Just for fun. Maybe one of those lefty outfielders. I’m getting bored with this lineup.

Like to see how Jack Bowker does in this lineup prior to trading for another OF. If Sabean can pull off another IF bat without mortgaging the farm, go for it!

LOL. I made a fanpost just now that echoed most of your sentiments. After I published it, I saw yours and clicked it, and said “Oh, fuck me, he got to my idea first”.

Man…what a bummer that is.

For me it’s not a question of who to trade or where to trade them, instead it’s a matter of the timing of the trade. If we get to maybe a week before the trading deadline and seem to be an absolute sure-fire lead pipe cinch to make the playoffs (and consequently able to align the starting rotation for the first playoff series), then yeah, look for the missing piece and prepare to pay the price for it.

The Giants chances of advancing in the playoffs depend solely on getting the ball to Timmeh and Matteh in the first round on proper rest and every round thereafter. If there’s an actual stretch run where we might need to use either or both to clinch in the last 2 or 3 days of the season, then our chances would be much poorer and we should just accept bowing out in the Division Series, but with team and prospects intact.

Randy Winn, so they can call up John Bowker and still have Freddie and Torres as backup.

He’ll blow your mind, brother!

None of the fantastic 4 of prospects will be traded for a rental player. If any of those will be traded it will be for someone who is under contract for a few years

- Need to give Bowker a shot. Guys with .450+ OBP arent flukes. The guy has figured it out.

As someone suggested the other day, how about trading for Victor Martinez? This, of course, assumes that the Indians could be persuaded to do so.

What would we assume Cleveland would want? I’d guess pitching primarily – they have Garko to play 1st and Shoppach to play C. I’d attempt to interest them in Howry, Medders, Sosa, Valdez, Pucetas – and pretty much most any pitcher below AAA (not Tim2 or MadBum). If adding Randy Winn or Bengie Molina made them happier, so much the better.

My best offer? Sosa, Pucetas, Valdez, & Craig Clark for Martinez. I’d add Winn or Molina if necessary for their purposes, with appropriate $ as needed.

If this team really can somehow win the wild card as is, why do anything at all?

Like most I think it’s fairly harmless to move a bullpen guy (Howry now, maybe Merkin if he holds up) and/or an OF for spare parts that are better than current mediocrities (like 2B).

Trading kids that might turn into good players is, this year at least, a little scary. Even if, for example, Kieschnick or Neal is just an average major leaguer someday, that average big leaguer might fill a hole in a lineup that features Posey, Pablo, and the best rotation baseball’s seen in a long, long time. I’d rather wait for that than scramble around to unload some guy the Giants traded away prospects to get this year.

John Bowker is a gamer

Except…except….

The notion of going into a playoff series with a starting rotation of Lincecum, Cain and The Big Unit is pretty amazing. You don’t think the other team would be crapping its collective pants over having to face those pitchers in the October twilight shadows? And who knows if this is Johnson’s last hurrah? In 2010 or 2011 your playoff rotation is Lincecum/Cain/very young third starter who isn’t ready for big game pressure. There are a lot of other variables, of course, but you might never have a chance like this.

Mitigating factor: Rich Aurilia pinch-hitting in the 9th inning of a Game 7, down 2-0.

Folks, opportunities for the postseason don’t come around often and future trips to the dance cannot be taken for granted. No, don’t trade the big 4-6 (depending on whom you would include; I will stipulate to your list of protected guys), yada yada yada. But to say that “we weren’t expecting to contend this year, so therefore let’s not do anything but continue building internally, and then some future year we will go the postseason the ‘right way’ or whatever” ignores that (a) circumstances change, and they have changed this year, and people must adjust to changed circumstances; and (b) the future looks great for us but is not guaranteed.

Make smart trades or call up whomever, but DO IT SOON so there is time to bank a couple of extra wins. Waiting until the very end of July, and I might agree that it’s no longer worth it just because there won’t be enough time to realize the extra wins.

I still want to trade for a decent but not great second baseman (or even… DAN UGGLA!) but I really don’t mind standing pat if the alternative is trading one of the Big Four.

I voted trade no one, but if there had been an option “an outfielder” or “a veteran outfielder” that would have gotten a vote. Mostly so Bowker and Nate and Lewis get all the starts in right and left, maybe some in center too.
who in center? Why not the best arm, that’s probly Scheirholz. Center gets lots of chances on sac flies, singles up the middle, hits to the gap, should have a good arm there plus adequate speed.

I am torn. The baseball pragamatist in me knows that a trade is coming and, offensively, needed. We still need that bat and there are at least 3 positions we could use one in: corner OF, 2nd or 1st base. The question is, as always: will it be a good or bad trade? Will the trade kill our future for a Hillendbrandt like scrub trade, or a shrewd movement of middle of the pack prospects for a productive-but-not-star bat. Combine our good fortune health wise, our relative lack of productive depth, and a team comprised of young players who have to survive a stretch run, a trade is neccessary to get to the post season.

then on the other hand…
There is the baseball romantic in me. This is often a stronger force. When it comes to baseball, I have no problem admitting, I tend to lead with my heart. The thought that we could make the post team with THIS team is thrilling. Shit, despite how poor we were last year, I actually enjoyed watching the Giants more than I had the last few years of the Bonds era. With them exceeding expectations this year, I am extremely happy to watch this team try, and fail if neccessary, to make a post-season run. If we cant make it we enter 2010 with a solid young core and the opportunity to sign a FA or two to fill vacancies created by the end of current contracts.

At the end of the day, I think I am enjoying a this uncertainty more than I would if it were a lock.

I’m not saying. I’m just saying.

I think this stuff works at the subconscious level; I don’t mean to suggest that he would deliberately make a short-sighted move in order to bolster his chances of getting rehired. But it could be that if he pulls off a move that puts us in the postseason, he might be helping the company and helping himself.

Sure, none of these guys are hitters who will make the opposing pitcher crap himself

Thinking about facing Pablo just made me crap myself. Then again I’m just an IT guy who uses a crappy Giants pitchers name as my signon to this site so nevermind.

I am not advocating for a trade right now, but if you want to get something, you have to give something up. If the Giants are really going to go for it this year, then I think they need to get two All-Star quality players (one of which is a 2nd baseman), or one superstar (who would likely be 2nd baseman). Unfortunately, there is one superstar 2nd baseman in baseball – Chase Utley, with Kinsler, Pedroia, and Zobrist (maybe) being somewhat close to Utley’s caliber.

Matt Cain is a great pitcher. We all know that. We know he has been a victim of atrocious run-support. This year, he is putting up basically the same “real” numbers that he has in the past. His K and BB-rates are similar and his velocity is down a bit. What has changed this season up to this point is he is stranding more runners and his BABIP-against is very low – both of which are outside his norm. This is contributing to an artificially deflated ERA. Combined with normal run support, his wins are up, and he has a very good W-L ratio. So the two stats that people IN baseball (read: those not in their mother’s basement) pay attention to are stellar: wins and ERA.

So the question is: will Matt Cain get any better? He is only 24, but has been in the league since 2005, with 2006 being his first full season. Since 2006, he has basically been the same pitcher; yes a great one, but this year his “standard” stats are definitely better than his actual pitching has been. So, after 3+ years, is he suddenly going to take off and achieve a higher level, or has he sort of maxed out? I don’t know how to project this, but if he has plateaued, now would seem the time to unload him. Since the Giants appear to have some great arms coming up, they could take a risk that said arms will fill in the gap left by Cain over the next few years.

Of course trading Cain would diminish the Giants chances this year, as bringing up the young pitchers now is probably not a good idea. So any trade of him this year would be for 2010 or 2011.

Of course if the Giants were just able to get average production out of C, 1B, 2B, SS, and one of the two corner OF, they could win the World Series. Getting average production may not require trading Cain, but might require trading one of the young arms.

Just some thoughts…

He showed today that he can’t even do the little things to win games, such as get the bat on the ball during that failed hit-and-run with Ishikawa. What a choker.

So I’m really glad these 100+ comments were about … baseball. And trades. And the Giants.

Because I don’t watch the Simpsons!