Tidbits on the Giants offseason - Mercury News

If given the choice of following a team with good pitching and no hitting, or good hitting and no pitching, I always opt to watch basketball.

Marte, same as Loney, AND he was quite disappointing in '07 (with a AAA OPS of about 766).  I would be stgunned if Sabean was interested in Encarnacion, who is, I believe, in the bottom 25 or 20% defensively.  LaRoche is likely not available.  If the Dodgers get Cabrera, LaRoche goes to Fla as part of the deal; if not, he stays as part of the future (if not a starter).  Atkins/Stewart:  not available without serious overpay.  Bill Hall?  Interesting.  He's never played 3b full time in the majors and not since '05.  And, I am not convinced he is much of an upgrade over Feliz.  Hall '07: 254/315/425 (and 3 straight ye3ars of decline).  Feliz '07: 253/290/418.  You would give up Lowry + for that infinitesimal improvement?  The only guys I like and that I think Sabean would be interested in are Beltre and Crede.  Beltre is reportedly unavailable (and with good reason.  He is a legit MLB 3b, good defense, decent, if not spectacular offense.  I'd love to have him).  Crede seems the most likely, especially if we can trade Roberts (the White Sox are looking for a CF) for him.  Then his injury history and impending FA are not really problems as we have the exact same issues with Roberts.  But I would not trade Lowry + for those issues.  I haven't taken a look at Betimit.

  What is discouraging is that there is almost nothing in AAA.  Longoria, who will command near Cabrera like compensation, is about it.  Marte had a poor AAA year.  The Blue Jays have a guy (Hudgins, if I recall right)who had a decent '07 OPS.  The Reds have a guy with a decent OPS.  And, other than AAAA guys, that is about it.  McClain, an AAAA guy, was moved to the OF last year, so it doesn't look like the Giants see him as even an emergency 3b.