What Rebuilding Looks Like
by EliminateMe on Aug 1, 2008 11:58 AM PDT
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PrintI'm reluctant to hold up the Washington Gnats as any kind of an example of a well-run franchise, but as far as rebuilding goes, they at least have some sort of clue:
Late Thursday, the Nationals gave infielder Felipe Lopez and catchers Paul Lo Duca and Johnny Estrada their unconditional releases.
They're bringing up 23-year-old 2B Emilio Bonifacio, who they got from the D-Backs for veteran Jon Rauch last week. Lo Duca was a $5M disappointment and that goes on Bowden's head also.
"We are going to turn the page. We are going to get younger the last two months of the season and we are going to continue to develop young players," general manager Jim Bowden said.
Sounds just like a Sabean statement, doesn't it? Except for the fact that they actually did something instead of just saying it.
Maybe the Giants shouldn't DFA Vizquel, out of respect for a future Hall of Famer. Maybe Aurilia can still be traded for scraps in a post-deadline trade. But there's no conceivable reason not to DFA Roberts at the very least, as he is untradeable and serves no purpose on the roster.
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Agreed with most of the above. But
“But there’s no conceivable reason not to DFA Roberts at the very least, as he is untradeable and serves no purpose on the roster”
I think the biggest reason is that if they DFA Roberts, they still have to pay him a big chunk of change. Can’t see the owners agreeing to that.
As noted on another thread, I have a mental block that prevents me from remembering that there is still another year (at $6.5M) to run on Dave Roberts’ contract. I have the same problem with quantum mechanics: everyone assures me it’s true, but it’s so counterintuitive I just can’t get it into my brain.
But even so…part of rebuilding is cutting deadwood. The Giants’ payroll is already down from last year, and paying Roberts to sit on the bench for another team isn’t going to hurt them. At least, it isn’t going to hurt them as much as continuing to play him will.
The All-Father is now a Giant!
If you can just accept the idea of there being 13 dimensions, having Dave Roberts on the bench doesn’t seem so bizarre.
Your 2011 SF Giants: the 2008 Augusta Greenjackets!
Accepting 13 dimensions and drinking lots of the great new gins that are out there.
I'm adopting a true Giant and an awe-inspring gamer: tk. "Atta babe."
by Mayor of 311 on Aug 2, 2008 11:33 PM PDT up reply actions
Yuck… gin…
Maybe when I’m older. I hear scotch is better when you’re older, too.
My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.
by howtheyscored on Aug 3, 2008 12:35 AM PDT up reply actions
Like all (non-baseball) rumors, that is true.
There are different kinds of gins and scotches, and while they have similarities within their type, there are also significant differences in each. For scotch, for example, I had to learn that I liked the Speyside ones (distilled more inland, so the saltiness of ocean air doesn’t seep into the barrels as they age; Speyside ones are thus lighter and “sweeter” than ones made closer to the ocean). For gins, I had to learn which kinds of botanicals I enjoyed and which gins just tasted like juniper juice.
It should also be said that there are good gins and bad ones; good scotches and bad ones.
It should also be said that you’re old enough to be enjoying good gins! You’re probably a few years away from enjoying good scotch yet, and then 5 years beyond that to enjoy the good bourbons. Stick with me, kid, and we’ll tastefully damage your liver.
I'm adopting a true Giant and an awe-inspring gamer: tk. "Atta babe."
As long as there’s vodka, I don’t see myself being a gin drinker.
I do like scotch! I prefer blends to single malts, which I know means I’m not a purist.
Adoptive father of howtheyscored. The beatings will begin momentarily.
Vodka is just unfinished gin.
I'm adopting a true Giant and an awe-inspring gamer: tk. "Atta babe."
by Mayor of 311 on Aug 4, 2008 11:09 AM PDT up reply actions
Bourbons > Scotch
To each his own, but scotches are too smokey for my tastes. Give me a quality Bourbon (like Elijah Craig) any day.
Scotch advice: try Glen Moray
Glen Moray is a nice Speyside one (inland from the ocean), so it’s lighter, sweeter, and not smoky. It’s still very Scotchy, I won’t kid you. But it’s nice when sipped (put in an ice cube if you would like). And it’s not that hobo paperbag liver-killer that Goofus drinks/makes.
Elijah Craig is a nice bourbon. I LOVE Basil Hayden, and Eagle Rare, too. Really, though subtly different, once you get into that elite class of bourbons, they’re all similar enough and delicious.
I'm adopting a true Giant and an awe-inspring gamer: tk. "Atta babe."
by Mayor of 311 on Aug 4, 2008 10:45 PM PDT up reply actions
Hey Mayor, I just bought a bottle of Eagle Rare a few months ago, very nice.
Someone should start a whiskey (or whisky) thread!
Holy shit
I can’t beleive they straight-up released Loduca. That’s amazing!
Billy Hayes: His job is better than yours.
He later wrote them an angry note on team parchment.
My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.
by howtheyscored on Aug 1, 2008 1:03 PM PDT up reply actions
I’m more concerned about how the Giants are going to spend all the extra room in the payroll, especially if they move Winn/Roberts/Aurilia. What FA’s are they thinking of? I see Crede and maybe Burrell (he is a FA this season yeah?) and these additions kinda scare me.
why not lock up Caim and Tim? That should take a good bit of money.
Ivan Ochoa - Heir to the legacy of Rob Andrews & Rikkert Faneyte!
Matt
Matt is locked up for a while - although I agree with you it wouldn’t be bad to extend things. Tim may be a little tougher to lock up. I think he would be easy - but his agent, not so much.
Nothing worth while is ever easy. And Tim is very worth while. Besides thats why Sabean gets paid the big bucks – To do the non easy stuff.
Ivan Ochoa - Heir to the legacy of Rob Andrews & Rikkert Faneyte!
“Nothing worth while is ever easy.”
What about masterbation?
"I been waitin' a long time for this! I been waitin' since the f**kin' amateurs!" --WILL "THE THRILL" CLARK
by Josh from Hollywood on Aug 2, 2008 12:04 PM PDT up reply actions
That’s easy for you?
So what am I doing wrong? It it the lotion or the fork?
My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.
by howtheyscored on Aug 2, 2008 8:01 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, but Bonifacio would be our fifth-best option at second, behind Velez, Denker, Frandsen, and Castillo. And, no, that last one isn’t a typo.
Still, it’s kind of embarrassing that the Giants wont eat contracts to get youngsters some playing time, though I guess Durham was one of those trades.
I'm not convinced on Velez or Castillo...
...and Frandsen is only an option if he actually comes back successfully from his injury.
Denker I’ll give you, I’d like to see more of him. But even there, I think it’s a toss-up whether he has a better future than Bonifacio (who was a top-10 prospect for AZ – as Velez and Frandsen both were for the Giants, admittedly).
The All-Father is now a Giant!
I’d like to see more of him
I get that you think he’s cute, but can we keep the discussion about baseball?
Adoptive father of howtheyscored. The beatings will begin momentarily.
I am sold on BOTH Velez and Castillo
I am sold on BOTH Eugenio Velez and Jose Castillo to provide almost replacement level play. Almost.
Remember when everybody slammed the Reds for trading Lopez and Kearns for a couple relievers? Yeah, doesn’t seems so stupid anymore.
Well it’s not like they got anything good for them.
I mean, maybe it’s not the retardfest (are you out there, missionmom?) that we thought at the time, but it’s still not a great deal or anything.
Trent Kline: Decentish. Also, my website is called ChatterBalks Dot Com and on it I make jokes about things.
Perhaps
Daryl Thompson looks like a pretty decent pitching prospect. This year, aged 22, in 61 IP at AA, 56Ks 14 walks. Then, in 39.2IP at AAA, 28Ks, 9 walks.
Oh yeah, he’s a local Washington kid who could have helped the Nationals to build on their very weak fanbase.
ZIPS: Milledge: 466 HR, 485 2B, 2282 hits, 278-379-524
of course
this model organ-i-zation (dam you hockey!) is the same one who dropped multiple money bags on Dimiti Young. That cannot ever be a good example.
Getting young for the sake of being young is flawed
I’m not saying that’s the case here, but more in general.
Why start service time earlier than you have to? Maximize your players the best you can.
www.wazzel.com (prove your sports knowledge if you can)
Better than getting old for the sake of being old
Seriously, nobody actually goes younger for the sake of being younger. You do it either to save money, like the Marlins have done in the past, or because you’re trying to improve the team over the long run, which is what the Giants should be doing.
The All-Father is now a Giant!
not necessarily
What does calling up Manny Burris 1-2 years early do for the Giants future???
Stunt his growth? Put him 1-2 years closer to free agency?
www.wazzel.com (prove your sports knowledge if you can)
Burriss should either be starting regularly or be in the minors. Calling up young guys to sit on the bench is not anyone’s idea of how to go young – it’s just poor roster management.
That said, Burriss has done well at the plate when he has gotten chances, so it doesn’t seem to be stunting his development.
The All-Father is now a Giant!
Chopping Block
More players getting cut today.
From Rotoworld
The Twins will release both Craig Monroe and Livan Hernandez to make room for Randy Ruiz and Francisco Liriano on the roster.That was just shy of $9 million that Twins GM Bill Smith wasted to bring in veterans who weren’t upgrades on what the team already had. At least the team is cutting its losses now instead of waiting until after the season. Hernandez, though, should have been let go a montg ago.
ps
I fully expect Sabean to pick up both Livan and LoDuca
Billy Hayes: His job is better than yours.
I wonder if he would have moved Benjie if he’d known Lo Duca would be available.
Adoptive father of howtheyscored. The beatings will begin momentarily.
I’m sure he knew LoDuca was eminently available
by FluLikeSymptoms on Aug 1, 2008 1:35 PM PDT up reply actions
Hmm, makes me wonder...
...if there was suspicion around the league that some of these guys were going to get DFA’d it might explain a depressed market for Aurilia etc. If you’re a contender in need of a right-handed PH with a little pop, and you could either pay for Aurilia or get Monroe for free, that’d make it a little harder to do a trade.
The All-Father is now a Giant!
well, Aurilia is also a lot better than Monroe.
Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.
Yeah, but how much better?
If you were looking at both of them as 3-month rentals to fill out your bench for a playoff run, is the extra production you’d get out of Richie worth giving up a prospect? Either one of them could easily get hot for 100 ABs or so.
The All-Father is now a Giant!
I was looking at Livo’s stats today and he’s got a .341 BAA.
THREE FORTY ONE.
Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.
he really belongs on the Brewers
can you imagine the pain that Prince, CC, and Livo would inflict on a postgame spread?? Good god
Billy Hayes: His job is better than yours.
"Purple Rain" -- best album ever
I'm adopting a true Giant and an awe-inspring gamer: tk. "Atta babe."
Livo
Can he play third?
Ralph Barbieri, heal thyself.
by ThrillisGone22 on Aug 2, 2008 8:26 AM PDT up reply actions
Yes.
Yes, Livan Hernandez CAN play third. But if I learned anything from Groug at last night’s Meeting of the McCoven Mavens it was that the position is already taken by Nate Schierholtz.
oh, the lulz
Trent Kline: Decentish. Also, my website is called ChatterBalks Dot Com and on it I make jokes about things.
Brian Sabean
Amazingly, Brian Sabean just made a statement that nearly mirrored Bowden’s. Here it is:
“We are going to turn the page. We are going to continue to get older the last two months of the season, and we’re going to continue to develop older players,” general manager Brian Sabean said.
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