MONDAY, 2:19pm: FOX Sports' Jim Bowden tweets that Giants manager Bruce Bochy says Molina was just posturing.
SATURDAY, 8:37pm: Giants catcher Bengie Molina says that he will likely call it a career in the majors after the 2010 campaign, tweets Sean Farnham of FOX Sports Radio. Molina added that he is unhappy with the way the Buster Posey situation has been handled.
The news is surprising considering Molina's play so far this season. The 35-year-old is hitting .344/.403/.422 in 72 plate appearances. With that kind of offensive production, it's hard to imagine that the veteran really wants to retire.
A shade over two weeks ago, Molina expressed his frustrations with how his free agency played out this offseason. After turning down a $5.5MM offer from the Mets, Molina ultimately chose to stay in San Francisco for $1MM less. While his 80 RBIs impressed some, his .265/.285/.442 slash line didn't lead to a multiyear offer.
This one I highly doubt happening.
The Posey situation?
If Molina is unhappy with the Giants getting ready to have Buster Posey take over as catcher, he could have signed with the Mets. He knew what he was getting into; he knew Posey was about ready.
Good point but you can put Posey at first base with Huff. …and if the Moron who tweeted would elaborate, we wouldn’t be guessing what the situation with Posey is according to Molina.
Good point but you can put Posey at first base with Huff. …and if the Moron who tweeted would elaborate, we wouldn’t be guessing what the situation with Posey is according to Molina.
First a week or so ago he is unhappy about turning down a contract that would have made him one of the higher paid catchers in the game; still signing a deal way up there for catchers. Now he is unhappy with the Posey situation and is threatening to retire?
Drama Queen much, Bengie?
I don’t think there’s anyway he retires. What is he now 34 or something, obviously he isn’t in his prime, and Posey probably didn’t help the situation, but he can still be an average offensive catcher and a very good defensive catcher for maybe the mets
hes just saying this for upcoming FA attention. believe me, i know. because of the posey situation, he’ll retire from the giants, not retire from the MLB
Good point. Couldn’t have said it better myself.
can’t wait for the media attention that this is going to receive in the Bay Area. Ratto & Co are going to have a field day with this one…
I have said it before, I will say it again…
Bengie is dead to me. I will never forgive him for his “injury” last year in the pennant drive.
If he’s unhappy with the Posey situation, how do you think Posey felt all offseason and spring?
bye bye bengie
Don’t believe this dudes BS, he can’t even spell Bengie correctly. Molina is fine in SF, no doubt frustrated about free agency but the Posey situation? There is no situation, yet. Look at the numbers, the Giants are more likely to replace Huff then Molina with Posey.
Because Sabean is too dumb to understand positional value? If the Giants do anything but call up Posey and play him at catcher, they’re molesting their own future. And present.
“they’re molesting their own future. And present.”
Well that is Sabean Era Giants way after all.
While his 80 RBIs likely impressed Joe Morgan, his .265/.285/.442 slash line apparently didn’t impress teams around the majors.
I love the jab at Morgan, absolutely hilarious
I don’t think he’s quite done yet.
Though what are we really talking about? He’s had a good start of the year, but it can very quickly drop to what you’d expect a 35 yr old catcher sags down to by August. How many years does he really have in him left? A year? Maybe 2? Probably at diminishing returns and more prominent role as a backup? Does anyone here think he’s going to be a starting catcher for a significant amount of seasons approaching age 40?
Maybe Benji is just cogent enough to be the type of player who wants to leave his playing days on his own terms? He has that right.
That being said, I can understand why Benji might feel like he’s earned the kind of respect that proven MLB veterans warrant, which he has. And, not being so favorably treated by the Giants might rub that respect the wrong way. Though he should know that once you leave the original team that brought you to the show, you never get treated with the same kind of regard, and he’s standing in the path of one of those bright young homegrown players that will get a plenty of that special treatment.
You can’t have it both ways. If you leave for the money, don’t expect the same kind of care.
LOL @ the Joe Morgan joke.
Bengie has been solid for the Giants but his constant whining is too much! Hey Beng, how about the 23 million dollars the Giants paid you, setting up you and your family to live comfortably for the rest of your lives???
I can’t wait for Posey!!
I like how the report comes from a reporter down in L.A. Way to create drama and instigate while the Dodgers are in last place and the Giants are in contention.
Enjoy it while you can.
Fox is a national news source. Even as such, remember he spent the vast majority of his good years with the Angels, so it could have been a nod to the fans he still has down here.
Fox is a national source. I don’t consider it news.
This whole report is bunk, and isn’t being picked up by any other news sources. The quotations are entirely contrary to other comments on record by Molina at the end of last season and the start of this season regarding Posey’s development. I know Bengie’s a bit of a drama queen at times, but I call serious BS on this article. After all, why is an LA reporter breaking this two weeks after a SoCal roadtrip, rather than by a local journalist? It reeks of the same brand of irresponsible journalism as HOWARD 4 PUJOLS.
I’m still trying to figure out what the “Posey situation” is..
If it referes to the Giants blowing millions on an overpaid veteran while blocking a better, younger elite prospect then I guess I understand the “situaion”.
You fail to understand that baseball is a BUSINESS. If they brought Posey up he could easily reach Super 2 status which would cost the Giants more than the salary Bengie is making now.
Currently Bengie is doing great and Posey is learning from a great manager in AAA in Steve Decker.
Win/Win for the Giants.
Why don’t they trade him to the Red Sox since they need a good defensive catcher?
Bengie’s CS% at 17% is just a shade better than V-Mart’s.
Molina has only thrown out 3 runners in 18 attempts. He’s not any better than the current option’s the sox have.
Giant’s pitching does hold runners well, I mean every time I listen or watch the game teams are just running and running on the pitching staff.
It’s not Bengie’s fault
Bengie will be fine and will be the Giants starting catcher for the rest of the year. Bochy loves veterans. Posey may be brought up in June or so but only to be a two-day per week back up and a 1st baseman against left-handed pitchers. Bengie always hits best when he has his legs anyway and a Posey option will allow him to do that. Bengie may even be back next year if Posey does not hit well in the majors.
I think this reporter finally got the news via snailmail and tweeted it immediately. :^) Reading this tweet, it looks like something Molina said 6-8 months ago.
It would also be contrary to all the good words he himself said, not released via team PR, when he was surprisingly re-signed by the Giants. He said he understood his place as well as Posey, and would do all he can to help Posey develop. He even made the effort to call Posey himself and talk it out.
However, Molina has been a drama queen frequently, belying the image of catchers as tough guys, and this could have been a reaction to the Chronicle’s recent article where the reporter complained about Molina’s lack of production, suggesting that Posey is ready to come up to help the offense, when all Bengie had was a 3 game bad streak that prompted that unwarranted article. Irrational, but Bengie does have his moments and that reporter probably didn’t help with that article.
Still, the statement as tweeted seems too far out there even for Molina to say it, at least at this point in time. At best, maybe Molina expressed some dissatisfaction with something and the reporter, not being a local reporter, dug up some background stuff to add some juice to the tweet, thinking that Molina still felt the same way he did 6-8 months ago (really, that is something that exactly could have been said that long ago) but which a local reporter would have known better. That’s why I rarely trust the word of reporters outside of the SF Bay Area for news about the Giants.
I think this reporter finally got the news via snailmail and tweeted it immediately. :^) Reading this tweet, it looks like something Molina said 6-8 months ago.
It would also be contrary to all the good words he himself said, not released via team PR, when he was surprisingly re-signed by the Giants. He said he understood his place as well as Posey, and would do all he can to help Posey develop. He even made the effort to call Posey himself and talk it out.
However, Molina has been a drama queen frequently, belying the image of catchers as tough guys, and this could have been a reaction to the Chronicle’s recent article where the reporter complained about Molina’s lack of production, suggesting that Posey is ready to come up to help the offense, when all Bengie had was a 3 game bad streak that prompted that unwarranted article. Irrational, but Bengie does have his moments and that reporter probably didn’t help with that article.
Still, the statement as tweeted seems too far out there even for Molina to say it, at least at this point in time. At best, maybe Molina expressed some dissatisfaction with something and the reporter, not being a local reporter, dug up some background stuff to add some juice to the tweet, thinking that Molina still felt the same way he did 6-8 months ago (really, that is something that exactly could have been said that long ago) but which a local reporter would have known better. That’s why I rarely trust the word of reporters outside of the SF Bay Area for news about the Giants.
This tired postulation from Benji about the very primative response from Giant MGT that their answer to offensive woes is Bringing up Buster in June. I’m totally with Benji on this one. Both he and Whitey are executing their roles to near perfection w/ exceptionof stolen bases against . Even a Babe Ruth league player knows that at least 75% of stolen bases are on the pitcher. This Posey smoke and mirrors game Brian Sabean continues to spew at the Giant fanbase, through the media would simply have to wear thin on the incumbents. Absolutely shameless misdirection by Sabean to mask his total incompetence to put together a substantial trade for bonafide slugger. Same problem last year , same B.S. solution. Giant Mgt. needs to get a new set of mirrors for this purpose .Bochy the company man that he is (BOTCHYBALL) probably wont play Buster at catcher that much this year anyway.First, DH interleague, and some catcher. Sabean always hedging the bets he’s already placed, never playing for the pot. Just discraceful. Get creative, construct the necessary deal and let these pros already on the roster go about their business until they are no longer on the roster. If that means Benji become part of that deal it would appear not to be a problem given the current tactics in play. Infantile, or at least juvenile of Giants organization. REALLY NOW.