Sit Back, Put Your Feet Up, And…
Okay, the common thread that we all share is our huge love of the best damned game on the planet, and discussing not only that game, but specifically our beloved San Francisco Giants. And in our daily banter about a multitude of topics (life and baseball – is there more?) one of the things that we regularly hash-out is what types of moves Sabes and the Giant’s brain trust (Bobby Evans, Dick Tidrow, etc.) should make to strengthen the team.
So, with that, I ask you to sit your ass in that big leather executive chair, kick back with your feet on the desk, light a big stogie (if you are so inclined), put your GM hat on, and give us your spin. Today, you are the GM of the Giants.
I was originally going to base my thread on “should the Giants seriously consider signing Pagan to a multi-year deal?” (I posed this question very late a few nights back and it got almost no traffic and I then posted it again the following day.) But then Baggarly and just about every other swinging dick who writes for any of the local rags stole my thunder (bastards!). But I still see value in discussing this topic, and broaden it to be:
“If you were the GM, what types of changes do you make for the remainder of this season, and then, looking ahead, what might you do with 2013 in mind?”
But first there is the topic of Pagan. Michael was one of the few who offered feedback on my question as to whether or not the team should consider signing Pagan to a multi-year deal. Basically (and I paraphrase) he said that this decision should wait until year’s-end. I agree, but still I think we can discuss how seriously, based on the “here and now – today” this should be considered. With that question in mind, I post Pagan’s career and 2012 numbers:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/paganan01.shtml
So, while Angel has been extremely hot of late, I get it…most teams would not entertain a long-term deal at this juncture of the season, and really, neither would the player. But still, given what you have seen…what is your gut “right now?” Do you think the team should seriously consider a multi-year deal for Pagan? If so, what are the parameters? Three years? Less? More? How about average salary?
Another area that I feel has become suspect lately is the bullpen (this has been kicked-around off-and-on here over the past number of weeks). So the pen is certainly an area that I would look to make upgrades to for the remainder of this year (Hensley, for example, just makes me nervous as hell), and also for next year. If you agree…who do you feel needs to be swapped-out…what changes need to be made to bolster the bullpen?
So, what says YOU? You are THE MAN for the day…what other things would you do to strengthen the team for the stretch-run, and also for next year?
______________________________________________
Flavor, watching the Giants game:
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
Hensley: he is the 5th or so reliever and at that level, there really is not much reason for why he seems so disliked. His walks are too high but he has been fine in his relatively minor role. I suspect it’s the ridiculous idea that he’s Bochy’s buddy that fuels the unwarranted dislike for the guy. But he’s arb eligigible, they might non-tender him since he’d get more than a low level reliever should get. Someone like Otero would probably get another shot. In short- not a guy to worry about on any level…
Pagan- often we’ll hear- “if we can get him for a year at….” Well, we can’t. As I said, he came here off a bad year and the cancer rep- he’s repaired the Crazy Horse brand well enough that he’ll probably get at least 8 per year and 3 years. And it’s hard to believe he won’t just go with the money, I don’t see him signing with us without exploring the market.The caveat is the Milker- with him now gone for sure, they jusy might overpay Pagan because the OF would look pretty barren with both gone and only Pence to rely on…
The pen in general- I have zero worry about it for next year…
You’re being a realist about Pagan.
pagan has impressed me a lot lately, esp with the hustle plays running the bases. He’s reading base hits off the bat and going all out to take extra base and score runs, making good slides. He’s done great this month back in the leadoff. I’m not into Michael Bourn at all for an FA deal; I think Pagan will be a better value. And if SF goes deep in the playoffs, I can’t see why he wouldn’t want to come back. I realize he’s been up and down, but he’s doing it all right now, more so than Pence, when SF really needs him.
Gary Brown might work out but he could just as easily be the next jemile weeks. Obviously LF is still a black hole. Waiver guy ala Frenchy (good arm RH pop exp OF) might be OK for now, but too pricey for a full season, unless you are sure the kids aren’t ready and blanco is the backup. I’d love to get denard Span but Twins would demand young pitching I’d imagine, so that’s a tough one to decide who to give up from their list.
I don’t see how you help the pen now, unless maybe Hembree is healthy and can come up for a situational look see next month. Otherwise the back end looks OK to me–casilla romo lopez affeldt, plus mijares kontos. Committe approach doesn’t bother me at all, because I think bochy and rags can make it work. Casilla had thrown a lot lately so last night they went another direction–more options the better. 6 months from now SF would hopefully have better gauge on wilson.
Why worry, Willie isn’t.
Kat – you mention the “black hole” in LF…that is obviously the most glaring issue right now. Francoeur has been the latest talk for a possible Giants acquisition. From what is potentially out there, I think he could be a good fit. You mention him being “too pricey for a full season.” Actually he is currently on a 2 year 13.5 contract, so he has a bit over a mil remaining this year, and then he will earn 6.75 next year. If the Giants could get him for a couple of mid-level prospects, I think that would be a good move.
Michael mentioned yesterday (I think) about the possibility of Huff when rosters expand. And I agree, he is a guy who could get ahold of one and knock it out. I think Francoeur is that same guy (even tho he is having an off year), except he is a much better OFer and has a strong arm. Whether it is Pagan, Francoeur, etc., I just think the Giants need to sign an OFer or two.
Well it appears that Pagan is being the man in the outfield, I see him talking to Blanko and Christian after plays. And he has taken that attitude to the plate as well.As far as Pagan’s contract, he is 31 years old, 2 years max, 8 mil per. My question is what if Wilson does not come back? This closer by committee “might” work for the rest of the year and into the playoffs. But most analysts do not believe the Giants will get far into the playoffs without a legitimate closer. I don’t trust Castilla to be the Giants closer going into the playoff or next year. We have already seen him have a melt down when he has blown a game or two. There migh not be issues with the middle and late relievers but I think there should be conceern with the closer role.
I love Pagan but I agree 2 years maximum. I don’t think anyone’s giving him 3 years and $20M plus, either.
Do either Francouer and Pence have significant LF experience? – I can’t look it up right now.
And why would anyone think Huff has anything to offer?
Brevity is a virtue.
I agree that right now a left fielder is needed most. I’m not sure who is on wavers, I’ve mentioned getting Ross back if they could, most of that is because I know he could fit and I know what he can do. Whoever they go for has to get through the waiver blocks and that may be the most difficult part in getting someone that fits. Maybe Peguero will go nuts and they won’t have to make a trade.
Pagan has done a good job for us, better than I expected, but no I wouldn’t sign him to a multiple year contract. Two things that kind of scare me about the guy, his defense and he looks like he might just explode on an ump or something (roid rage?).
If the staff has an idea about what happened to Blanco (tired from winter league, pitchers figured him out, training) and it’s fixable I’d go with him over locking up Pagan. Brown is a wild card, if they bring him up in Sept. we probably won’t see much of him, so who knows.
If Casilla is able to slide back into the closing role, I won’t be that worried about the pen. The committee thing was OK to get them through Casilla’s injury, but a BP where everyone knows their roles seems to really work the best.
Francouer is aiming pretty low, IMO. As far as Huff, someone is bound to get the wrong impression of what I said, so to be clear, I only suggested him as a PH to finish out his last year here when rosters expand. but… wait for it—-if no one else is cutting it and he’s swinging the bat well, no reason at all they wouldn’t give him a LF start or two…or three.
OF free agaent class sucks, which is probably why they won’t get Pagan even they pursue him. He and Bourn are the top CFers…
I’m liking the idea even more of sending Hector to winter ball to see if he can even marginally improve his hacking ways and putting Buster in LF. The idea that he’s too slow and would be a bad LFer is absurd. He’d be fine there. Fergawdsake, look at some of the others who play that position. Put Buster in left and Pence in RF and they could roll the dice on Brown or Peguero with Blanco backing them up…
Brown CF
Scutaro 2B ( he looks to be a young 36, or whatever he is )
Posey LF
Panda 3B
Pence RF
Belt 1B
Sanchez C
Crawford SS
Huff in LF……ugh!
I don’t know about Pagan. If he can consistently hit lead off, and play solid defense, he’d be worth something like3/24? If he wants more than 3 years? No. I’m curious to see Peguero and how he does in his limited stint up here. Atl’s Bourn has been bandied about as a guy to get. He might cost a lot, but he certainly would be better than Christian/Blanco. If I was going to pay either, I’d rather pay Bourn rather than Pagan. How much? Well, we’ll see when we get to free agency.
The pen, while shakey, will work itself out. They have bodies, and a lot of these guys are new (Otero, Kontos, Helmsley, even Edlefson), and will settle in as they get a season under their belts. Middle relief isn’t too hard to find, and if some of these guys crater, other guys shouldn’t be too hard to find. Pitching at Pac Bell will help anyone’s numbers a little. Not worried about that. The closer deal is either real good, with Wilson getting back to full strength, and Casilla working his way back to being the guy he was earlier in the season, or it’s a mess, with Wilson having no guarantees he’ll return from his 2nd TJ surgery, and Casilla being the inconsistent mess he was these past few weeks. I’d stand pat for now. This is another thing that can wait til the offseason.
Seeing as just about any move can be blocked by AZ and LA, I don’t see anything happening between now and the call-ups..
I don’t really want to see what Pagan looks like when he “gets comfortable.” He seems to be a better player when his ass is near the fire. And if you pay him 3 years/24mil (agree with Twin, that’s the neighborhood I think he’ll be in) then he’s gonna get awfully comfortable and awfully cold (ass no longer near fire).
Don’t get me wrong, I like Pagan and think he was a fantastic pick up this year, but it makes me a little uneasy to think about him with little financial motivation…..
Buster is not going to LF. Not in a million years. To say his lack of speed won’t hurt defensively is ludicrous.
They probably won’t move him but you are totally wromng that he couldn’t do it. IMO.
I agree with twin on this one Chuck, although I think Buster would be better suited at third with Panda in Left. With the right CF either of those guys could cover LF IMO.
Well, if Pagan continues to excel the way he has of late, I’m not sure you could get him on a 2 year deal. He would probably get 3 year offers in the 8 mil range.
I’m not totally sold on Casilla for long-term (anything past this year), but have not closed the door on him being our closer, either. How he performs down the stretch in the closer role will tell a lot. Hembree is certainly giving no indication that he is ready…besides being hurt, he has struggled off-and-on this year. Wilson – 2nd TJ…hard to tell.
Looking at salaries I was not aware (or forgot) that there is a club-option for next year (10 mil, which I see no way in hell they exercise), with a 2 mil buyout. Kiss that 2 mil goodbye.
Unless one thinks everyone is lying about the blister problem, that could certainly have been a major part of Casillla’s problems. Thing is- NOW he is the only late inning reliever who has pitched well enough to be even contermplated as the man. The rest are just taking turns bailing each other out. Unless Bochy turned into Geren in his sleep, Casilla should be the closer again, perhaps pending one or two more “confirmation” outings…
Buster is going to catch because he’s the team leader. He’s the *general* on the field. It’s tough to lead from LF. Plus, he wouldn’t want to do it. I think he could handle LF but he’s far more valuable as a catcher and that laserbeam arm is deadly at throwing would-be base stealers. He’s just too valuable to take out of that position, IMO……
I agree 100% Craig…Posey adds the most value to the team behind the dish.
Yup!
Well, let’s say they do absolutely nothing to change what they have here and in the system. That would mean they pay Pagan whatever the market dictates. That isn’t the worst thing ever.
Pagan CF
Scutaro 2b
Psey C
Panda 3B
Pence RF
Belt 1B
Brown/Peguero/Blanco LF
Crawford SS
I could live with that
Me too…but I like Pablo in the 3 and Buster hitting clean-up.
Who can name a full time ML catcher who became a full time ML outfielder? Yogi Berra?
I remember the Mets trying it with Todd Hundley. The results were comical.
I don’t like the thought of Posey in LF, but remember, this is a guy who started out as a SS and was converted late in his college career to catching. He also played in one game where he played every position. I have no doubt he could play LF, and probably play it pretty damned decently, but as Flavor mentioned…I think he adds the most value catching.
No to LF for Posey.
On the flip side, I can’t remember a ML catcher that was converted from SS.
Except Gerald Demp the Third…
Oh, I’m sure Buster could do it. Not well, but he could do it. Just like 1st base. Buster can do it, just not all that well. Like Craig said. and in Buster’s own words, he wants to catch. He initially resisted playing 1st base. Catcher is where he feels most comfortable.
That being said, I think Blanco covers more ground than Buster could ever dream of covering in LF.
I think it all a moot point, as I really do not think we will ever see it. There are just too many other viable options for the OF…
The Giants will have approx. $30 million coming off the books at the end of the year, so it’s anyones guess who they will go after in the FA market.
I tend to agree with just about everything that has been said so far today.
I would probably try to shore up middle relief. I like Kontos, but not Hensley or Edlefsen. I don’t see Mota coming back and as long as Casilla doesn’t face the A’s, he seems to be a decent set up guy in the 7th inning.
LF? Hmm. Bochy likes options. I actually like what we have now with Blanco in left. It’s nice to have all that speed in the OF. I just don’t see a big time HR bat coming to SF. They all bitch about their HR numbers dropping at AT&T if they signed here. Just my opinion.
I think they will bring Mota back when his suspension is over (any day now) and rosters expand.
There’s a caveat there- by rule, they can’t wait until rosters expand. They’ll have to send someone down. With Zits and Tim both having good outings, I’d guess it would be Hacker.
Ah…forgot about that, Twin…thanks for the reminder. So do you think they bring Mota back (I know they were working him out in Arizona, recently)?
Demp, another championship would pave the way for some guys changing their tune about coming here. I could see Bourn coming over. He ain’t a big homer guy anyway.
Bourn would be a solid fit, I agree. I would keep White Shark as a 4th OF though.
Maybe the Giants can do some really advanced scouting on the kids from Petaluma. Rock on boys! Stick it to Tennessee.
I don’t, Chi. With the Melky suspension behind his, it would look pretty bad to bring him back with open arms. Of course I could be dead wrong, that’s just how I think they view this.
I mean, it would be just like letting Melky play in the playoffs. I’d be pretty annoyed at that.
Chuck annoyed……a loud BLEEP emanates from his abode.
I don’t think they will move Buster, I said that. However- Buster,Rookie, Pence left to right is better than anything they’d do instead. Way better. Look, one of the Merc’s jerks wants Belt catching.. seriously- they absolutely won’t field a better LU next year than one that has Buster and Sanchez both playing regularly. And Belt is too good defensively at first to think of moving him to LF. Once again, IMO.
And there IS an issue than Buster needs to address- he’s taking the don’t block the plate edict too far- I’ve seen him take good throws so far off the plate that even a swipe tag can;t reach the runner…
Good point on the swipe tags, Michael. The play at the plate the other night (Sanchez catching/blocking the plate)…I don’t think they get the out there with Buster behind the dish. What you have to ask yourself is how many runs are you going to give-up during the course of the season with Buster, and is that cost worth the benefits you get from having him back there. I think they are…I prefer to keep him behind the dish for most of his starts.
In Buster we trust.
And if the payroll stays in-line with this year, they actually have about 50 mil coming free. Payroll this year is 131 mil and change. Projected next year with who is already signed is 80.3 mil.
Remember, you have Posey, Romo, and others who are AE, and Affeldt is a FA. So, there will be commitments. I would be surprised if they don’t try to work out some type of long-term deal with Posey.
$80.3 million? One more reason to be circumspect about doling out money and contracts next year. I hope the Giants learned their lesson at that course called:
Spending Money Like Drunken Sailors 101
Steve – what I meant is they have 80.3 committed to next year’s salaries.
Chi, yeah, I understood what you said. My point was that they should be very careful about spending that 50 million that is coming off the books. In other words, NO FUCKING ROWANDS AND ZITOS NEED APPLY. 🙂
I’m with ya on that, brother! One of these years, they’ll have to make an offer to Posey. He will be AE next year for the first time.
In my opinion, no way Buster plays outfield. As a couple of others have pointed out, he is the catcher and that’s where his value lies. Just his defense at catcher makes him a plus player for the Gmen. We already had one player called “glass” that was exactly that. Posey is a tough SOB and we should stop worrying about him getting injured at Catcher. Besides, the nature of that position means he is constantly at risk anyway . . . accept it and move on.
I’ve been in Pagan’s corner all year. Why? Simply because I knew he couldn’t be as bad as he was last year; and equally important, he was playing for a new team, with much to prove, as well as being a free agent after this season. I can’t prove this, but I suspect that Flav is right about Crazy Horse – he plays harder when the deck is stacked against him, i.e., give him 3 years and mucho deniro, he goes into siesta mode.
Also, not too excited about Scutaro, especially at 37, which he will be next year. I would love the Giants to deal for Jed Lowie in the off season. He is still on the DL right now with an ankle injury, but the 28 year old has racked up 14 home runs and 36 RBI through 80 games. He also plays 2nd and 3rd base and has connections in the bay area (Stanford grad). Icing on the cake is that his contract this year is $1.1 million, albeit, he is arb. eligible.
Pence is ok I guess. His swing is weird and I still think the Phils overpaid for his services. In short, I wont do somersaults if he stays, but with the lack of outfield free agents – as Twin pointed out – I could live with him being on the Giants next year.
B.J. Upton (28) and Delmon Young (27) are the only free agent outfielders not applying for Social Security next year . . . In other words, everyone else is over 30 years old, most much older. Upton has been great in August, with six home runs and five steals in 21 August games. That being said, his BA this season sucks the big baloney poney at .245, with 127 SOs. Young will swing at anything, which not only limits his walks but also decreases his chances of getting a pitch he can drive. Couple that with his propensity to get in trouble . . . umm, no.
I should have been more clear Mike . . . I know he is (one reason I indicated the Phils overpaying). My point is him being a trade chip.
Well, maybe. I doubt it though ( that they’d trade him). What’s the OF if he’s gone, what would they get for him? I don’t see anyway they would move him unless he went all feet up in September… uh, *both* feet..
Well, as Salty pointed out, he hasn’t been exactly a game changer to this point. As I said earlier, he has a very unbalanced swing and strikes out a lot. I was surprised that the Phils gave him that contract and I even noted that a couple of weeks ago, when I cited CBS, “Pence’s strikeout rate was one of the highest of his career, which means he added 30 points to his batting average by making less contact. Saying he benefited from good luck would be an oversimplification — perhaps he decided he didn’t need to swing for the fences as much anymore, and naturally, a move to a deeper lineup would take some of the pressure off — but the point is the secret of his success is hardly an open-and-shut case.”
Pence is not a free agent- he’s ours.
You laughed at the idea of Scooter coming here and his value as a player anywhere. Not sure why because he has done a fine job here, so far.
I loved the Scutaro pick up. And Pence. And Mijares. Nothing has changed my mind about any of them.
that was supposed to land under Blade’s 11:09 post; I think he dislikes anyone that has played for Colorado. 🙂
I like Scutaro THIS YEAR. He’s frickin’ 36 though, so how many times do you want to “go to the well?” Next year, our luck is that he turns into road kill.
Oh, you WILL live with him being on the Giants next year…he (Pence) is AE and I don’t see the Giants not signing him (if they didn’t, he in essence was a rental ala Beltran).
Okay!
RH pull hitters can and have put up very good HR numbers here. If you want to see a simple and truthful explanation of a big part of why our HR numners are so poor at home- they never replaced what they got from Uribe and Burrell in 2010. Juan hit 13 at home, Pat 10 in just 53 home games. This year we have 20 TOTAL so far.
With Hector improving defensively almost game to game, the team will certainly contemplate either trading him ( Jackson Williams is finally looking to be at least a capable back up if Posey stayed behind the plate) – or- yes, moving Buster elsewhere. As far as trades for Lowrie or anybody else- we’ve traded our best pitching prospect and our best power prospect since last July. Lowrie should be able to be had for a couple midlevel prospects, in which case, sure. BTW, Bochy’s son is on the DL. Maybe someone already noted that.
I think you run the risk with every FA that the money either lowers their incentive or creates a Zito like problem where they feel the weight of trying to live up to the big contract. That’s why I like the bargain guys, who come in with lowered expectations and feel they have something to prove. Sabean has done very well lately with those types.
Team is still going to built around pitching and defense, so Posey and Belt should both stay put, imo. I’d consider bringing back Pagan and adding a RH power guy. Kieschnick is also a possibility next year in LF, although he hits LH and his high K numbers concern me. Don’t think much of Peguero at this point and think Brown will need a half a year in Fresno.
Then there’s Mr Perez.
http://www.examiner.com/article/mystery-man-outfielder-is-making-his-mark-san-jose
Kieschnick hasn’t played saince May- broken bone in his his left shoulder while losing a battle with the RF wall… don’t know the prognosis. Last I saw he was headed for the AFL this fall. Well, I’ve put my two cents in for the morning, I’m broke. Catch ya later.
Thanks, Michael…some good stuff…
Think they have to offer arb to Pence, but geez, if he continues to hit .195 with no power the rest of the way they may have a tough time convincing ownership he’s worth $14m.
What are your alternatives, Salty? No way I see therm dumping him after giving up Joseph and the Nate. OK, OK, bye.
Twinfan, I don’t see an alternative and, agree they sort of have to roll the dice and hope he’ll rebound next yr.
Salty his contract for 2012: $10.4 million, 2013: Arb. Eligible . . . As Twin pointed out, he is under our control,, albeit, Pence gives us some options heading into 2013, depending on how 2012 goes. Yeah, a dollar ninety five is barely batting his weight and I would shit can him with that performance going forward.
hey, look at it this way: If he keeps hitting shitty we will destroy him in arbitration. 🙂
He knows how to bunt.
Isn’t he second in RBIs this month, to Buster? 16. Beltran had 18 for both months.
Good read on Perez…I heard about him awhile back…thanks, Salt.
As a reply to yesterdays topic:
http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/baseball_basics/lingo.jsp
eddacker as GM with a nice high rise apartment that has a view of the stadium?
The first thing after finishing that cigar is to assume that my downstream staff is mostly OK and I am going to pray that when I got here I knew most of the realities of my position. One of the best scenes in ‘Moneyball’ was when the billy character askes the CEO character for enough money to field a competitive team. The top administrators always see the situation different from the way a GM will and I would need to get a feel for the group I expect the least from. I would set a special project to get NBC to surrender the broadcast rights over to the newest giants money machine, the SFGTV. (KNBR is a member of the ownership group)
next I would bring Bonds back, look at the minors/draft system with an eye to strengthen, figure out what is really going on with the medical staff and then get rid of Murf, that guy is older than all the ball dudes put together! After that I would have a second cigar and think about lunch.
I hope a player like Borne or sum such IS on the radar with the muscle milk money off the table. I like Pagan when he is playing full speed, if he wants to be on the team and play here it should be seriously considered.
P.S. any topic that promotes me to SF GM is a brilliant thread, thanx Chi
WTF Ed…you’d can Murph!? That would be a cardinal sin in my book…that guys is GOD in relation to the Giants…I just retracted your GM status. 😉
WOW, I typed with an ‘f’, I should be punished! Hey, this is random and wild speculation and I had to do something to let everyone know there is a new sheriff in town. IRL I love Murph and think he is a great asset, plus I knew it would get your attention, just checking who reads my posts.
So the Buster talk, he will be the Giants catcher, the talk about blocking the plate?? well I guess the comparison should be how many base stealers does he throw out vs how many he lets score by not blocking the plate, I am betting there are more throws to second than plays at the plate. I am not worried about him blocking the plate.
Ditto.
It’s not about not blocking the plate- at least as far as my comments were concerned, it’s about giving it up altogether. And that *is* a problem if he doesn’t overcome it. As far as throwing out base stealers, some responsibilty is on the pitchers, but he’s at 27 percent CS, not terribly good, not bad. Dead average. Hector is 28 percent. The CS vs. runners scoring comparison is not even remotely valid. If anyone has a valid stat that correlates the two numbers for all catchers, I’d love to see it.
Saying Buster has an area where he needs to improve is not trashing him. He had a terrible injury and not being eager to get blown up again is not something I’m unsympathetic to. He is still a better defender than Hector overall.
Yeah…I got your drift, Michael. Not blocking, but relying on the sweep tag at the plate. I mentioned earlier that you have to weigh how many potential plays you feel there will be at the plate against all of the other tangibles Buster brings behind the dish (cost/benefit evaluation). I would absorb the cost to keep him behind the plate…just my opinion…
You guys keep making good comments, I’ll never get my nap. Hunter has been an asset, IMO. If he actually did remain at the Mendoza line, his Ribbies will drop off and I’d reconsider. The only reason I even mention Buster as a LFer is because a RH power hitting LFer is absolutely the numero uno need to improve the LU. There’s not much out there that’s both good and doable.
Sabean might find a way.
I agree…and that is why i said that if they stand-pat, and did something along the lines of what you mentioned (Brown/Peguero/Blanco in LF)…I’m down with that. Not my first preference…but I can live with it.
I saw one stat I loved in last nights game. It really doesn’t matter who the player was, but Uggla got picked off, thrown out at second (CS) and out at third on a fielder’s choice that turned into a double play.
that would be PO, CS, 1-5-3 DP and that is not easy to do.
How uggla!
Yeah, Uggla was one of the best players on the Giants last night! 😉
It’s nice to have friends.
See, there are several things that Brenly didn’t fuck up on that memorable day. Maybe Loo or one of the other historians can help us on what might be considered the worst day a player ever had. Well, the second worst- Chapman probably has a lock on number 1…
Anyone remember when Hawk Harrelson took over as GM of the Chisox and moved Carlton Fisk to LF? I don’t think that played out too well. I’m trying to remember who the hotshot catcher was that took over behind the dish, but can’t. I think he was a great defender.
Did Biggio play full time in the outfield at some point? What an athlete that guy was–Catcher to 2B and I want to say to CF, but that might not be right.
I remember, and liked, Biggio as a player so I looked it up
15 Seasons 2B 1989 (games played)
5 Seasons C 428
7 Seasons OF 363
5 Seasons CF 255
6 Seasons LF 109
20 Seasons TOT 2780
biggio came up in 88 as a catcher and played there through 3 seasons with a little OF. In 92 he became a full time 2B until 03 when he moved to the OF. In 2005,6,7 he was back at 2B
Biggio played 254 games (started) at CF (at least according to BaseballReference.com). Pretty fucking amazing, he was. And man, he was a royal pain in the ass to the Giants for a loooong time.
And 414 stolen bases!? Think Buster will fall a little short of that number.
Fucking Dodgers have been rewarded a claiming wavier on Andrian Gonazlez.They have 72 hrs to make a trade,the Sox’s could pull him back,or the 3rd options which the fucking Dodgers could do also is pick up his huge mega contract.
My take they will get for the money,and lets pray he doesnt turn into Crime Dog McGriff and totally goes off and we have 93 season written all over it.God I Fucking hate the Dodgers!!!!!
They’ve claimed Beckett also but I don’t see how a dead playwright improves their team… wait, I forgot Uribe.
HeHe, dead playwright, cool, funny, unexpected.
What’s there to eat? $127 mill for A-Gone? Yikes. Even the Dogs must be taken aback at that amount.
The dogers are a hoover sucking up anything that moves like a giant spinning personnel machine from Futurama.
August waivers are not as direct and things could change before either of those players joining the blue team.
21.857 mil through 2017. So, 109 mil plus the remainder of this year. Fuck the Dodgers.
Bourn is certainly in the realm of possibility as a LFer. Even if they keep Pagan. Brown and Peguero probably aren’t ready, so get Bourn. His numbers aren’t huge, so he shouldn’t be too too expensive.
Dawg, try baseball-reference.com
You can find everything there.
To combat a possible AG sigining,the Giants.will totally try.and fuck up his swing by.sigining 65 yr old Bill “Spaceman” Lee.
At 8 thousand votes and the options ranging from missing the playoffs to winning the World Series and all options in between, the MLBTR poll has the Giants all or nothing: almost a tie between sitting at home and winning it all.
http://tinyurl.com/9xwn8o
right, they do not look to be in the running for a WC at all. They went from 70% to win the west before the MMM implosion to 44% and now have regained many of those ship-jumpers. we got some good pitching and a good on field staff to go with above average position players. What is not to love?
Being GM would certainly be interesting. For one thing, you have to start the season knowing deep down that what you start with isn’t going to be exactly what you finish with. A team is generally a work in progress throughout the season, unless you’re the ’76 Reds or something.
And just when one situation solidifies, like the Giants’ middle infield this season, a hole can suddenly open up like leftfield. Here’s hoping the new guy platooning in left does something really cool with his chance. Blanco seems more like a defense-only guy these days. He plays great leftfield, but teams generally use leftfield as an “offense position.”
In regards to Ted’s thread yesterday about the baseball lexicon….I’ve heard Dave Fleming use the expression “ham and egging it” to describe a pitcher trying to get by without his best stuff that day. It describes it pretty well. The pitcher doesn’t have his full-course meal that day, maybe his arm is still tired from his last start, and he’s just trying to ham-and-egg it out there. That expression works.
i think that’s a golf term from playing in a “scramble” where players pick the best of the group shots and hit from there. so ham and egging it means that one guy hits a decent shot when everyone else’s sucks. then when they hit their next shot, someone else keeps it in play.
RE: Gonzalez – I doubt the Sox just dump him to get rid of the salary. According to this article, they want a deal that “only in a transformative trade.” The Dodgers farm isn’t particularly deep, and the main reason the Cliff Lee gig didn’t gel (remember, they claimed him earlier this year) is because the Bums refused to part with their top pitching prospect. If they get him, oh well…they can be the Yank-Mees West…doesn’t guarantee success.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/adrian-gonzalez-los-angeles-boston-red-sox-waiver-claim-082412
“like a giant spinning personnel machine from Futurama.”
Ed, I dig references to Futurama.
And there isn’t a funnier catch-phrase than Bender the Robot telling people to bite his shiny metal a##.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mRIpM5jZHw&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active
yeah, we love Futurama over here and me? I think Katey Sagal has made a great career for herself (and her sisters)
MLBTR poll:
71% say they will make the post season (not sure about the ones who voted they get there via the WC as they are currently 4th if they do not win the west)
28% of voters think they will win the WS against only 3% voting that they would lose if they make it that far.
Interesting poll.
RedSox and Dodgers nearing blockbuster that would send Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto to Los Angeles, Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com reports (on Twitter). Hurdles remain, but the sides continue working toward a deal.
FUCK THE DODGERS. FUCK THEM FUCK THEM FUCK THEM!!!
Red Sox fans can’t be too thrilled about that. Hard to believe the Red Sox would end their “Adrian Gonzalez” era already. He was a perfect fit for Fenway Park.
Sounds like a catastrophe to me. Bring it on . . .
Yeah, so much for the Dodgers trying to build team chemistry. That’s a revolving door they’ve got going there.
Well I guess we better win the West this year, and we will.
Well, we have to counter that to have chance. Chi, have your girl get a hold of Rowand’s agent- STAT! See if we can get any of the retired unidicted Cabrera’s thrown in and we should be good to go…
In more good news Jerry Hairston wen on the DL with hip surgery.
that alone should guarantee o0ur victory over LA.
LMAO Michael…my girl would tell me to go fuck myself…she could not stand Rowand…every time he came to bat she would say “oh, here comes the guy with the corncob stuck up his ass.”
What the hell is LA going to give Boston? One of Magic’s championships?
No shit…This deal makes no sense for Boston…plus Bums get a prospect?
Whitey will be here Sept. 1 to solidify the B/U catcher and let Posey roam.
If you are Sabean would you now go hard for Soriano? I know he refused a trade earlier. I know he’s, uh, bizarre…but he should like Aurilia Plaza.. I’m asking, not recommending…he’s signed through next year. Is that good or bad? Or what would you do, if anything, to combat the Dodger trade if it goes down? An unnamed team has claimed Juston Upton. Ellsbury is on waivers, is Willingham an option? Would it take MadBum to pry Caspar Wells away from Seattle 😉
I believe I heard Amy G. say that Blanco and Peguero will be in a strict platoon. Did I imagine it? Didn’t see a single comment here about it…
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I can’t believe a deal of that magnitude (LA-BOS) can be made in this day and age, yet MLB network just called it “imminent.”
LA will regret Crawford even more than Pierre…hopefully A-Gon is really 37 years old. Beckett don’t scare me either.
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I vote yes to Soriano. Koufax compared him to Henry Aaron some years ago.
Yeah, I don’t know the details (outside of the players Boston would send to the Fucking Bums), but I also heard that Boston would send cash to LA. Other than dumping salary, i see no benefit for Boston (unless LA has changed its tune since trying to get Cliff Lee, and is now open to dealing some of their top prospects)….
Soriano is signed through the next two years at 19 mil per…
Ouch.
Heyman, who’s always wrong, says Loney or Ethier might be involved…
Throw in Kemp, and it might be plausible.
$38 mill + for Soriano? Fuck that in the ass. . . no way, no how, no when, no where
Boston is doing what? Following the A’s model of jettisoning EVERYONE?
They wanted Beane all those years ago, now they are following his footsteps?
Loney? Really? Trade their whole team for a banjo hitting 1st baseman? They ARE channelling Billy Beane.
They’d better get like 6 prospects.
Zach Lee included . . .
Well, that second year means Soriano is out unless they can get Volstad thrown in. He’s due for a win any year now.
Loney scratched from Dodger lineup…
Dodgers are fucking nuts. I guess that sweep was too much for their bizillionaire owners to take.
I hope this is one of those trades that fucks both teams…Couldn’t happen to a better bunch.
Good for them. Just cuz yer throwing players and scads (scads, I tell you!) of money around doesn’t mean you are improving the situation.
Perhaps it would be fair to give Melky another crack at that website? I hear he thought that since it was legitimate Testesterone he believed his body would resist it..
Geez, talk about trouble. Now he’s pregnant..
This likely works out like the Kevin Brwon/JasonSchmidt/Juan Uribe/Andruw Jones signings did.
Chuck hopeful…..BLEEP?
So Boston is shipping LA an OF who’s done for the year, a SP who sucks and has a major attitude problem and a first baseman who’s rolling along with a decent (but not great) OPS (.812). They also pick up a few hundred million dollars in salary……..
I’m actually HAPPY about this deal. LA is going to regret all 3 of these players. Boston is getting a free pass to ditch a shitload of dead salary weight, it’s a brilliant move by them–all 3 of those guys were linked to “fried-Chicken-gate”. And they clearly didn’t do much changin’ this year.
Boston will go out and sign mega free agent deals of players who actually give a shit about playing as a team. Fucking BRILLIANT on their part….
Yes, A-Gon is better than Loney, Beckett is probably better than one of their starting pitchers, too.
But the Dodgers are totally fucking themselves from a team-chemistry perspective. First Hanley and now 3 of the Fried chicken and beer dumbasses?
I fucking LOVE this………
Dodgers suck.
Amen Flav. Now hopefully everyone can relax.
“You are THE MAN for the day”
I hate to break it to you but that’s pretty much the story every day. except when my wife says different.
Wait till the Giants bring in their 2 suprise guns to the pitching staff.Roger Clemens will start and Bill “Spaceman” Lee will close for him.Now that would be hilarious IMO.
Called The Spaceman this week. Said in a voicemail to him: “Instead of Carl Crawford getting Tommy John surgery, maybe he should be getting something called Willie Mays surgery.” Haven’t heard back. During ST, his cellphone greeting said, “You’ve reached the Albert J. Pujols Rehabilitation Clinic. Please press 1 if you can’t hit the inside fastball.” Now THAT is pure gold.
Oh, I don’t think anyone was freaking over this. The pasting they just got obviously freaked *them* out. I do think that Sabean will step up efforts for a LFer, thoough. And no, I’m not in on Soriano.
Soriano already said he won’t approve a trade to SF– doesn’t like hitting here. Thank God.
I knew that- but this could have caused Sabean to make a better effort. I think Sabean is smarter than that now.Willingham’s contract status is beautiful but he’d fetch a lot- maybe a lot of what we don’t have.
Angel Pagan CF, Marco Scutaro 2B, Pablo Sandoval 3B, Buster Posey C, Hunter Pence RF, Brandon Belt 1B, Gregor Blanco LF, Brandon Crawford SS, (Ryan Vogelsong P)
If that trade happens, 1) It will fuck the Dodgers for years to come. 2) LA won’t be blocking a Giants trade after that.
Hell we could probably get Cody Ross from the Sox for Todd Linden now. Bring back the Clown.
Chris Davis hit 3 bombs in his first 3 at bats tonight for the O’s–gonna get at least one more, maybe 2 at bats….
I love that guy, well against RHers.
This fuck-up of a trade by the idiots will help deflect the Melky debacle. The Giants could go out and over spend now for Willingham and they’ll look like martyrs. And when they win the division……. Thank you Magic.
I’d be a terrible GM. Just see my fantasy league record. I dunno. Sign Melky. How’s that for a counterintuitive move? As a former seminarian, I’m willing to see it as a redemptive act. As for the alleged Dodgers trade, which I first saw rumbling on Twitter, I first thought it was “pornographic,” as someone Tweeted, and suggested the Commish veto it, the way Bowie Kuhn vetoed Charlie Finley, “in the best interests of baseball” [does that power still exist under that clause?]. I called Magnus in a panic. On closer inspection, Magnus is right. It is obscenely stooopid and desperate. Go ahead, pull the trigger, Ned. The trade gun is aimed at the Dodgers’ temple (and not a place of worship). New subject: I’d REALLY like to see two teams hit .500 or better this year: the Pirates and the Mariners.
BASTARDO in for the Phils.
Bleep.
More info needed: Fat/skinny/or husky?
“Bulky.”
one of the bloggers on cbs site said of the trade, “Good riddance. 3 players zero backbones.”
it’s amazing that the Dodgers want to do this. It’s just a classic example of a baseball team making a decision based on NOTHING other than “If I spend the most money, this is a good idea.” It’s something someone who knows almost nothing about baseball might do if you told them to “go find 3 players”……
Yeah, the Red Sox might be instantly better. Did you hear only four players went to Pesky’s funeral? (Ortiz was one of them; defended his teammates.) FOUR players for Johnny Pesky! It should also be noted that ZERO Yankees attended the funeral of Bob Sheppard, their golden-voiced PA guy since around 1892. ZERO.
that’s pretty bad. Was Steinbrenner still alive when Sheppard died? If he was, I can’t believe he didn’t drive a busload of them to the funeral……
I’ll have to see if Steinbrenner was alive. The Red sox owners, and Bobby V, put out some blather about the busload of OTHER employees who went, nearly 100, and crap like that — and that they did not want to mandate attendance. This is apparently front-page stuff in Beantown.
Two hits, two bombs. Not a trend you want to see.
well, no one was on base. Bum had a start like this a week or two ago. Hughes (Yanks) did too. They gave up a couple of early bombs and then went on to win both games with WHIP’s under 1.00
Good point. Steve Carlton was like that. Might even give up six in the first, but look out. If you got him the runs, he’d end up getting a W. Speaking of Bumgarner, remember that game he had last year early in the season? something like one of the worst lines in history? Man, he learned from it; he truly did. He’s better today because of it. He’s that type of person.
that Bum game was as much on the catcher as him (I don’t remember who was catching, was Buster done yet?). He just keep throwing strike after strike and they were all totally hittable. You can’t throw the ball in the same spot over and over again and not expect the hitters to miss when they swing…….
ps–fantastic call on Carlton
pss— How about the Bill Lee news?????
If the playoffs started now, I think Vogey’s in the pen…
let’s see how tonight goes. Like I said above, giving up a couple of bombs early doesn’t mean much if you aren’t walking anyone or giving up any other hits. His start three starts ago was just a weird game and last start was also weird with 3 guys seeing like 60 pitches or whatever.
If he implodes tonight I agree with you, but I’m not bailing after 2 single bombs in the first 2 innings……
that….was not pretty.
Damm Mutten Chops had to put the ball in play,baseloaded no outs,cant be half ass swinging and strikein out with Vogy on deck.Terrible AB.