McCovey Chronicles

Orlando Hudson and the San Francisco Giants: Meet the old GM, same as the old GM

2008-11-21T18:46:08Z

One of the more baffling rumors, courtesy of sfgiants.com:

The Giants' pursuit of free-agent second baseman Orlando Hudson, previously considered casual, is apparently serious.

The organization has invited him to meet its parents and everything. Hudson plays a position at which the Giants could use an upgrade, though there are semi-reasonable options in place if the Giants choose to ignore second base. Still, Kevin Frandsen and Eugenio Velez should never, ever, never, ever stand in the way of a team looking to sign a free agent. As fallback options, they’re not bad, but fallback options are all they should be.

Hudson plays silly defense. At least, he used to. And his on-base percentages for the past three years have been good: .367, .376, and .354 going back to 2006. He has a little pop, and he runs well. What’s not to like?

He’s 31, and he wants five years and $50M. Good gravy. How about no.

He had season-ending surgery last year to put a wrist bone back in place. In May, he had hamstring issues. Last year, he tore a ligament in his thumb a couple of months after jamming his ankle. Oh, and he’s 31. The wrist bone thing is serious – because the wrist bone connects to the arm bone that connects to the shoulder bone that connects to the heart bone that connects directly to the gamer bone – but it wouldn’t be as much of a red flag if he didn’t have a sordid injury history.

If the Giants signed Hudson, their second-round draft choice would go to a division rival. There's about a 10% chance that would come back to haunt the Giants, but it would sting if the Hudson signing bequeathed the next Dustin Pedroia to the Diamondbacks.

And Hudson just might be a Bank One creation. Now, home/road splits aren’t the final word on a player’s offensive ability. Almost every player hits better at home than on the road. Almost everyone laughed at the Nationals for trading for Alfonso Soriano, who appeared to be an Arlington mirage, and almost everyone learned a little bit of a lesson. But it’s wacky to just ignore park effects. In Arizona, Hudson is an MVP candidate. On the road, he’s close to the low end of what we’d hope for from Kevin Frandsen:

2006 – Home: .321/.397/.489 – Away: .254/.313/.421
2007 – Home: .302/.382/.511 – Away: .286/.370/.369
2008 – Home: .326/.403/.536 – Away: .288/.337/.381

Again, this doesn’t guarantee that he’d come to Mays Field and magically transform into Away Hudson for 162 games, but danged if that doesn’t raise more red flags than were raised for Yuri Gagarin’s parade through Moscow. Here’s five years! Fifty million clams! And…oh, dang. You really can’t hit away from Arizona. Well, we certainly aren’t re-signing you in 2014. You cost yourself a lucrative extension, pal.

Orlando Hudson: What you get when Edgardo Alfonzo’s contract mates with Ray Durham’s contract. Stay away. Far away. Far, far away. Two-year deal? Sure. I’m in. Three-year deal. Heck, that shouldn’t cripple a franchise. Five years, at star money? Insanity. If he were a 30-homer guy, I could see why the Giants would take the gamble. Or, if the Giants were a .500 team last season, I could see how he might help them become a contender. But he isn't, and they aren't.

No.

C.C. Sabathia Rumors: You know you're at least a little curious....

2008-11-20T22:11:45Z

According to a source close to a high-level official familiar with the negotiations who also has MLB Trade Rumors bookmarked, the Giants are thinking about offering a six-year contract to C.C. Sabathia. Henry Schulman says the Giants have at least asked about Mark Teixeira, though it’s unlikely the Giants will outbid another team for his services.

Leaving aside the insanity of offering another pitcher 20% of the yearly payroll budget, there’s a fear that if the Giants sign Big Player X, then they won’t be able to sign Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, or any interesting player in the free agent market. Allow me to put on my serious cap for a bit, and try and find out. All of the salary data is from Cot’s Contracts, except for the almost-educated guesses that I’ve included in the hypothetical future scenarios. This is a long, boring post with a lot of big images and surely some egregious errors, so it will continue in the "Read More" section…

So here’s the state of the Giants’ payroll right now (all figures in millions):

Mmm. Just loving that Zito contract.

There are some assumptions here: a) About 16 players on the Giants will make close to the major-league minimum in 2009, though this doesn’t take into account that the Giants will probably sign another free agent, b) Even though the Giants can set Lincecum’s salary this season, they’ll give him at least $1M, and c) I’m an Excel idiot, so the format of the charts will vary from picture to picture.

Now what if the Giants sign Mark Teixeira or C.C. Sabathia to a crazy six-year deal? I’m going with C.C.’s rumored six-year, $120M deal for both, as I doubt the Giants will get into a bidding war for either player. What would the payroll look like if possible Lincecum and Cain extensions were added on?

Okay. Not…too awful. But not good. That’s a lot of the roster left to fill, and not a lot of money with which to do it. Note that I could be waaaaay off on the Lincecain extension combo – they’re pretty modest – but I thought I’d use Jake Peavy’s contract as a benchmark. Cain’s extension is pure speculation, but Lincecum isn’t a free agent until after 2013, so he’s a little easier to guess. If Lincecum gets an extension, it would likely buy out the arbitration years of 2011-2013.

So the Giants can keep their talent. Well, heck, what happens if three more of the Giants’ youngsters are worth keeping? Picking three of the likeliest candidates, Fred Lewis, Jonathan Sanchez, and Brian Wilson:

And if the Giants wanted to supplement their roster with a free agent every so often, here are some numbers pulled out of my nether regions:

You could rearrange the combination however you’d like. Maybe Sanchez is traded before he gets to arbitration, or Lewis isn’t a player worth paying much more than the major-league minimum. Maybe the Giants defer or backload some of the free agents’ salaries. But the point of this entire post can be condensed into a single sentence, which I will put in crazy bold letters: If the Giants sign a big, expensive free agent, the farm system will need to produce several quality pitchers and hitters to supplement the roster if the team is to contend in the next few years. There isn’t another choice. If the Giants need to fill over half of the roster with cheap, sub-$1M players, they’ll need to get substantial production from pre-arbitration players. That's kind of the idea now, but if there's a firm budget, there won't be a margin for error.

It isn’t impossible to do – take the 2008 Rays for one example – but it’s a huge risk to wholly rely on a historically iffy farm system. And for what? Another big contract to a pitcher? Bah. Harrumph. Maybe Sabathia holds his value like Greg Maddux or Randy Johnson as the years go by, but those guys are freaks of baseball history.

For a positional elite like Teixeira? Less forceful bah. Less forceful harrumph. It would make more sense than Sabathia, for sure, but Teixeira will get a contract even bigger than the modest totals above.

So I finish with the following proposal: Raise the payroll to $160M and make this post pointless. More so, even. Outbid every other team in the universe for Teixeira, even if it means ownership shares for the first baseman. Hell, sign Sabathia too. If that budget increase doesn’t work, stay away from the huge free agents at this point in the Giants’ success cycle.

Thoughts and comments are welcome. Pointing out the egregious errors up there…less so, but I can take it.

San Francisco Giants Rumors, both Real and Invented

2008-11-19T20:23:08Z

Sometime in January, when all of the free agents have been signed, I’ll sit down to write a post and start crying. I won’t want to write about Atlee Hammaker memories. I won’t want to write about how cool Donruss Diamond Kings were. I won’t want to write a 14,000-word Lord of the Rings parody with Sabean as Frodo, Bochy as Sam, Magowan as Golem, One Free Agent Cy Young Superstar to Rule Them All as the plot device, and a journey to Mt. Outright Release.

I’ll want to write about baseball. News about baseball, perhaps. But I won’t be able to because the world will be a wintery graveyard for baseball news. Then I’ll think, "Damn, I really should have posted more should-we-think-about-this-free-agent threads when I had the chance instead of opening some stupid pop-culture-based thread." I know this. I’ve lived it. And, dammit, I’m not going down without a fight. So for the next month or so, there will be a lot of rosterbation, speculation, and evaluation of the speculative rosterbation. If you don’t care for such posts, that’s understandable. We won’t delete your user account while you grumble in a corner by yourself until March. I just hope that you understand why I have to do it. Do you know that Bruce Bochy hasn’t made a questionable bullpen decision for over a month? Look it up. And yet you want me to continue writing daily posts about the San Francisco Giants? You jackals.

The chatter so far is that the Giants will either sign a corner infielder or a middle infielder or both. Maybe trade for one or both. Middle infielder or corner infielder. Corner infielder or middle infielder. Shore up the infield. Get an infielder. It makes sense, because if the outfield is Fred Lewis, Aaron Rowand, and Randy Winn with a Nate Schierholtz insurance plan, that’s a whole lot of acceptable to downright okay. Why would the Giants need to mess with that?

But if the Giants are looking for a combination of middle-of-the-order bat and a non-ludicrous long-term contract, they aren’t going to find it in the infield. Mark Teixiera? He’s sure to fetch a ludicrous long-term contract. And thus endeth the list of middle-of-the-order bats among free agent infielders. Then I read Ken Rosenthal speculate thusly:

Free-agent outfielder Pat Burrell also could attract the Giants' interest, but such a move would require the team to trade another outfielder, most likely Randy Winn.

The more I stare at the free agent list, the more it makes sense to trade Aaron Rowand and sign Pat Burrell or Adam Dunn. And by "makes sense", I mean "makes absolutely no sense, but if the Giants are committed to throwing $50M to $150M at a free agent, it makes more sense than some other options." Now, heck, I’d trade Aaron Rowand for a punch to the face just to get rid of his contract, but Sabean probably still thinks Rowand has a ton of value. Sabean might deal Rowand, though, if he were sure the end result would be a middle-of-the-order hitter. Trading Winn to make room for Burrell, Dunn, or, gulp, Manny Ramirez doesn’t make a lot of sense, as then the Giants would have huge commitments for 2/3rd of their outfield until the end of time. There’s no way that would end well.

I dunno. November spitballin’ is all this is. If I had to choose between $60M to Pat Burrell or $130M to Mark Teixeira, I’d choose Teixeira. For the extra two years and $6M or $8M annually, at least you’re getting a guy who is in the top third of his position and younger than 30. The corner-outfielder market is a big ol’ pile of expensive pyrite this year. But if the choice is between Aaron Rowand playing for the Giants in 2012 or Pat Burrell playing for the Giants in 2012, I’m somewhat intrigued.

Really, I like comedy more than baseball, so I’m actually pulling for the Giants to sign Pat Burrell (LF), Manny Ramirez (CF), and Adam Dunn (RF). But this is an Open Hey Could the Giants Actually Go for a Corner Outfielder?-Thread.

Edgar Renteria or Orlando Cabrera? On my San Francisco Giants?

2008-11-18T19:33:16Z

The horrifying, soul-masticating postscript to yesterday’s post about Rafael Furcal:

Jeff Lane, the agent for shortstop Edgar Renteria, said Monday that he expects San Francisco to make his client "some kind of formal offer" this week. Lane said that Renteria, a career .290 hitter, has drawn interest from about six teams.

This closely parallels the situation with Furcal, 31, who's believed to have received an offer from the Giants but has attracted inquiries from up to 10 teams. And an industry source said that San Francisco also has explored the possibility of signing Orlando Cabrera, another veteran shortstop.

Hey, you know who else is a career .290 hitter? Carney Lansford. He’s already in the organization, so the Giants wouldn’t even need to give up a draft pick. Plus, Lansford would have better range than Renteria at short, so the Giants would come out ahead.

What’s that, you say? Lansford is old, and he isn’t the same athlete that compiled the .290 career average? That’s kind of the point. Renteria will be 33, and his defense has already declined. Giving him anything more than a two-year deal is madness.

If Renteria is a bad idea, then Cabrera would be…uh…a much, much worse idea. Just awful. If your cousin "Stoobie" comes to you asking for a cash investment in his newest get-rich-quick scheme – a new, super-powered household cleaner he calls Bleachmonia – it would be a better idea for you to buy $10,000 worth of shares than it would be for the Giants to sign Orlando Cabrera. At least Renteria is only one season removed from a really good season. Cabrera is 34, coming off a season where he posted a .334 on-base percentage, and surely looking for a long-term deal. He would cost the Giants tens of millions of dollars, a draft pick, and their mortal soul.

This is it. The real trial of fire for Brian Sabean. No more, "Oh, but he was forced to build veteran teams around one superstar, so you can’t judge him on his past actions." No more, "Oh, but he was handcuffed by a meddling owner, and now he doesn’t have to deal with that." Sabean has made a concerted effort to build through the farm system, and it’s been an encouraging thing to watch. The Giants haven’t gone cheap with their first-round picks; the team is more active in the international amateur market than they ever have been. Draft pick compensation was an admitted concern for Sabean as he pored over the free-agent market for relievers. The unanimously heralded Jeremy Affeldt signing was the product of Sabean’s farm friendly plan. With a little patience, we just might see what a true Sabean roster will look like in a couple of seasons.

But I’m terrified that the true Sabean roster isn’t a mystery, that it’s something we’ve seen over and over and over. Old Sabean would say:

Orlando Cabrera? You know, he hits .270, and he doesn’t give up outs. He’s a hard guy to strike out, and he handles the bat well. He has speed, which fits a roster that will need to manufacture runs. He’s a veteran presence up the middle, which will help our young pitching staff.

If New Sabean exists, he would say:

You know, even if Cabrera maintains his decent production next season, he’ll surely decline in the seasons to come. If he were the missing piece – our roster’s sole deficiency – I might sign him for the short-term benefits and deal with the long-term hassles later. But he isn’t a game changer. Not in the slightest.

Add in the fact that we’d have to give up a second-round pick, which is a chance at one of the 50-best draft-eligible amateurs in the country, and it’s an easy decision just to see what Emmanuel Burriss can do in 2009. If we need to revisit the free-agent market next year, we’ll be prepared to do so.

In order to maintain my sanity, I’m still going to believe in New Sabean. I’ll leave out a plate of cookies and a glass of milk, and I’m going to pull the covers up to my eyes and wait for him. Surely, a man who pursued Gary Matthews, Jr. and Juan Pierre has to have some sort of awareness by now – ten years after he started – of the folly of free-agent mediocrity. He isn’t interested in Orlando Cabrera or, to a less horrifying extent, Edgar Renteria. This is all just bobbing and weaving in related Rafael Furcal negotiations.

Right?

Rafael Furcal and the San Francisco Giants: Now with Indentations, Bulletpoints, and Whathaveyou

2008-11-17T20:31:04Z

The hottest Giant-on-free-agent-action rumor has to do with Rafael Furcal. He’s a player who:

is pretty good when healthy
plays a position that, before Manny Burriss’s September hot streak, was a top priority for the Giants

That sounds…not horrible. It beats the yearly migration of center fielders swimming upstream to mate and expire in McCovey Cove. But allow me to join Lefty and wonder what in the heck sense does Furcal make for the Giants. My guess on possible outcomes of a long-term deal:

5% chance that Furcal's will stay healthy and perform at a high level for the duration of the contract
53% chance that Furcal will do OK at first, but he'll struggle through injuries and eventually become ineffective. (In scouting parlance: a durhaming)
42% chance that Furcal will stink right away, whether through injury or aging. (In scouting parlance: an alfonzotion)

Now, you can live with the middle option if you’re sure that your team can contend. If, say, the Red Sox didn’t have anyone but Julio Lugo, they would be justified in throwing away pieces of the 2011 budget to get a return on 2009. The Giants just might contend next season, but they probably won’t. They probably won’t for at least two seasons, and that’s being generous. So the Giants are hoping that either

Furcal, along with one additional free agent and a spontaneous improvement from the rest of the offense, will make the Giants contenders in 2009
Furcal will stay healthy and effective for the length of the deal, and help the Giants whenever they start winning more games than they lose

If the Giants were to sign Furcal, it wouldn’t be the end of the world because he plays one of the two thinnest positions in the organization. As much as I’m rooting for Burriss, I’d love to see him get 500 at-bats in AAA before anointing him the starter at short or second, and if Burriss fails, there is absolutely no backup plan. So a shortstop free agent makes sense. But both "1" and "2" above are different shades of delusional.

Another thing that isn’t really part of the discussion: Furcal’s 2007 was kind of miserable. Sure, after Furcal’s back injury, he had 143 good at-bats last year. But when you have three data points – a bad year, followed by a back injury, followed by a small sample of at-bats – it wouldn’t make sense to focus on the one that makes you feel all fuzzy.

If the Giants sign Furcal, I’ll feel the same way I feel when they signed Zito and Rowand. Gee, I hope it works out. Gee, he seems like a modest improvement, all things being equal. Golly, that is a big contract with about a 5% chance of being a good deal. The worst part is that 95% of the time, I’m right every time.

Poll

Rafael Furcal?

Giants Positional Depth Chart

2008-11-16T16:15:22Z

Position	1	2	3	4	5
C	Molina	Sandoval	Holm	Posey	Witter
1B	Ishikawa	Sandoval	Phelps	Bowker	Villalona
2B	Frandsen	Burriss	Velez	Downs	Noonan
SS	Burriss	Ochoa	Bocock	Crawford	Adrianza
3B	Sandoval	Rohlinger	Gillaspie	…	…
LF	Lewis	Roberts	Bowker	Horwitz	Ortmeier
CF	Rowand	Winn	Lewis	Timpner	Richardson
RF	Winn	Schierholtz	Bowker	Copeland	…
SP1	Lincecum	Misch	Hammond	Martinez	Pucetas
SP2	Cain	Misch	Hammond	Martinez	Pucetas
SP3	Zito	Misch	Hammond	Martinez	Pucetas
SP4	Sanchez	Misch	Hammond	Martinez	Pucetas
SP5	Lowry	Misch	Hammond	Martinez	Pucetas
LHP	Taschner	Espineli	…	…	…
LHP	Hinshaw	Threets	…	…	…
LHP	Affeldt	…	…	…	...
RHP	Romo	Cowart	...	...	...
RHP	Wilson	Hedrick	…	…	…
RHP	Sadler	Matos	…	…	…
RHP	Yabu	Miller	…	…	...
RHP	Valdez	Pichardo	…	…	…

I've been working on a Giants depth chart by position recently for my site and I wanted to run what I had across you guys to get some comments. Players are ranked by position. Hence, a player with a #1 is atop the depth chart for his position, a player with a #5 is much further away from being called on to play that position. This isn't a chart based on talent -- Hammond rates higher than Bumgarner -- but closeness to filling a spot.

Did I miss anyone? I'm not concerned with relievers overly because they are so hard to predict by nature. Players that are bolded are on the 40-man.

Thanks for the help, some of the rankings gave me a hard time. I originally had Posey at #4 but moved him up to #3.

Type A Personalities

2008-11-14T20:38:31Z

Brian Sabean, 2003: "I have to get my house sprayed because I have draft picks. Wait, did I just say ‘draft picks’? Oh, man. I meant ‘termites.’ I always get those two confused. Probably because I have a similar amount of respect and affinity for both. Did you know that Michael Tucker was a first-round pick? Exactly. He also weakened the foundation of my house, but that’s a long story. Tuck Tuck knows how to liven up a party, and let’s just leave it at that. What was the question?"

Brian Sabean, 2008: Draft-pick compensation will influence which free agent players the Giants target.

This revision of organizational priorities is most welcome. A point to consider, though, is that the Giants’ first-round pick is high enough that it can’t be taken away. If the Giants sign a Type A free agent, the team will lose a pick closer to 50th overall. If the Giants sign a Type B free agent, they don’t lose a pick, though the free agent’s former team would get a supplemental pick.

You can find a list of Type A free agents here. We can talk about abstract, it’s-not-my-money reasons why Free Agent X would make us happy, but how many of these players would we actually trade a prospect for? My groupings, using only the players the Giants could conceivably be interested in (and I’m stretching that definition to include a couple of unlikely names):

The pick shouldn’t factor into the decision

C.C. Sabathia
Mark Teixeira
A.J. Burnett

The pick would make me think twice, but I’d go ahead and sign the player

Orlando Hudson
Oliver Perez
Adam Dunn
Pat Burrell
Derek Lowe
Jamie Moyer
Ben Sheets
Ryan Dempster

The pick would make me think twice, and I don’t think I would sign the player

Juan Cruz
Edgar Renteria
Damaso Marte

Forget about it

Doug Brocail
Orlando Cabrera
Brian Fuentes
Raul Ibanez
Jason Isringhausen
Darren Oliver
Russ Springer
Bobby Howry

Note that I’m not advocating any of these signings. Ryan Dempster’s contract is going to look silly in three years. This is more of an exercise to see if, for example, Ben Sheets wanted to sign an incentive-laden contract that would be very favorable to the Giants, how would the draft pick affect the decision? It really, really makes a difference with respect to the availability of free agent relievers. The difference between, say, Brian Shouse and Russ Springer isn’t worth one of the top 50 amateur players in the draft.

A long aside: One of the problems with moaning about lost draft picks is that we have no idea whom the Giants would actually select with the lost pick. The Royals used the pick that the Giants intentionally gave up for Michael Tucker on Matthew Campbell, which was the equivalent to a $1M donation to the Matthew Campbell Retirement Fund. Maybe the Giants would have spent the pick on someone different – Dustin Pedroia, Yovani Gallardo, Hunter Pence, or Huston Street – but you can’t just assume something like that. Of course, I’d still put money that the pick lost for the Armando Benitez signing would have been used on Matt Garza, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to ask Dick Tidrow about it. Did the Aaron Rowand signing save the Giants $1M in draft bonuses, or did it cost the team a chance at a pre-arbitration star? Without knowing exactly how the Giants would pick, we’ll never know. And, dang, that’s irritating when trying to evaluate things like this.

Long aside over. The comment starter: Which free agents should be off limits because of the draft-pick cost?

Barry Zito Was Not a Good Free-Agent Signing

2008-11-13T19:56:00Z

In honor of the AL Cy Young Award winner – Cliff Lee – I thought I’d create a little graph:

Oh, that tantalizing question mark. You can see that the trend – a trend that’s completely impervious to sample-size challenges or any other brand of cynicism – demonstrates that there will almost certainly be two LHSWWCCJOSBWTCYs next season. Could Barry Zito be one of them? Only time will tell.

This is the first offseason that Zito’s ridiculous contract is really, really killing me. Every question about premium free agents has the same answer:

Q: Say, should the Giants sign (large pitcher/good hitter)?

A: That would have been a great idea…if it didn’t mean that the Giants would then have to commit about 50% of their payroll to (large pitcher/good hitter) and Barry Zito, which would leave very little for the other 23 players on the team.

The Giants already have their premium free agent. It’s Barry Zito. They’ve chosen. That choice is Barry Zito. Heck, let’s all revisit the initial reaction to the signing. If you take out a magnifying glass and really dig through the text, you might be able to spot one of the 2,203 wrong predictions I made in the main post.

So now I’m in a Zito depression. I don’t really think that any pitcher, CC Sabathia included, is worth long-term, $125M+ deal...but, dang, it would be exciting to have Sabathia at the top of this rotation. Paying a first baseman $125M to stick around into his mid-30s is probably a bad idea…but, dang, it would be exciting to have Mark Teixeira for a few years.

Zito has $91.5M and five years left on his contract. This doesn’t include the bonus clauses, of course – he wins $.5M for his first Cy Young under this contract, $.75M for his second, and a cool $1M for every one thereafter.

Comment starter: How much of this damnable contract would the Giants need to eat in order to get Zito the hell out of here? Would it be worth it? The 2007 Zito, while disappointing, wasn’t exactly worthless. He would have been worth a three-year deal or so.

Open Zito Depression Thread.

Poll

Will Barry Zito be a Giant for the entire duration of his contract?

How the Other Half Lives: Jake Peavy Trade Rumors

2008-11-12T20:26:12Z

The Giants would like to make a trade for a good hitter. But then they'd have to trade something good to get back something good. Hey, you know who's good? Matt Cain! I wonder what we can trade Matt Cain for. Maybe they could replenish the farm system. Maybe they could trade Matt Cain for three prospects. And then, when those prospects turn into good major leaguers like Cain, the Giants could trade those three prospects for a total of nine prospects. Assuming a three-year lag between prospectdom and major league success, here's how the plan would work.

2009: three prospects
2012: nine prospects
2015: 27 prospects
2018: 81 prospects
2021: 243 prospects
2024: 729 prospects

If the Giants trade Matt Cain for three prospects right now and continue to trade each prospect as they become major leaguers, then they will control every player in Major League Baseball by 2024. If the Giants did this 15 years ago, they'd have Evan Longoria as a backup for David Wright. This isn't just idle speculation. I've shown my math above. This plan can't miss. Put the slide rule back in the pocket protector, Gilbert, and bow to my math skills.

Until now, exactly what Cain would bring back in trade has been a mystery. Some reports have Prince Fielder and J.J. Hardy coming back, which seems insane. Other goofs have tossed out names like Hideki Matsui, which is equally insane, but for a different reason. And the equation for any premium player's trade value according to a fan of the opposite team is something like this:

Extremely valuable player = [3rd-best prospect + Old "prospect" with superficial AAA numbers + Bench player + (Pitching prospect x injury history + misleadingly low ERA)]

So no one knows what Cain's trade value is. He's a good pitcher with the potential to be great, and he's under control for three more years for a total of $13.5M, which is a steal compared to what he'd command on the open market.

The whole point of this protracted introduction was to compare Cain to Jake Peavy. Now I'm realizing that it's an awful comparison. Peavy is the better pitcher. But Cain hasn't had any arm problems, while Peavy has had some elbow issues. Cain will cost $13.5M over the next three years; Peavy will cost $60M over the next five, or $78M over the next six if his option is picked up. Stupid comparison. Apples to rhinosceroses. And now I have all of these pretty words on the subject that I don't want to just delete.

The entire point of this post was to ask if anyone else is as underwhelmed with the rumored offers for Jake Peavy as I am. The rumored offer from the Braves is something like Jordan Schafer, Yunel Escobar, and either Jo-Jo Reyes or Charlie Morton. The Braves are reportedly not going to give up Jason Heyward or Tommy Hanson. The rumored offer from the Cubs is something like Jeff Samarzdfazzaza, Ronny Cedeno, and Calvin Murray Felix Pie. There's a lot of talent there. Schafer's a danged good prospect --mystery HGH-related suspension aside -- and Pie's has been highly regarded for a while, but, yeeesh.

The Padres would be giving up one of the ten best pitchers in baseball, who is locked up for five or six years for about $40M below market value. He's a homegrown player, and he's extremely popular. If you're making that trade, Schafer or Pie would have to become stars. They can't just turn into nice, glad-to-have-ya players. Not when you're giving up a fan favorite who left a lot of money on the table for your franchise. In order to satisfy the fanbase, at least one of the acquired prospects would have to come up and be instant superstars like Tim Lincecum or David Wright were. They can't just keep teasing the Padres with their potential -- like B.J. Upton or Chris "Diamondbacks Player" Young are doing to their franchises -- as they inch towards arbitration.

It would be a huge gamble to trade Peavy for a handful of prospects who aren't once-in-every-five-draft-class type prospects, and I'm glad the Giants aren't dealing with similar offers for Matt Cain. I don't get what the Padres are doing.

Tim Lincecum Wins the Cy Young!

2008-11-11T19:05:35Z

Tim Lincecum and the Cy Young: The Day of Reckoning

2008-11-11T18:35:24Z

Either the Giants have their first Cy Young award winner since 1967, or this site will riot. Virtual cars will flip over; newspaper racks will go through the windows of the FanPost store; there will be poorly organized chants in an attempt to fool people into thinking the riot is an honest protest. Nope. It'll be a riot.

I've been on 538.com all morning, but Nate Silver has nothing on the NL Cy Young race. Come on. I thought you were a baseball guru first. Like it wouldn't be possible to run some regression analysis for the SB Nation winner, the MVN Awards, the Sporting News pitcher of the year, and the MLBPA Player's Choice awards. They all went for Lincecum. That's a good sign, right? Right, Mr. Silver? Hello? MY PESSIMIST'S MIND NEEDS THE REGRESSION ANALYSIS OF A STATISTICAL GENIUS. If you could also work in some pie charts, that'd be awesome.

F5
F5
F5
F5

I could have gone serious today, you know. I could have wrote one of those bloviation sensations that I dust off every six months. Because, see, Tim Lincecum represents the changing of the guard. The last time a Giants pitcher was in the running for the Cy Young, he lost it to a drugged up, French-Canadian freakshow. Do you know how disillusioning it is to have a major baseball award given to a performance-enhancing drug abuser? It's a crime ag...DON'T BRING UP THE 59 MVP AWARDS THAT BONDS WON, DAMMIT...we're talking about the Cy Young, here. Totally different. And if Lincecum wins, it will be a statement. The skinny kid with a robotic arm wins the award in the era of steroids, saves Mr. Niedermeyer's house from foreclosure, and gets the girl. How could Lifetime and ESPN not already be in a bidding war for the rights to that TV movie?

So what's it going to be, BBWAA? A reprise of the Summer of Love? Or an injustice that sets off the Autumn of Quick-Burning Disgust that Eventually Fades into Eternal Annoyance?

Open Waiting for the Announcement Thread. At some point I'll update this post, and the tone of the thread will either turn to this:

...or this...

...with a side of this...

The San Francisco Giants and the Free Agent Market: The Relievers

2008-11-10T07:55:20Z

Headline from MLB.com:

Giants look to add bat, bolster bullpen

Club has cleared up to $20 million for free-agent spending

Twenty million? Well, get the collared shirt out of the wash, and take me to Red Robin. We're big spenders now.

Of course, that headline is merely informational. It isn't as entertaining as this masterpiece:

Giants enter offseason thinking title

"A Nightmare on King Street"?. "The Lord of the Ringless"? "Lock, Stock, and Nine Sucking Batters?" What is the title they're thinking of? That's probably a post for another day.

Back to the original article. Twenty million doesn't go as far as it used to, but it seems like the Giants are committed to buying a free-agent reliever. Though I'm rarely in favor of spending money on relievers in free agency -- call it a latent case of armandophobia -- the current bullpen would probably be terrible. After Brian Wilson and Sergio Romo, there really isn't anyone to get excited about.

Some of the contenders from the free-agent market:

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Jeremy Affeldt	1-1	74	0	0	0	0	1	78.1	78	36	29	9	25	80	3.33	1.31

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Joe Beimel	5-1	71	0	0	0	0	0	49.0	50	11	11	0	21	32	2.02	1.45

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Chad Cordero	0-0	6	0	0	0	0	0	4.1	6	1	1	0	3	5	2.08	2.08

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Juan Cruz	4-0	57	0	0	0	0	2	51.2	34	17	15	5	31	71	2.61	1.26

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Kyle Farnsworth	1-1	16	0	0	0	0	3	16.0	27	14	12	4	5	18	6.75	2.00

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Eric Gagne	4-3	50	0	0	0	10	7	46.1	46	28	28	11	22	38	5.44	1.47

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Trevor Hoffman	3-6	48	0	0	0	30	4	45.1	38	19	19	8	9	46	3.77	1.04

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Bob Howry	7-5	72	0	0	0	1	4	70.2	90	44	42	13	13	59	5.35	1.46

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Jason Isringhausen	1-5	42	0	0	0	12	7	42.2	48	28	27	5	22	36	5.70	1.64

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Todd Jones	4-1	45	0	0	0	18	3	41.2	50	30	23	5	18	14	4.97	1.63

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Brandon Lyon	3-5	61	0	0	0	26	4	59.1	75	34	31	7	13	44	4.70	1.48

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Guillermo Mota	5-6	58	0	0	0	1	3	57.0	52	28	26	7	28	50	4.11	1.40

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Will Ohman	4-1	83	0	0	0	1	3	58.2	51	27	24	3	22	53	3.68	1.24

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Chan Ho Park	4-4	54	5	0	0	2	3	95.1	97	43	36	12	36	79	3.40	1.40

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Brian Shouse	5-1	69	0	0	0	2	2	51.1	46	19	16	5	14	33	2.81	1.17

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Russ Springer	2-1	70	0	0	0	0	2	50.1	39	14	13	4	18	45	2.32	1.13

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - David Weathers	4-6	72	0	0	0	0	4	69.1	76	27	25	6	30	46	3.25	1.53

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Dennys Reyes	3-0	75	0	0	0	0	2	46.1	40	12	12	4	15	39	2.33	1.19

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Damaso Marte	1-3	25	0	0	0	0	0	18.1	14	11	11	1	10	24	5.40	1.31

There are others, of course. Francisco Rodriguez and Kerry Wood, to name two, but the Giants probably aren't crazy enough to get into a bidding war for a free-agent closer.

There are just so many soon-to-be overpaid mediocrities up there, it hurts. Look at all of those shiny, shiny sub-4.00 ERAs. Joe Biemel! Dennys Reyes! Brian Shouse! The stuff of which dreams are made!

If I had to choose: Incentive-laden goodness for Bobby Howry. The prodigious son! Or something like that. I'm no good with James Bond references.
If I had to guess what Sabean's thinking: David Weathers, the grizzled gamer.
Awesomest Baseball Reference sponsor ever: Russ Springer

Comment starter: How you'd spend the money, and your prediction of how the Giants will spend the money. Note that this comment starter is way different than this comment starter because it just is.

Resolution for the Offseason

2008-11-07T19:58:50Z

WHEREAS: I would be entirely fine with Travis Ishikawa starting at first against right-handers, and Josh Phelps starting at first against left-handers. An upgrade would be fantastic, but a Phelshi platoon would give the Giants an opportunity to see if the Ishikawa's resurgence was for real.

WHEREAS: I have no problem trying Pablo Sandoval for 100 games at third next season, with Kevin Frandsen an option against left-handers. Sandoval might have the range of a legless Bob Brenly, but at least he has soft hands and a good arm.

WHEREAS: There are four options in the outfield, with nary a dud in the bunch. Aaron Rowand had an ugly slump to end the season, he's overpaid, and he never really made sense on a team with Randy Winn already on the roster, but he's still a worthy starter on most teams.

WHEREAS: Noah Lowry's arm and shoulder and elbow and thumbs and cuticles and wrists and triceps and three of his four humors are all questionable for the upcoming season; I'm pulling for him -- I really, really am -- but there's a difference between "pulling for" and "counting on."

WHEREAS: Kevin Pucetas interests me as a pitching prospect, and I'm looking forward to seeing how he does in Connecticut and Fresno, but I doubt his ability to survive the Bocock rocket straight from the Cal League to the majors. Note: the original astronaut on the Bocock rocket burned up upon reentry.

WHEREAS: Two of the most valuable players in the organization can't legally drink, and in the event of rotational implosion, it would be way too tempting to rush them into a major league rotation.

RESOLVED: The Giants' highest free-agent priority should be a low-cost starting pitcher.

None of this CC Sabathia silliness, mind you. This resolution is only in favor of guys who would accept a one- or two-year deal. Greg Maddux. Carl Pavano. Randy Wolf. Pedro Martinez. Paul Byrd. Orlando Hernandez. Brad Penny. Those aren't in order of preference, but none of those players (with the possible exceptions of Wolf and Penny) should want more than a few million for a year or two. If one of these guys stays healthy and reasonably effective, the Giants don't have to rush a prospect, and they don't have to rely on uncertainties like Steve Hammond. If one of these guys signs for a few million and disintegrates, no big whoop. INMM.

Agree or disagree?

San Francisco Giants: Offseason Outlook, Part XVIILCMCSMCC$X of CCVCLMMMLVCCX

2008-11-06T07:57:19Z

Between Andrew Baggarly here and John Shea here, there's a lot of petrol for the rumor Fiat. Some thoughts in nugget format, trying to keep pace with the nuggety goodness of both articles:

The names this offseason -- Orlando Hudson, Rafael Furcal, Adam Dunn, Mark Teixeira -- beat the hell out of the Joe Crede-types from last winter. Unfortunately, they also all make more sense than the Aaron Rowand-type the Giants actually ended up with. Still...baby steps.
For the past three offseasons, Brian Sabean brought the ladle of center fielder stew to his lips and said, "Hmm. Needs more center fielder." But Sabean's approach to this offseason makes sense. Help us all, his approach makes sense. The ostensible plan is to get two additional infielders and slide Pablo Sandoval over where he's needed. It's a novel idea. I'm in.
Kevin Pucetas could jump from the Cal League to the rotation. The organization's faith in Pucetas might explain why the Giants were willing to let Kevin Correia go, but then why wouldn't they give Pucetas a taste of the upper minors last season? Because, heck, I would have thought Ben Snyder would have been on a similar path until he was destroyed in Connecticut, so I'm not exactly overflowing with confidence that Pucetas can even be a passable innings-eater right off the bat.
And suddenly, after reading this in Baggarly's post, I feel less crazy: "And after watching Rowand play defense last season, scouts were telling me they felt Randy Winn was actually a better center fielder." Dang, what a pointless signing for the Giants.

Inspired by only the names in these two articles, allow me to rosterbate guiltily:

LF - Fred Lewis
2B - Orlando Hudson
RF - Randy Winn
1B - Adam Dunn
3B - Pablo Sandoval
C - Bengie Molina
CF - Aaron Rowand
SS - Manny Burriss

Guhhhh....I feel so dirty. There's no way I can do that again for at least another three days. But danged if that ain't a much better lineup than we had a right to expect last April. And Hudson's silly-good defense makes up for Big Donkey's iron glove at first.

Comment starter: Anything of interest in the above articles.

Quick Poll

2008-11-05T20:04:32Z

Poll

How many games does Noah Lowry start in 2009?

0

163 votes

1-10

240 votes

11-20

181 votes

20+

115 votes

699 votes | Poll has closed

'Tis the Season

2008-11-04T21:08:58Z

               FADE IN:

               PICTURE OF BRIAN SABEAN


                                   NARRATOR
                         Brian Sabean. Wrong for the Giants.
                         Wrong for the Bay Area.

               FADE IN:

               ANOTHER PICTURE OF BRIAN SABEAN


                                   NARRATOR
                         Brian Sabean says the Giants are on
                         the right track. He takes
                         responsibility for players such as
                         Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Buster
                         Posey, and Madison Bumgarner.

               FADE IN:

               PICTURE OF MICHAEL TUCKER


                                   NARRATOR
                         But can we trust him to know what
                         to do with the talent when it
                         arrives? Sabean was quoted as
                         saying...

                                   SCARY VOICE
                         "If we had signed Vladimir Guerrero
                         or Gary Sheffield, we would have
                         been without Jim Brower, Scott
                         Eyre, Matt Herges, Dustin
                         Hermanson, Brett Tomko, A.J.
                         Pierzynski, Pedro Feliz, J.T. Snow,
                         Jeffrey Hammonds, Dustan Mohr and
                         Michael Tucker -- obviously not
                         being able to field a competitive
                         team, especially from an experience
                         standpoint, given our level of
                         spending."

                                                           INSERT TEXT:

                                                       "SOURCE: MLB.COM
                                                             - 1/30/04"

               FADE IN:

               PICTURE OF BRIAN SABEAN EATING A SANDWICH


                                   NARRATOR
                         How wrong can one man be? As
                         recently as two years ago, Sabean
                         was trying to give five-year
                         contracts to Gary Matthews, Jr.
                         and Juan Pierre -- two players who
                         have already lost their starting
                         jobs.


               FADE IN:

               PICTURE OF TIM LINCECUM WITH A MUSHROOM CLOUD IN THE
               BACKGROUND


                                   NARRATOR
                         Sabean already traded away one
                         of the most electric arms in
                         baseball when he gave up on
                         Francisco Liriano. Could it happen
                         again?


               FADE IN:

               REVERSE EXPOSURE PICTURE OF BRIAN SABEAN WITH COMPUTER
               ENHANCED DEMON-RED EYES


                                   SCARY VOICE
                         "I am not an idiot."

                                   NARRATOR
                         We would like to believe you,
                         Brian. But the Giants can't afford
                         to. Vote "no" on Brian Sabean.

                                   QUICK-TALKING SOOTHING VOICE
                         Paid for by The Committee to Get
                         One of Them There Smart Guys from
                         the Indians Organization into the
                         Giants' Front Office.

Mark Teixeira and the San Francisco Giants: Only 99.8% Ridiculous

2008-11-03T20:20:56Z

The Giants can't hit. The most expensive guy on the free-agent market can hit. The Giants aren't shy about spending money. Conclusion: Here come the Mark-Teixeira-to-the-Giants?-articles. With Barry Zito only having five more years and $92M left on his contract, a Teixeira contract would basically pay for itself, so it makes a lot of sense.

The pros:

Teixeira can hit.
Teixeira can field.
Teixeira is young enough (28) to justify the first few years of a long-term deal, at least.

The cons:

OMG EXPENSIVe. Like, seven years, $126M-expensive. And that worked so well last time.
It's hard to justify long-term deals to first basemen, as that should be the easiest position on the diamond to fill.
It seems like there are one or two superfluous vowels in Teixeira's name, and that's always bugged me.
The Giants aren't one hitter away from contention.
The Giants aren't one hitter away from contention.
The Giants aren't one hitter away from contention.

Another point that I left out: The Giants aren't one hitter away from contention. It's easy to see the Giants signing Teixeira, unfurling a "Mission Accomplished"-banner at the press conference, and moving from 640 runs scored in 2008 to 670 runs scored in 2009.

So it makes little sense for the Giants to sign Mark Teixeira as long as they have offensive black holes at second base, third base, and shortstop. But is it possible that moaning about a hopeless offense is a pre-8/14 mindset? If the Giants were to sign Teixeira, they'd almost certainly start Pablo Sandoval at third. Sandoval didn't swallow his glove during his limited trials at third, and even though I don't trust Sabean or Bochy to commit fully to youth, there is no way that Sandoval gets fewer than 400 at-bats next year.

Suddenly, John Bowker, Rich Aurilia, and Jose Castillo turn into Teixeira and Sandoval, which leads us to the first mock lineup of the offseason (collect all 1,459):

Lewis - LF
Winn - RF
Teixeira - 1B
Sandoval - 3B
Molina - C
Rowand - CF
Burriss - SS
Established Second Baseman - 2B

First Law of McCovey Chronicles Rosterbation in 2009: I'm almost okay with the Giants signing Mark Teixeira, provided that they also acquire an established second baseman. Pick your poison with the acquisition. Orlando Hudson to a Durhamesque free-agent contract? A big trade for Dan Uggla? If the Giants invest in Teixeira, they can't just cross their fingers and hope for Eugenio Velez or Kevin Frandsen to be above-average players. That'd be a good way to waste one of the more productive years of Teixeira's ridiculous contract.

Eh. Just thinking out loud more than advocating. Agree or disagree? For bonus unrealistic and optimistic silliness, plug Uggla into that lineup. Who hits seventh? It's a much better question than "Which seventh-place hitter should hit cleanup?" Just ignore that the Giants would have to give up Tim Alderson and Nate Schierholtz, at minimum, to get Uggla.

McC Telethon! Two Years Strong!

2008-10-31T21:50:18Z

This is the second year for the McCovey Chronicles telethon for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Last year, my niece was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, and our family will walk for the JDRF every year until there's a cure. My standard fix for electrical problems -- unplug the problem unit for a minute before plugging it back in -- doesn't work for autoimmune diseases. At least, that's what I'm forced to assume when the JDRF hasn't answered any of my letters on the subject.

If you can, in these tough economic times, donate even $5, please visit http://walk.jdrf.org/, and seach for "Grant Brisbee" under "Donate to a Walker."

I suppose this could be known as the McCovey Chronicles blogothon for the JDRF, but then I read an "Ask Marilyn!" column in "Parade Magazine", in which she wrote:

Anyone who knowingly and intentionally attaches the word 'blog' to another word as a prefix in order to make a catchy new word should have all of their teeth pulled. Then all of those teeth should be duct-taped around a handful of porcupine quills, and the combination should be shoved up the offender's nose, with other orifices to follow in the event of continued non-compliance.

So this is a telethon, even though there are no telephones involved. Nope, just appeals to visit http://walk.jdrf.org/" and donate under my name. We have a corporate sponsor this year who will match every donation, so any amount you can provide will go twice as far.

This should still be a Giants-related telethon, of course. So let's here from former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown! Wait, he's talking politics. As you might be aware, talking politics is forbidden here, so just fast forward to about 5:02 of that video, where you'll hear Willie talk about...wait...what in the...Willie Brown was rooting for the Dodgers this postseason? Bad Willie! Bad! Bad! Bad Mayor!

Well, this telethon is off to an awkward start. Let's change gears. Here's a much better video: Tim Lincecum getting his 200th strikeout of the season. It was apparently recorded by a drunk gibbon that was chewing on a video camera, but the excitement still comes through. Tim Lincecum is as good a reason to watch professional sports as anyone else alive. Heck, I'd love to just sit and watch a video of Linecum's delivery all day, provided that the video has an AC/DC soundtrack and comparisons of Lincecum to a "bowler" in "cricket."

Hey, look. Here's one of those videos. Did you like that video? It was made possible by the support of readers like you. Also, some random guy with Windows Movie Maker and a YouTube account. But also readers like you. So consider donating to http://walk.jdrf.org/ under the name "Grant Brisbee".

Did you know that my wife and I just had a child? Yep. A beautiful baby girl. And I know you've been dying to send a contribution to the family so we can KEEP OUR APARTMENT...OH GOD...BABIES ARE SO EXPENSIVE...THEY WANT WHAT FOR THE DELIVERY? BUT I THOUGHT WE WERE INSURED....OH NO...DIAPERS COST HOW MUCH? ARE THEY MADE FROM UNICORN HIDES? WHAT IN THE HELL?, but hold off on those contributions. Please. We're doing fine. Instead, take a look at http://walk.jdrf.org/.

It's time for a musical interlude here at the telethon. You have two choices: Terry Cashman's "Talkin' Baseball", or Kurtis Blow's "Basketball". Yeah, I watched Kurtis Blow, too. If had a time machine, I'd go back and commission Kool Moe Dee to write a comparable song about baseball.

It's my birthday today. No, really. I'm 31 today. That's old enough to not care about birthdays, but just in case you were planning on getting me a little something -- a Playstation 3, or an iPhone, or an Audi -- don't. Just go to http://walk.jdrf.org/, and make a donation for the walk under "Grant Brisbee."

And if you're reading this on Monday, don't fret. You can still donate to the cause.

Thanks for you time, and we'll see you next year!

Quickly....

2008-10-30T22:13:35Z

From S.I.:

The Mets are considering whether to try to upgrade at catcher in addition to their goal of improving the bullpen (that's the first priority), the rotation and possibly the outfield. Second base is of lesser consideration. As for catcher, they've discussed the Giants' Bengie Molina.

I've detected slight trade rumor fatigue around these parts, but I can't sympathize. The offseason is made for dumping out the box of puzzle pieces, getting a cup o' joe, and finding the corner pieces to start things off. Of course, when the Giants dump out their box of puzzle pieces, they'll find two legit pieces, three Parcheesi pieces, a 12-sided die, a bent Professor Plum card, a piece of chewed bubble gum, a rubber band, four Garbage Pail kids, a hair follicle of unknown origin, and a broken Gobot. They probably should have checked the box before they left the garage sale.

I forgot what I was writing about. Point is, I like trade speculation and rumors. Maybe a little too much. I'm still dwelling on Noah Lowry proposals from last offseason. The Giants missed a chance, I'm sure.

The problem with this offseason is that anything the Giants could trade for value is something the Giants would like to keep. It isn't a situation like that of the Rangers, who have 3,253 good catching prospects available in trade. If the Giants trade a pitcher for a hitter, then they'd need to get another pitcher; it's a little Gift of the Magi.

There are two players, though, whom the Giants could trade while retaining a viable backup plan: Bengie Molina and Randy Winn. If the Giants trade Molina, then Pablo Sandoval would start. If the Giants trade Winn, then Nate Schierholtz would start. Neither option is really compelling enough to just donate the veterans for a tax deduction, so there would have to be some value coming back. According to Rotoworld...

...it'd cost the Mets either Jon Niese or Daniel Murphy and more to get (Bengie Molina)...

Niese is an upper-level starting pitcher, which the Giants could really use, and Murphy is a toolsy, low-strikeout outfielder, which might be a little redundant for the Giants. But I'd take either for Molina. Of course, Rotoworld also wrote this...

...the Giants' organization is a pimple on the butt of baseball, and their fans are stupid morons with ugly faces and big butts, and their butts smell, and they like to kiss their own butt...

...so take whatever they write with a grain or two.

But this all leads to a comment starter: In terms of Giants prospects, what would you expect back for Randy Winn or Bengie Molina? As in, "If the Giants could get back a Nick Noonan-caliber prospect for Molina or Winn..." or, "If it isn't a major league ready power hitter like Pablo Sandoval, forget it..." Have at it.

Amelia Marie Brisbee

2008-10-29T19:50:49Z

8 lbs., 9 oz. -- 20.5 inches

Me: You picked the name for the cat, so I get to pick the name for the baby.

Wife: Wait, but you picked out the cat's name, and...

Me: Shhhhh. We could argue all day about who named the cat Hitchcock in the middle of his or her movie-nerd phase, but that wouldn't get us anywhere.

I have some ideas for the baby, but they're, like, double names. You know, first and middle name together. I just like the sound. I've narrowed it down to two.

Wife: Mmm-hmm.

Me: First suggestion: Mary.

Wife: Well, that's okay, though...

Me: Middle name: Chelle. Like, an abbreviated Michelle. I just like the sound.

Wife: Mary Chelle Brisbee.

Me: It just pops, doesn't it?

Wife: No. Next suggestion.

Me: That's alright; it was my second choice. My first choice is Lindsey.

Wife: Hmm, I'd be open to...

Me: Middle name: Come.

Wife: Lindsey Come Brisbee?

Me: A little unconventional, sure, but...

Wife: No, don't worry. It's on the short list. It sounds nothing like a porno name, and it's entirely appropriate. Plus, you know that I've been hoping of some awful bastardization of a Giants player's name for the name of our child. Before we knew it was a girl, you suggested "Al Drete" and "Uribetu Thompsontu Clark Brisbee"...

Me: That last one just sounded so worldly...

Wife: You're just a huge help in this name selection process. I can't even begin to describe how much of a help you are.

Me: Thanks!

Wife: Can you go outside and check the mail?

Me: Sure!

goes out front door

sound of deadbolt latching

Regular posting will resume soon. After, say, my second hour of sleep within a 72-hour time frame.