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Power!!!1

By Grant Brisbee

From the desk of Bruce Jenkins:

Nobody is more aware of the alarming power drought than managing owner Peter Magowan, who, for all the criticism he drew over staying too long with Bonds, quite rightly has his eye on star power. Perhaps Alex Rodriguez is a pipe dream. Maybe Adam Dunn winds up somewhere else. But for all the future emphasis on pitching, speed and defense - the only way the Giants are going to restore themselves as a contender - there will be a huge push this winter for power. Bengie Molina is a fine clutch hitter, but batting him fourth is hardly what they have in mind.
I'd like the Giants to have more power. Everyone would. I'd like a 40th-floor condo across from Mays Field, too. Here's the list of free agents with power:
Alex Rodriguez
Andruw Jones
Mike Lowell
Geoff Jenkins?
Pedro Feliz
Livan Hernandez
Oh, you can make the argument that guys like Torii Hunter, Mike Cameron, and Aaron Rowand have power, but you aren't going to be paying them for their power. Maybe I missed a guy or two with Cameronesque power, but you get the idea. Adam Dunn isn't a free agent this year, so there it is: the free agent power cavalry.

Alex Rodriguez is a great player. He'd just combine with Zito to suck up 50% of the payroll, and that's lunacy. I'm not opposed to a reasonable contract to see if Andruw Jones can still play, though I'm not sure what "reasonable" is for Jones. He's a weird case. Mike Lowell would be the best third baseman in the NL, or at least tied, if you use the right statistic for your argument (NbPF*), but he's hardly the centerpiece of a lineup, much less a rebuilding lineup.

Someone called KNBR this afternoon and said, "Hey, you know who we should spend Barry's salary on? Miguel Cabrera. He's a free agent, right?" That's the reason for the burgeoning "good riddance, Barry" sentiment; people really think there are good hitters who are worth the money and just waiting for the Giants to pay them. I'm not going to be so glib as to lump Magowan in with that group. But, well, yeah. The analogy isn't that strained.

There's going to be a big, big free agent mistake this winter. I'm a guessin' Andruw Jones will be here until 2013.

*Not being Pedro Feliz (adjusted for park). Lowell would currently be tied for first in the National League.

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