fair point I guess I should of focused a little more on the whole should we try and dump some contracts in order to open money for younger players. I think I was more trying to get a decent fan post under my belt (sorry if I totally missed). I think we are out in the first round because the playoffs need players that can take over a series and while we may the pitching we definately wouldn’t the hitting even with a free agent or two.

There are blocked/undervalued guys all over the place. Gotta find those Carlos Quentins or Volquezs. That link does give me hope for next year though. I am super psyched for this offseason, the playoffs can’t end fast enough!

I don’t think there’s any question that the Giants could be contenders if they chose to spend like a drunken sailor in the free agent market. Which is what I would do, but I doubt Neukom agrees.

More realistically, they need to strike a balance between putting a good team on the field in 2009 and building for the future. If you’re terrible year after year—and we’re going on five years now—you lose fans, you lose respect among players and agents, you create a culture of losing. And for the long term, the players already in the organization aren’t going to be enough; they need to be supplemented by outsiders.

I entered the 2008 season thinking that by 2012 they had a chance to become a perennial contender. Things went so well in 2008 (primarily with players who began the season in Class A and then with the draft) that I now think that could develop as soon as 2011.

Positive signs (wins) at the major league level should be happening by 2010. But assuming the NL West improves this coming season, it is possible the Giants could be a better team in 2009 than in 2008, yet win fewer games.

The opposite of that likely happened from 2007 to 2008. The Giants won one more game in 2008 than in 2007, but except against the depressed Western division, they weren’t nearly as good as in 2007.

And if Tim Lincecum hadn’t replaced Barry Bonds as the resident superstar (albeit only every fifth day), the Giants might have rivaled the hapless Nationals. In fact, had the Nats remained healthy, the Giants might have been right there with them anyway, albeit at the Giants’ actual level, not the Nats’.

And that was with the Giants getting pretty much everything they could have expected — and more — from their young major leaguers.

IMO Pablo Sandoval and Fred Lewis aren’t likely to be as good in 2009 as they were in 2008, and Emmanuel Burriss probably won’t be, either. Assuming they retain Nate Schierholtz, he should help make up for any decline Lewis suffers, and Aaron Rowand should improve enough to offset the likely decline from Randy Winn.

And Sandoval’s presence should help offset any decline from Bengie Molina.

Neither John Bowker nor Travis Ishikawa has shown he can hit left-handed pitching, but either could platoon with Rich Aurilia or even Scott McClain. Likewise Kevin Frandsen and Eugenio Velez might form a semi-platoon at second base.

Meanwhile the Giants seem to have set shoring up their bullpen as their top priority this winter. They should have addressed the problem two winters ago when they instead spent their money on Dave Roberts and Barry Zito (and on a more positive note, Bengie Molina). But better late than never.

And while there likely will be position player disappointments in 2009, the Giants do have players such as Buster Posey and Conor Gillaspie who should make clear strides toward the majors, seemingly at least being September call ups.

Pablo Sandoval and Emmanuel Burriss were the hitting surprises in 2008. Hopefully another player or two will surface in 2009, although having such a pleasant surprise occur two straight seasons would seem to be really fortunate.

Right now the Giants could use a bit of fortune. Longer term, they appear to be taking matters positively into their own hands.