It's not exactly a surprise, but my theory about teams being stingy with roster spots in December was debunked. It was never really bunked. The Giants lost left-hander Eric Surkamp on Monday, with the Chicago White Sox claiming him off waivers.
The Giants tried to sneak Surkamp through on waivers to make room for Michael Morse. I'm still not sure why Brett Pill remains on the roster, even though he was sold to a Korean team. But I'm assuming the timing of the Morse deal and the finalization of the Pill deal didn't match up, so Surkamp was jettisoned.
There isn't much more to say about the deal. It's disappointing. Before the offseason, if you had proposed a theoretical Surkamp-for-Morse swap, I wouldn't have been a fan. The pitching depth seemed to mean more than the power upgrade/defense downgrade in left. But that's a view from the outside. All I want is an off-the-record acknowledgment that I'm never going to get.
"He's damaged goods."
"His velocity is already shot, and his delivery is unsustainable."
"Dude sings In the End by Linkin Park every day in the clubhouse. Every. Damned. Day."
Anything resembling an explanation would help. Please. As is, the Giants probably let the next Carlos Villanueva go, which is about as exciting as it sounds. Possibly useful, probably not useful, maybe useful, will be annoying if useful. Good luck, Mr. Surkamp. Here's hoping there aren't too many Gillaspie/Keppinger infields in your future.