Giants Sign Burres, Burriss

"He started in Snakes Alley in Taiwan. Drinking snake’s blood is supposedly a good way to energize the body and get in shape."

"The feeling around the league" is that the Giants will eventually have to part ways with one of the two aces.

How can we not think we're better after what we went through last year? Not only from a health standpoint, but also from a runs-scored standpoint. The law of averages would tell you we're going to be better in both areas. But you still have to play the game.

Henry Schulman:

Payroll in 2012 will be $130 million, up marginally from the $124 million final total for 2011 but substantially more than the $97 million paid to the 2010 title team.

...the Giants hope a healthy Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez, plus new outfielder Melky Cabrera, can extend a lineup that hit sufficiently to win a World Series. Now, they are seeking depth that they lacked last season.

The Giants pursued Willie Bloomquist, because he can play short and outfield, before he re-signed with Arizona for two years at $3.8 million. Reports tie the Giants to oft-injured center fielder Grady Sizemore, who could have a big upside if healthy.

"We'll consider anybody," Baer said, "but we're very mindful of focusing on folks that we're going to want to keep, people like Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval and Brian Wilson. These are all people who are going to be discussed."

The Giants have not signed any player for more than two years since 2008, but Baer said that was "not an ordained structure or rule," and he expects the team to offer longer deals to Lincecum and Cain.

Both are priorities this winter, Lincecum because he could fetch gargantuan numbers in arbitration, Cain because he can walk as a free agent after next season.

Baer said season-tickets prices will rise an average of 5-6 percent, though he acknowledged that a handful of customers will see double-digit increases because the team determined that those tickets were undervalued. He said single-game ticket prices will be "pretty much in line with last year," though they will fluctuate with dynamic pricing.

#Royals acquire LHP Jonathan Sanchez and Ryan Verdugo from Giants for OF Melky Cabrera.

[Lazarus] walked over and playfully called out, "Hey, you got ID?"

Without missing a beat, Aceves grabbed his crotch and shot back, "I got your ID right here."

Everyone roared with laughter ... except for the team suits.

SF assigns pitchers Austin Fleet, Stephen Harrold, Daryl Maday and Seth Rosin to AFL with defending champion Scottsdale Scorpions.

Tommy Joseph, Ehire Adrianza make BA's Hot Sheet

Plus some Joe Panik love in the chat.

No. 4 TOMMY JOSEPH, C
GIANTS
Team: high Class A San Jose (California)
Age: 20

Why He's Here: .483/.500/1.207 (14-for-29), 6 HR, 3 2B, 12 RBIs, 10 R, 1 BB, 5 SO

The Scoop: Joseph occasionally played first base early in the season, but he's played catcher exclusively since June 25, while also getting in the lineup as DH here and there. The 2009 second-round pick has been up to the task, batting .319/.354/.670 with 16 homers and 16 doubles in 46 games since the last time he took the field anywhere but catcher. Joseph's recent performance, which encompasses road trips through Lancaster and Lake Elsinore, is even more impressive if you backdate his performance one day to include his 2-for-4 game with a homer and four RBIs on Aug. 11. That means that Joseph has batted 16-for-33 (.485) with seven homers (including two-homer games in Lancaster on Aug. 12-13), three doubles and 16 RBIs in his past seven games. He raised his batting average 17 points in little more than a week.

No. 9 EHIRE ADRIANZA, SS
GIANTS
Team: high Class A San Jose (California)
Age: 21

Why He's Here: .357.419/.714 (10-for-28), 2 HR, 4 2B, 7 RBIs, 7 R, 2 BB, 5 SO

The Scoop: Adrianza hit .256 with a bit of plate discipline (.333 on-base) and little power (.348 slugging) for San Jose a year ago. The slick-fielding shortstop didn't get a chance to build on his Cal League performance until the tail end of June this season, however, because he missed the first month with a hand injury and then rounded into form with a pedestrian .692 OPS for low Class A Augusta. Adrianza has enjoyed a fine second half for San Jose, whether by dint of real improvement or a fluky small sample. He's batting .294/.376/.460 with 21 extra-base hits in 41 games since his promotion to the Cal League, swatting both of his home runs in Lancaster last week.

Chat quote on Panik:

mick (cali): Did Panik receive any consideration? He has actually had a number of good weeks and is at or near the top in many offensive categories in the NWL. Not bad for a pick that was widely panned, don't you think?

Ben Badler: Love Joe Panik, loved the pick at the time, like it even more now. Great swing, great plate discipline and you've got yourself a middle infielder who's going to get on base a ton and hit with a little bit of power as well. I'm a fan.

Romo to DL with elbow inflammation, Runzler called up
per Baggs Twitter