, one that would include Denker, Manny Burriss, a presumably healthy Kevin Frandsen and, depending on off-season moves, a host of other potential candidates.

So instead of getting regular at-bats in Norwich or Fresno, Denker's been toiling on the bench, hardly playing at all in the big leagues, not to mention the fact that Brian Sabean, in all his perverse management glory, started Denker's service time clock way earlier than he needed to.

Bringing us to today: an obviously trigger-happy Sabean has sent Denker to Fresno in exchange for infielder Ivan Ochoa, who perhaps should have been the utility infielder the Giants should have called up in the first place.  Up until this season, Ochoa has had a lackluster career in the minors.  Now, entering his ninth season, the 25 year old is putting together a nice little campaign down in Fresno, going .318/.395/445 (with 20 steals) as the team's regular shortstop.

In my completely uninformed opinion, this may be a signal that a deal to swing Ray Durham to a contender may be coming into focus.  The callup of Ochoa would allow Manny Burriss to take over duties at second in the event of a Durham trade, while Ochoa could slide into Burriss's current role as the utility man. 

I'm not entirely sure where this leaves recent returnee Eugenio Velez, but my hope is that his inferior instincts spend less time in the infield and more in the outfield, where his speed and arm are much better served.

ReTribeUtion

Heading into last night's matchup with the red-hot Cliff Lee, it was a foregone conclusion that Matt Cain would have to bring his best game.

Alas, he did not.

Thus, Giants loseth.

What, were you expecting the offense to pick him up?

Either way, I'm inclined to agree with the local rags on this one: the Giants crapped the bed in Kansas City and could have mailed this series in.  And to their credit, they didn't.

More positivity: after getting a handie from the entire populace of Cleveland, Omar Vizquel may finally be put out to pasture (read: bench), giving way to the ever-intriguing Manny Burriss.  The former NCAA stolen base champ will spark this lineup merely by hitting better than the league-average pitcher, a good initial benchmark for a kid who was supposed to get his first cup in 2009.

Even more positivity: I like Sergio Romo, and you should too.  Although I have to admit some disappointment watching him trot out there with a little beard growth to go along with that fantastic moustache.  Let's hope he wises up and takes a cue from Jason Giambi. (Gee, I'm never going to repeat that sentence again.)

Also, as absurd as the notion may be, the Giants can actually salvage a winning month if they take two of three from the A's this weekend.

I mean, technically, it's possible.

Most importantly, coming out of this series with even a glimmer of hope regarding the future of Barry Zito is a very nice development.  You know, until he goes all Bronson Arroyo on us.

Lost For Words, We Go Simpsons

Since the Giants historic collapse on Sunday against the Kansas City Monarchs, I have found it difficult to write about this team with anything less than an apocalyptic tone - something I have attempted to avoid given the early feedback I received on the abundance of latent negativity in my posting.

So, I took a step back, but right when I was about to start feeling better about this current run of absolute incompetence, Bobblehead Bochy verbally craps on my brief moment of clarity:

When Ray Durham had to be the designated hitter in Kansas City on Saturday night because of an ankle injury, manager Bruce Bochy had a perfect opening to start either Emmanuel Burriss or Travis Denker at second base. Instead, he went with the more experienced Jose Castillo.

[Snip]

One thing is certain: Bochy likes Castillo, who has been a stabilizing defensive force and has 21 doubles, yet owns an unimpressive OPS of .727.

"He's got power. He's an intriguing player," Bochy said. "He runs fairly well. I think he has the tools to be an everyday player. Now, that's up to him. I think he's improved his work ethic since he's been here. I think he sees this as a great opportunity."

Could Castillo be a long-term solution at third base?

"He has shown how talented he could be if he plays every day," Bochy said. "I'd like to see what he's done at the end of the year."

And there goes my dwindling hope of any success for the next decade.

On the Plus Side

- Manny Burriss might be getting the call as soon as Omar Vizquel's ego gets stroked one last time in Cleveland.

- From within that piece, it looks like Barry Zito may be bringing back the once maligned Crouching Tiger mechanics.

Please, someone, somewhere, call Rick Peterson.

Meanwhile, 3-Dot Loser has a decent idea regarding the situation.

- Anyone remember that episode of the Simpsons where Homer unwittingly becomes head of the local nuclear power plant worker's union? The one where Lisa needs braces?

But, in a cruel twist of dramatic fate, Mr. Burns is simultaneously trying to screw the workers out of dental insurance in exchange for a keg.

Well, thanks to a Google, I can share the joy of it with all of you who don't:



There you go.

Well, my point (besides finding a reason to post one of the best Simpsons gags ever) is that I had a similar feeling as Homer today.

The first Giants-related article I read today filled me with bittersweet optimism. In detailing the Giants organization's bright future in terms of starting pitchers, Marc Hulet at The Baseball Analysts opened with this succinct diagnosis of our unbalanced system:

It is easy to knock the San Francisco Giants organization for being unable to produce a productive, everyday position player in... well, let's just say years. But a quick glance at the minor league system shows that there are some very impressive numbers being put up by some intriguing pitching prospects.

A few hours pass.

And then I stumble upon this article on the slightly better, if still maddening, Rangers franchise and the plight of rookie exec Nolan Ryan.

In some ways, the Rangers are on the same developmental curve as those scrappy Tampa Bay Rays. They can put a dynamic lineup on the field, but the young pitching has to catch up with the everyday talent. How close is Texas to making a run at its first postseason berth since 1999? That hinges in large part on whether Eric Hurley and former Braves prospect Matt Harrison continue to progress, Thomas Diamond makes a successful comeback from Tommy John surgery and 20-year-old Neftali Feliz is as dynamic as his numbers in Class A Clinton (93 strikeouts in 74 1/3 innings) suggest.

Although general manager Jon Daniels' moves have been hit-and-miss, the Texas organization is awash in position player prospects. First baseman Chris Davis leads the minors with 23 homers and 73 RBIs and is making a strong case for a call-up. Catcher Max Ramirez, acquired from Cleveland for Kenny Lofton last July, was hitting .363 with a .662 slugging percentage when the Rangers summoned him from Double-A Frisco on Saturday to replace the injured Gerald Laird.

Texas has a top young shortstop, Elvis Andrus, and an elite catching prospect, Taylor Teagarden, in the minors, and that doesn't factor in the rest of the haul that Daniels acquired in the Mark Teixeira and Eric Gagne trades last summer.

You see where I'm going with this?

Terrible offense, Rangers need pitchers; terrible offense, Rangers need pitchers; terrible offense, Rangers need pitchers; terrible offense, Rangers need pitchers; terrible offense, Rangers need pitchers; terrible offense, Rangers need pitchers; terrible offense, Rangers need pitchers; terrible offense, Rangers need pitchers.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try to fish Carl's pencil out of my butt.

Beltway Bowker Display

See the added spring in the Giants step? Haven't they looked like a different team? Like the ones we grew accustomed to for a short time in the early 2000s?

That's all me.

OBnB runs up its record to 3-0 yesterday and today with two more browbeatings of the Nationals in steamy DC.

(And special thanks to the OBnB fairy godmother for the awesome photos this weekend. The Fred Lewis action shot is classic. Check out all her great photos here.)

Evidently, there's a team in the NL that not only has an inferior offense to the Giants, but actually makes the G-Men look competent. Without Ryan Zimmerman, the Nats don't have a single hitter that scares you. A friend who is a Nats die-hard (yes, they do exist) told me he would kill for Randy Winn. Seriously.

Of course, after scoring 1 run in 18 innings, Zito spotted the Nats 3 runs (and 11 baserunners) in 5 innings of sloppy work. But, like him, I'll take his second win of the season.

Big props to Jon Sanchez for his stellar performance last night and the suddenly reliable Giants offense. Gotta say, we have a few hitters that make this lineup respectable.

If only they could play on the road all the time...

Notes from the stands:

- Nats fans (and soon everyone else) are legitimately scared of John Bowker. Awesome.

- Neglected to mention this in my Friday recap, but Manny Burriss has received a warm reception by Washingtonians - he is the first D.C. ballplayer to reach the majors in 38 years.

Got a chance to give (an obviously ecstatic) Burriss family my congrats. Pretty cool.

I can't wait to see them next season when he's starting at short. Just work with me.

- Freddy was warming up with a visibly warm Bill Hayes (the Giants bullpen catcher) before the 6th when Fred decided to throw him a curve (literally and figuratively), which he consequently missed. Fred was dying.

- The difference in velocity between Zito and every other reliever is a strategic silver lining to every one of his starts. The Nats were behind every fastball when Nolan Taschner came in in the 6th.

- In spite of his continued run of nice hitting, Ray Durham's complete lack of effort in the field (particularly when he failed to cover first in the second) stokes the passion of my playa-hatred.

Best quote: "Hey Ray, the inning's started!"

- Schedule permitting, I'll be there for Cainer's start tomorrow and will try to add a few more photos to the album.

Go to the Giants @ Nats Album!