POLL: What are the Giants' Team Needs?

Doesn’t matter if it’s corner OF or at first base. My main target would be Prince Fielder (no, not for Cain). He’s on a losing team and only has a year and half left on his contract. An added benefit is pushing Molina out of the lineup

Torres CF
Sanchez 2B
Huff RF
Fielder 1B
Uribe SS
Sandoval 3B
Posey C
Burrell LF

That’s purrrrrdy. But we could target any available bat on a losing team, shifting Huff to first and leaving someone in the OF.

Obviously, bullpen help is nice, but that’s not the sort of thing that will put us over the top in a tough division.

But Rowand would actually be a semi-useful piece to have off the bench. There’s no market for him anyway, so he can just take the spot he had earmarked for Burrell as the 4th OF. It looks like this move has already been made, in effect, so the point is moot. Bengie is a much different story. When I look at the current makeup of the team and then think about how they can realistically improve, getting rid of Bengie stands out as far and away the best option. Here is what you get:

1) You improve the offensive production at C
2) You improve the defense at C
3) Assuming you move Huff back to 1B, you then improve both offense at 1B and defense in the OF (Huff has been OK, but I am legititmately worried about having Burrell and Huff as regular starters
4) By moving Huff from LF (or RF as it may be), you improve the odds of finding a decent replacement by trade. Not only are there more corner OF to choose from, where would you put a new player in the current lineup? I.e., whom do they replace? Posey?

The caveat here is that removing Bengie and moving Buster to C and Huff to 1B should not be an excuse to play Rowand more. I am OK with leaving the OF as is and moving Panda to 1B, Uribe to 3B, and having Edgar get the bulk of starts at SS as long as that works, but I am worried about Edgar’s durability and I really worry abou the OF defense.

I’d like to see the Giants go after Guthrie, Carmona or maybe Westbrook.

I voted for a setup guy. Getting the 8th inning fixed is the easiest (and cheapest) way to improve this team, although I realize that that’s patching up one leak and ignoring a few bigger ones.

I’d like to see Bumgarner get a shot at the rotation before we shop for another SP.

Giants avoid a sweep, ponder future moves

Sabean said his staff is further along identifying the teams that are likely to be sellers at the deadline.

“We still have to get all our team reports in by the All-Star break,” Sabean said. "Once that happens, you can really fine-tune who you’re going to scout.

“We’re developing a list of guys in our minor leagues that we’ll trade and guys we won’t. We’ll have two lists. That is still in its formative stages.”

One notable name on the “hands-off” list is top pitching prospect Madison Bumgarner, who remains the rotation’s first line of defense at Triple-A Fresno.

“How can we?” Sabean said. “We might need him to pitch next week.”

Or if he fails, then they could use another starter.

I hope we try to trade some of our bad players for some good players.

set-up man: The Giants could use another solid reliever, true. However, the problem with relievers in general is that they are either undependable or incredibly overpriced. I doubt they are going to pick up anyone who is really a good bet to be better than Romo/Affeldt/Runzler GOING FORWARD. The possible exception might be to pick up the expiring contract on a mediocre closer for a bad team. Some guy they could get for essentially free. But general, pass

first base/corner OF: What they really need to do is keep Molina and Rowand out of the everyday lineup. It seems unlikely that they are going to find a guy better than Huff / Burrell, or even Schierholtz.

starting pitcher: I guess we could pull another “Brad Penny” but I don’t think 5th starter is really that important a roster spot. I think the Giants 5th starters only seem bad because their 1-4 are so good and their offense is so bad.

I have to assume that we are not going to get a player in the Hanley Ramierez class – and if we did we are not going to want to pay the price. About the only interesting (but totally insane) move I could see would be swapping Posey or Sandoval for like a Jason Heyward- sacrificing some positional flexibility for out right hitting. I don’t think you could get a H. Ramierez… and I think a move for a seriously stud veteran would be disastrous for mid- long- term payroll

But in reality I expect them to do very little, maybe bolster the pen.

Bitches, hos, sold-out shows. Wait, what is this post about again?

Just because I think-between the 2 options-RP is easy to fix with SSStreaks. That said, I think a starter and a SU man would be good. Maybe another OF as well

Hunter Pence, Nelson Cruz, or Uggla
Not that any of those will happen

Because it’s getting talked about, would anyone want to trade for dejesus?

If you take the options on the poll and group them here is in general what the McCoven think the Giants should do:
48% think the Giants should be Buyers
40% think the Giants should be “sellers,” or more accurately are thinking addition by subtraction
3% think the Giants should stand pat and fill needs internally

Is broken. I don’t see GM as one of the options.