The offseason has been one big orgy of versatility. Too strong? Well, it’s been a versatility key party, at the very least. Every player the Giants signed or re-signed in the offseason – with the exception of Bengie Molina – can play multiple positions. Not necessarily well, in some cases, but if you need Aubrey Huff to fake a left field for a few innings, he can do it.
This is important because Freddy Sanchez is on the double-secret disabled list, and he’s going to miss the start of the season. Not to fear, though, because this offseason has been one big cocaine binge of versatility. Too strong? Well, it’s been an ether-soaked rag of versatility, at least, inhaled when things get a little too real, man.
Long intro short: The Giants have options, even (especially?) with Travis Ishikawa likely to miss the start of the season as well. Now, they’re saying this is the probable arrangement:
DeRosa – LF
Uribe – 2B
Huff – 1B
They could, of course, go for this one:
DeRosa – 2B
Huff – LF
Posey – 1B
But I’m a fan of this one, which has absolutely no realistic chance of being the combination that’s selected:
Bowker – LF
DeRosa – 2B
Huff – 1B
This brings up a couple points:
- It’s amusing to watch a team that is short of players who can a) get on base and/or, b) hit for power, do everything they can not to evaluate a player who might be able to do both for the league minimum. Bowker was fantastic in a full season of AAA with a reworked approach, but he struggled in 67 at-bats in the majors. Most teams would pay more attention to the first part of the sentence. The Giants are the Giants are the Giants.
- Even before news of Sanchez’s surgery broke, there should have been a little buyer’s remorse about his deal. Now that he’s hurt again, it really doesn’t have peer as the worst Giants move of the offseason. DeRosa might not be the best fit in a corner outfield spot for a powerless team like the Giants, but he’s a good player. Huff might not be a good value bet at first when his defense is taken into account, but I’d rather watch him hit than Ishikawa, even accounting for Huff’s awful year in 2009. Uribe is making too much for a utility man, but at least he’s a good utility man. Molina is a little disappointing, but if Buster Posey really does need to polish his receiving skills, it’s a move that makes a little sense.
Sanchez, though? He’s making a significant salary, and there’s a comparable, if not preferable, player on the market right now who is waiting for a job. I wasn’t too put off by the signing early in the offseason, but I now regret my lack of disgust.
Comment starter: Your preferred no-Freddie contingency plan.