Dammit.

Sabean has 15 bajillion outfielders (that's a conservative estimate), including a few that deserve long periods of exposure this year since we will suck, and he goes out and signs the best player still available whether or not he is right for the team.

I will be stunned if that phrase does not show up in his next column.

"I've always admired Aaron from a far, but I got a chance to meet with him and work with him at the All-Star Game this year and was very impressed," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy. "He is the type of player and person who will help bring that 'warrior mentality' we've talked about to the Giants."

SFGiants.com is already doing spin work, pushing that he has done well away from hitter-friendly home parks...

While each of his previous two ballparks have been known as hitters paradises, Rowand has hit at a .289 lifetime clip (380-for-1,316) with 87 doubles, six triples, 37 home runs and 150 RBI in 413 road contests. He has posted a .283 career home average (381-for-1,348) with 221 runs, 79 doubles, six triples, 56 home runs and 197 RBI in 436 combined games at Chicago's U.S. Cellular Park and Citizens Bank Park. In seven contests at AT&T Park, the newest Giant is hitting .286 (8-for-28) with three doubles and five RBI.

They are also trumpeting his defense.

http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20071212&content_id 2323787&vkey=pr_sf&fext.jsp&c_id=sf

Boy, I hope I'm wrong about this....but for now, I really dislike this move.

On the bright side, he's a gamer and a good fielder, which is something that will be valuable in the expansive and often cold Mays Field.  He's also right handed, so the park won't completely kill his power numbers.

On the brighter side: THIS MEANS WE PROBABLY AREN'T TRADING LINCECUM (knock on wood)!!!!!!!!!!!!  That is worth the extra time and money on the contract, IMHO.

So, let's say we give up JSnatch and Lewis for Godzilla... and let's pretend like Velez can play 2nd and Matsui is willing to play first:

Velez (2b)
Winn (LF)
Rowand (CF)
Matsui (1b)
Molina (C)
Schierholtz (RF) (please play him!)
Frandsen (3b)
Vizquel (ss)

Enchanter
Zito
Cain
Lowry
Correia

Wilson
Walker
Henney
Messenger
Misch
Trash
(Capellan?)

I can live with that, I guess...

(sorry... last one had lame formatting)

This deal really only works if we deal some of our other outfielders.  If we now see a package of Lowry (or Sanchez) + Roberts/Winn for a decent 1B or 3B I'll be happy.

We'll get to see some great defense at least. If Rowand cracks an .800 OPS I'd be happy. If we didn't already have 19 CF's I could almost live with it.

With his defense, an OPS of over .800 over the 5-year span could almost make him worthwhile.

Although, Sabes probably gave him 60-65 million at least. I'd have preferred Jones if we had to go into the FA market for an OF.

although the value of Rowand's contract was believed to have approached the five-year, $90 million package that Torii Hunter, another free-agent center fielder, recently received from the Los Angeles Angels.

Over/Under on how long it takes some Sabean defender to blame this on "Ownership"?

In any case, I hope we get 5 years of the .300 hitting version, not the .260 hitting version.

ZIPS:
Aaron Rowand             cf  30  .276  .339  .444 143 536  80 148 35  2 17  73  34 106  7  3
Shane Victorino#         rf  27  .277  .336  .440 142 452  78 125 23  6 13  57  33  63 20  4
AVERAGE CF ------------- cf ---- .275  .339  .435 ------------------------------------------

Wow, those 9 points of SLG above an average CF are clearly worth $2M/year.  Each.

By comparision, avg. CF in AT&T:
AVERAGE CF ------------- cf ---- .272  .336  .413 ------------------------------------------

:(

"terms were not immediately available, but the contract is believed to be worth in the neighborhood of $85 million"

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/10526445

Still, given the absence of any other alternatives, I prefer having him to not having him - especially if it means not trading Lincecum for Rios.

Rowand
Roberts
Winn
Lewis
Davis
Schierholtz

Infield of:
Vizquel
Durham
The severed arm of JT Snow with the glove propped open

I'm just going to guess at 74 million because Sabean probably backloaded it and threw more money at him.

Find out how many current Giants Sabean has described as "a gamer," "a scrapper," "has veteran leadership," or some other Sabeanisms. I'd really be interested to know.  But I can't go looking it up.

"Come out to the ballpark to see Barry Zito and Aaron Rowand!"

It's not $90 million, it's $60 million.

There. Doesn't that feel better?

This is a classic "panic" move...then again, Sabean was going to be damned either way.  Now he better damn well keep Lincecum and Cain and start moving the surplus in the outfield and on the pitching staff for nice bats or this will be all for not.  And if it's for not...put him in some cement shoes in the cove.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Aaron Rowand agreed to a $60 million, five-year contract with the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, giving the club the starting center fielder it sought this winter.

The 30-year-old Rowand is expected to bat fifth for San Francisco after spending the last two seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The only ones I give a crap about are Lincecum, Cain and Sanchez (specifically, whether he bring us Matsui).

I'm not particularly optimistic. It's a 50/50 chance that one of these kids has a terrible injury, another 50/50 chance that he has two or three good years and then fizzles completely, and another 50/50 chance that all of them will be as much of an offensive powerhouse as Delino DeShields with all the outfielding prowess of Jose Canseco.

Yeah, they could also all be Miguel Cabreras in center field. The point is, we should be enthused about the kids that give us reason to be enthusiastic, not ones that still have question marks lingering over their heads like they're WoW NPCs.

FWIW, Yahoo is reporting 5/60.

Wahoo.

70! 120! 85! 65! 90!

"Yeah he never learned how to properly negotiate"

They also said something about Sabean, at 5 ?

Yeah. That's me right now.

Bookmark it now, people.

That said, if this signing allows him to move some guys for players in areas where we actually NEED help, then fine. Sure, all of those amusement park type fans they have marketed so heavily to may not have recognized the names of the young position players he may or may not bring in..and this certainly adds to the payroll to possibly begin to justify the insane ticket prices to the STHs and everyone else who pays current face value.

Now that all the decent names have fallen off the board, let's see if Sabean has any ability left to swing a good deal or five and keep his nose out of the dumpster. I know...you may say I'm a dreamer...

So right now we have 8 guys that should be seeing time in the OF??:

Rowand
Winn
Roberts
Schierholtz
Davis
Lewis
Ortmier
Velez

and Bowker possibly ready in another season

way to balance it out for the future...man, has Sabean got a lot of work ahead to get some prospects (from here or elsewhere) ABs in this lineup.

and by celebration, i mean extreme sorrow.