Sarge 'n' Pierre

I actually don't mind Juan Pierre...on a team without Randy Winn. Playing the take-away-one-bad-half game led me to be optimistic about Matt Morris, so there's no reason to do the same for Pierre. He's a ridiculously average-dependent player, and that means he's going to be ridiculously inconsistent. The Giants could sign him, and he could hit .330/.380/.400 just as easily as he could .260/.290/.320. That might be a risk worth taking on a team without a leadoff hitter or center fielder. Not for the Giants, though.

I wouldn't mind Juan Pierre...on a team without Randy Winn...for a reasonable sum of money. $10M per year for Pierre? That has to be deliriously optimistic agent-speak that can be translated as, "If I get eight people to sign up, and they get eight people to sign up, and they get eight people to sign up...I'll never have to work again!" It's an idea so, so stupid and unrealistic that my fragile little psyche refuses to believe it would be considered reasonable by anyone in the Giants organization. Almost as disturbing, though, is the idea the Giants are desperate for a center fielder.

The problems with Randy Winn:

1. As a fielder, he's somewhere between Marvin Benard and Tsuyoshi Shinjo.
   
2. As a hitter, he's a center fielder.

His entire value is predicated on his hitting like he does in a normal season and playing an acceptable center. The rumors of the offseason all point toward Sabean chasing a center fielder: Gary Matthews, Pierre, Dave Roberts, etc.... If true, this would mean Sabean was always planning on finding a center fielder, and Winn was just a placeholder. The goal was always to move Winn to a corner, where he'd be one of the weakest corners in the game, and do it for a nice hometown gouging.

This is obviously the defining offseason of Sabean's career. He has 5/8ths of a lineup to fill -- or even 6/8ths of the lineup, if you consider catcher to be a priority. The free agent market is thin. There isn't much to trade, and there isn't much to trade for. Money isn't exactly tight, but spending is certainly limited. With all of those factors, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why would the first priority of the offseason be a position for which a competent placeholder exists? Not just competent, either, but an expensive sunk cost. It makes zero sense. The problem with the Giants' offense wasn't a lack of a speedster at the top of the order; the problem was that the team didn't know how to get on base or hit for power. Moving Winn to right-freaking-field isn't going to help that.

This has to be misdirection. At the end of the day, maybe Sabean is just laughing at us. Otherwise, I just can't begin to see how the OMFG CF!!!-plan of action makes any kind of sense. Allow me to reuse an image I used in the Pierre diary, though it could be just as valid for Matthews, Roberts, or any other situation that moves Randy Winn from center field: