It's been less than a week since the Giants were crowned World Champions, but GM Brian Sabean has already started to act on his offseason agenda. Here's the latest from San Francisco, courtesy of Andrew Baggarly of The Mercury News…
- Sabean was very explicit in saying that Pablo Sandoval will be sent to the minors next year if he doesn't improve his conditioning. Kung Fu Panda will spend the winter with fitness and nutrition experts in San Diego before reporting to Spring Training a month early. He will have benchmarks to meet this offseason.
- Sabean has reached out to the agents for Aubrey Huff and Juan Uribe, and although he acknowledged that both players are priorities, he couldn't commit to bringing them back. The market could play out very favorably for those two.
- The team is currently discussing Pat Burrell internally, who would be brought back in a reserve role if anything. Remember that the Giants will have Mark DeRosa and his righty bat back from injury next season.
- Sabean's priority is to get more left-handed, and when asked about Carl Crawford, he responded "We'll see. That's the best answer I can give you."
- Sabean also said that he's still upset about being portrayed as a suitor for CC Sabathia two offseasons ago, claiming he never met with the player or his representatives. "[W]e do not want to be somebody’s fallback or stalking horse to be used as leverage," said the game's longest-tenured GM.
- Baggarly doesn't think the Giants will be serious players for Jayson Werth, and their desire to get more athletic could take them out of Adam Dunn sweepstakes.
- The team's payroll is expected to eclipse the $100MM mark for the first time, and Sabean wouldn't commit to offering arbitration to all eight of his eligible players. He is interested in bringing them all back, however.
- It almost goes without saying, but Sabean is hopeful that the World Series victory will make San Francisco a more desirable landing spot for free agents.
I think the Kung Fu Panda should take some Kung Fu classes for his offseason conditioning.
Carl Crawford in a Giants uni would be beautiful
Would be great if he called a news conference to announce he’s “taking his talents to McCovey Cove”
That would be priceless haha.
Carl Crawford in a Giants uni would be beautiful
Sandoval should be ashamed of himself. I understand very well how hard it is to eat right and stay healthy but if you’re an athlete capable of earning millions then you shouldn’t be told to stay in shape and in fact you should feel shamed that you might be letting yourself, your family and your teammates down.
Completely agree. A professional athlete is payed millions of dollars to be in top physical condition. There isn’t any excuse not to be.
You would be right, if Pablo was actually making millions of dollars but he is not. Plus its easy for you to say, but you dont know his problems and his knowledge. Actually, most latin players have been use to eating “whatever” since they were little kids, and eating like that has gotten them here, so they are somewhat ignorant on the correct ways of eating and they are also use to eating a certain way, matter fact most of them never lifted weights in their lives either, they got that natural power and well lets be real its hard to break habits. So stop being ignorant and judging without actually knowing.
Pablo Sandoval has been playing professional ball now for 4 years and I would think he might have gotten some assistance or perhaps an idea that he should eating healthy and working out years ago. If he was brand spanking new I might buy that, but this is his 4th season of pro ball going on 5 next year.
Also, he didn’t have trouble hitting like a beast for the 2 previous years while he was heavy. The concern with his weight has more to do with his long term health and ability to man 3rd. As others have stated, it seems more likely that Panda’s issue with hitting is mental (considering what was going on in his private life) and his longevity tied to his weight.
I don’t think Pablo’s problem with his hitting is a mental one. I think the league found out how to pitch to him and its working. Ibelieve that Bam Bam and Pablo will be working around the clock this offseason to correct this and he will soon return to his ’09 form.
The first month of the season he hit well and the second to last he turned in a really nice month with 6HR’s and a 300+average so it in part still seems to be there. I think more specifically it’s a combination of both a league adjustment and his personal issues.
Sandoval has made a career out of making solid contact with pitches regardless of where they are thrown and I don’t think his style is going to change anytime soon. It became apparent that the high fastball was a problem for him, but it wasn’t that he was making outs every time because of high heat, he was simply not hitting anything at all.
pablo is 23 or 24 years old. not sure exactly. but he was signed when he was 16 years old. hes been getting paid to play baseball for a long time. definetly long enough to figure out that he needs to loose weght.
YanksFan typed “capable” of earning millions.
But, I think Pablo’s weight is a symptom of being young and strong willed. He has always been able to play and party in the past, but now it is catching up to him. I don’t know very many kids his age that take threats of lifestyle choices catching up with them very seriously. However, hit them in the paycheck, as Sabean is threatening to do, then you probably will get their attention.
Isn’t the US one of the most obese countries in the world? I don’t buy that ignorance of latin players. In that case, americans would be even more ignorants.
Yes but it’s less about latin americans choices and more about their lack of chance to make choices like what to eat.
Isn’t the US one of the most obese countries in the world? I don’t buy that ignorance of latin players. In that case, americans would be even more ignorants.
SC_Giants_28, I find it a little ironic that you’re telling someone to not be ignorant and to stop judging when you’re essentially telling us that because someone is from Venezuela he doesn’t know the difference between food that’s good for him and food that isn’t. Your opinion must not be very high of the basic level of intelligence for non-American players. Just because someone is from somewhere else doesn’t mean he grew up in a trash dump eating week old doughnuts. You’re the one who judged Sandoval. In fact he’s playing baseball at an elite level and his conditioning hasn’t followed suit, just because he’s Venezuelan doesn’t mean he has no responsibility to get in shape and stay in shape. At some point it’s not the fault of the system, it’s the fault of the individual. If he doesn’t get in shape he’s going to miss out on millions of dollars for playing a game most of us would play for free. It’s his responsibility. Don’t make lame excuses for him.
LOL you guys are funny on here, I am not judging him at all, I am just being real, Pablo is somewhat ignorant when it comes to eating habits and how to work out, I actually know what I am talking about, you know why? cause I know a lot about the guy that you dont even know, and even if you were to ask Pablo on a personal level, he will tell you that he has been ignorant about how to eat and what to eat. He was just use to eating whatever and whenever and when you get to American from a foreign country, that can be very dangerous, as someone mentioned, american is the most obese country with the huge portions. And like I mentioned, its not easy to break habits, it takes time and it takes a personal message like Sabean just sent him, to realize, Im doing something wrong here. I dont doubt that pablo will get back to the old pablo. He will be living with his wife to be this offseason and she hired a good personal trainer for him, so when he shows up early for spring training he will be good to go, he wont be skinny but he will be just fine.
I’m really interested to know, whilst being “real,” of course, what more you think you know about Sandoval than anyone else would…
I’m going to guess he assumes that since he is from San Francisco, he knows more than the “outsiders” about Sandoval.
Actually SC_Giants_28 doesnt need to know anyone on a personal level to know what he said about pablo is true. Anyone with an internet connection can see the well documented “Operation Panda” coverage from last off season and in one of the interviews Pablo openly admits his weight issues comes from being naive on how to eat healthy and would make McDonald’s runs after night games. It was also documented part of his weight issue was what he would eat when returning to his hom country… lots of fried foods, fatty meats, etc. So yes part of the problem comes from his background, but the bigger part is him not knowing how to eat healthy in the first place. That ignorance matched with the food in the US (particular the fast and chain food) and its a dangeous situation for someone who doesnt know better.
I would explain to you, but then it wouldnt matter because you would come up with another “smart” comment and it would never end. So ill keep what I know and well you can do the same 🙂
Well said. And the fact that he was probably in a baseball academy before the age he was signed (16) where physical training is stressed as much as learning to read and write then I can’t imagine him being unaware of his need to stay in shape.
First off the statement was pretty innocuous but take how you want. I did say that he is “capable of earning millions” and if you factor in whatever his signing bonus, whatever he earned in the minors and the major lge minimum he made the last two years then he HAS earned over a million thus far.
What I said was not to denigrate Pablo but fact is fact. When a professional athlete is signed to a deal there exists a contract between the two entities. The team pays a salary and provides a support system and the player has the responsibility to keep their bodies in top physical condition inorder to make the most they can of their abilities for the benefit of their team.
This statement reaks of something “stinky”
“most latin players have been use to eating “whatever” since they were little kids, and eating like that has gotten them here, so they are somewhat ignorant on the correct ways of eating and they are also use to eating a certain way, matter fact most of them never lifted weights in their lives either, they got that natural power and well lets be real its hard to break habits”.
Eating “whatever”? You make it sound like latin players eat like the guy from “Bear vs Wild” living off of tree grubs and prickly pear cactus. Latin ppl and Latin players in general come in all shapes and size and there are FAR, FAR fewer “Panda’s” than there are the garden variety 6 ft 185 lb players. Sandoval obviously has a specific body type and metabolism unique to him. I have no clue if he has a medical cause for being so overweight (by professional athletic standards) such as thyroid problems or Cushin’s syndrome but I would be shocked if the team doctors haven’t diagnosed him for it already.
Regardless, my statement is far less ignorant than you suggesting that his economic circumstances in Venezuela (that neither of us are privy to) have led to his poor eating habits (which may or may not exist) and his current state of physical conditioning. So YOU stop being an ignorant knob and stop overreacting to a statement that simply says “Athletes getting paid a lot shouldn’t be fat”.
(Note to self) Just call the guy a poopy head next time and save yourself all that long typing.
Dear Moderator,
“Poopy head”? Cmon.
What is really ignorant is your post. You make it sound as if latin players never saw weights or don’t know about nutrition. Nor that when they go to an organized environment are not exposed to healthier alternatives and sound diet programs. Minor leaguers as well as major leaguers are given meal money, so eating healthier shouldn’t be a problem.What your doing is making a grossly lame excuse for an athelete that’s has let himself go.
Well you obviously never experienced living in a third world country before, Its one thing to have weights, but another to know how to properly use them, and its one thing to know about nutrition and another to have the resources. And please with your minor league meal money, do you know how much they actually get? and im not making excuses for him, I am just saying its hard to break bad habits but sooner or later you realize your doing something wrong, and Pablo has realized it, He will come through next year, youll see.
Venezuela is not a third world country, outside of that, I agree that he will do better next season. A lot of expectations were placed on him prior to the beginning of the 2010 season, he didn’t condition himself in the Winter, and that divorce couldn’t have been very good for him. Despite all of that, he performed like an average 3rd baseman this year. We all know that he has the ability to play better than that and I believe in him. He’s why I’m a Giants fan.
“Duh….what do I do with deez waits. Does I eat them? Do I juggle them in the air”? Dude I thing you really seeling short the ppl of Venezuela and Latin countries in general. They DO have gyms, world class athletes, etc
No,I have never gone to a third world country. Though I have been to Europe and South America a few times. I’m thinking neither have you, as a matter of fact, I’m thinking you have never left your cozy little dream world, judging by your moronic statements.
I make a point to never pass value judgements on what blogger post’s. I may disagree and debate what they say, but I don’t take it personal or to heart.
Your posts are an exception, not only are they ignorant, but they’re self indulgent and condescending. Venezuela is not a third world country, it has large pockets of poverty but it’s an industrialized and modern country. Sandoval came to this country much less robust than he is now. What ever stage of education he came with could not have regressed that he’s less intelligent now then when he arrived. You need not be a rocket scientist to figure out how to use weights. Go back and read your posts and realize how all you did was insult Sandoval, Venezuela, and the intelligence of anyone who takes your posts seriously.
This is what I imagine.
*sabean showing Pablo around*
*walks by weight room*
(Pablo)hey, what’s that room? With all that stuff?
(sabean)just keep walking Pablo!! That’s not for you.
He didn’t see the ball, maybe he needs glasses, Cause his conditioning has VERY little effect on the way he hits.
He had that issue at the beginning of the year where an optometrist discovered he had horrible vision out of his strong eye. They prescribed him Chris Sabo goggles. Whatever happened to that? Laser surgery? Contacts?
I’ve been wondering that too. I can’t imagine Giants management just letting him play without anything to improve his vision now that they are aware of his eyes.
So they’re finally put Panda on a very short leash huh. Serves him right, this is the kind of discipline he needs.
I’ve been convinced that Pablo is just not very smart, if he can’t see what’s going on around him (literally) and how easy it is for pitchers to figure him out, or Bam Bam can’t do it. I just don’t think he will. He’s young but not THAT young…lovable yes, smart enough? meh.
I have a feeling he accomplished more professionally and made more money that you did by 23. If you want to call him stupid because he’s hitting “only” .260 in the Major Leagues, go ahead.
This smacks of racism, honestly.
I agree. I happen to be a wee bit Venezuelan myself and a big fan of Pablo. I don’t enjoy seeing these comments. The man has been playing the game the same way since he was young. Old habits die hard. However, it worked pretty well for 2008, 2009, and the beginning of 2010 that I can’t believe that it’s just his batting approach.
I agree. I happen to be a wee bit Venezuelan myself and a big fan of Pablo. I don’t enjoy seeing these comments. The man has been playing the game the same way since he was young. Old habits die hard. However, it worked pretty well for 2008, 2009, and the beginning of 2010 that I can’t believe that it’s just his batting approach.
Come on, man, calling a baseball player “not very smart” is racism? Especially one who has conditioning issues? Sandoval, like every other MLB-caliber player, can anticipate situations on the baseball field much better than any of us could ever dream of, but in terms of making good life decisions off the field, he hasn’t shown a great amount of intelligence. Neither have Brian Giles and Milton Bradley – does that make me a racist towards white people and black people?
You know it does. Who don’t you hate? Hahahaha.
I don’t see how DeRosa is considered an improvement over Burrell. Sure, he’s already under contract for 2011, and is only an average-or-better defender in a corner outfield spot – that is to say, he could be a defensive liability in the infield – but Burrell should be available for cheap and has a much higher upside than DeRosa. I think that expecting a guy who hasn’t played healthy since the middle of 2009 to come back and be a legitimate middle of the order hitter is asking a bit much of him.
That said, if the Giants manage to bag Crawford, all of that becomes irrelevant. If it were to happen, I see the Giants unloading one or both of Aaron Rowand (and eating the lion’s share of his contract in the process) and Nate Schierholtz, especially if they intend to make room on the roster for Burrell as their high leverage PH option.
I think the question is if the difference in production from DeRosa to Burrell is worth adding payroll. As you said, DeRosa is already on the payroll, Burrell is not. I don’t think Burrell will be cheap. He produced at a 30hr pace after he got here, and had a >700 OPS in the NLCS vs. arguably nearly as good a staff as we have. His WS performance will not effect the market that much.
The question I have is if DeRosa will take a walk like Burrell will. Pat being in that spot in the line up after Huff and Posey, and before Uribe not only added the HR threat but also a very tough out which I’m sure you realize being a Giants fan is something our lineup really really needed.
My concern is that I feel that DeRosa is and always has been miscast as a #5 hitter in San Francisco, just like Molina was miscast as a #4. If the offense is serious about improving, then they need hitters behind Huff and Posey that can give them some protection. Sure, DeRosa scraped out 20 HR seasons in ’08 and ’09, but his strength coming off of multiple wrist surgeries is a big question mark. If you have Burrell batting 5th, Ross 6th, and Sandoval/Uribe/DeRosa 7th, then you’re looking at a more legitimate regular season lineup.
As for Burrell’s contract, he’s 34, is probably viewed as a NL-only player, and doesn’t play great defense. He won’t get a ton of offers. I could see the Padres making another run for him, but I think they would have to outbid beyond their means to woo him away from the Giants.
I think it will be Burrell or Uribe but not both back. Uribe may get many offers. DeRosa can play all the positions that Uribe can. I wish we could get rid of DeRosa.
But if somehow we get Crawford, I will cry and dance!! lol Don’t think it’s possible though.
We thought Uribe would get lots of offers last year, too, and he didn’t hit .250 in 2009 like he did this year. Sure, the postseason was a good spotlight for Uribe, but I think his odds on the open market are overstated.
DeRosa can’t play shortstop. He hasn’t played more than an inning or two there since 2005, and even then he wasn’t any good at it.
Not fulltime, but spot starts are fine. I like Uribe better, but we have 6 mill in DeRosa either way.
I see the Giants keeping both Burrell and DeRosa since they both have some pop and are great clubhouse personalities. I also think they should platoon DeRosa and Sandoval at third.
The Giants are definatley going to trade Rownd this offseason. Since Werth is probably going to leave Philly, they’ll need a right handed bat to platoon with Brown.
There’s also no way the Giants pick Crawford up this season. That is unless every team he meets with ticks him off or for some strange reason nobody will bid higher than us.
Sandoval should team up with Fielder, get their eyes held open a la A Clockwork Orange, be forced to watch Run Fatboy Run a dozen times over, and then have them train together.
They could make this the next reality tv show too.
This is sin! This is sin! This is sin! It’s a sin, it’s a sin, it’s a sin!
I know, I felt dirty just thinking it! Putting any lame comedy with a masterpiece like A Clockwork Orange is just wrong.
I’d be the first case of disliking one’s own comment if possible.
Well at least you can admit to the awesomeness that is Clockwork Orange.
Malcolm McDowell totally made that film what it is.
Here comes Alex!
It would take Alot of money to bring Carl and werth to the giants. It’s a none hitters park and their numbers will drop significantly going there.
But Crawford is gap hitter, and AT&T has triples alley and huge gaps, his career doesn’t rely on the longball.
Just read yours after i typed all that
How would Crawford’s numbers slide? He’d probably lead the league in triples.
I actually think Crawford would fit in perfectly in AT&T. His triple number will sky rocket and he will have at least 5 inside the park homeruns because of triples alley.
On the contrary, AT&T park is not very bad on right handed power hitters like werth (he even poked one out to right there this year) and is also friendly to a lefty with speed like Crawford, as he would be able to use the spacious outfield to his advantage. It’s all a moot point, though, because Sabean has already said that the Giants are out of the running on the big free agents. With the arb raises and trying to re-sign guys like Huff and Uribe, there is very little left in the budget.
At a casual glance, AT&T looks like a great fit for Werth. A power bat from the right side who hits lots of doubles and plays plus defense in RF. However, 10 of his 27 HRs this season were to the right half of the field. Three were right into where Triples Alley is, and 3 of his 4 “true” RF homers probably wouldn’t have cleared the bricks in San Francisco. He has proved he can hit them out to RF in San Francisco, but he would almost certainly see some depression in his power numbers if he became a Giant, much moreso than he would if he were a dead pull power hitter like, say, Pat Burrell or Juan Uribe.
His slugging % might dip a little and some of the HRs may become doubles or triples but you get him in there with Huff, Posey, a healthy DeRosa and hopefully the Sandoval we saw in 2009 and thats quite a middle of the order. But lets be honest.. it aint happening
Werth may turn out to be Rowand 2.0 for us. Crawford is FAR better option.
LF Crawford
CF Torres
RF Ross
LOVE THAT idea!!!
Rowand was never as a good as Werth is. Not only was Rowand always a streaky hitter but he never hit for the same power, and has only come close to matching Werth’s career RC+ twice.
What I will agree with is Crawford maybe the better fit because speed and defense are much more valuable to us right now than power. The Giants didnt do too bad hitting HRs but were terriblely slow and hit into waaayyyy too many DPs. I think Crawford helps us at the top of the lineup where we need a higher OBP and more speed.
If Crawford was a homerun hitting type of player. It would probably really benefit him. He hits gap to gap and if the ball starts rolling he has a lot of XBH’s at AT
Fatty can’t control his eating habits, he’ll be in Fresno this season guaranteed.Can’t wait to see Brandon Belt in SF.
I bet Brandon Belt is treated like Posey was this season… mid season call up.
I bet he doesn’t. Belt playing first doesn’t even compare to Posey staying in Fresno 2 months to work on his skills behind the plate with former catcher Steve Decker.
Good point, but still, I dont see Sabean making that move
Pablo is eating himself out of the league will force his hand. Huff can play LF also.
I’ve seen that written already.
I’m very excited about Belt. Hope he doesn’t turn into Ortmeier/Niekro/Ellison/Bower/Schierholtz
He won’t. Those guys were never really deemed to be among the best prospects and only played in leagues when they were older than the average players there. Brandon Belt has done everything and beyond in ONE SEASON at a young age. He went from A, to AA, and finished the year with some time in AAA. The kid has a great approach, power, etc.
He won’t. Those guys were never really deemed to be among the best prospects and only played in leagues when they were older than the average players there. Brandon Belt has done everything and beyond in ONE SEASON at a young age. He went from A, to AA, and finished the year with some time in AAA. The kid has a great approach, power, etc.
While I believe Belt is a legitimate prospect, I don’t doubt they keep him in the minors until at least June because of the little experience he has against older competition in AAA. Remember how well Thomas Neal did last year in High-A? Brought him up to AA and while he didn’t do that bad, he didn’t produce like he did last year. I’m really hoping he doesn’t turn into a Lance Niekro..
The transition from AA to AAA is not as rough as the transition from high A to AA. Plus, he did great at every stop. But I agree that he probably won’t get called up until June or so (unless our offense needs a boost).
The transition from AA to AAA is not as rough as the transition from high A to AA. Plus, he did great at every stop. But I agree that he probably won’t get called up until June or so (unless our offense needs a boost).
Dude, I saw your red and white profile pic there and without looking closely thought it was a Phillies logo. I was just about to rip on you, but your Belt comment made me look twice.
If Panda hit .330 with 25 hr this year, his weight would not be that big of an issue. But the fact is he didn’t. Pablo is always going to be big, that is just his body type. But he needs to lose weight and get in shape in order to be an elite hitter and a complete player who can last the entire season.
On Crawford: even if the giants go after him, they will most likely be outbid by the big money teams. That being said, I think the Giants need to take a long look at him. He would be a great fit for at&t park. It is a pitchers park and home runs are just not going to come that easily. He is the type of player the giants offense needs to be built around.
He was listed at 231lbs for 2009, and is currently listed at 246, but probably should be more. That might, at least partially, explain such a major regression.
To my eye, towards the end of the season, he looked like he was pushing 275 lbs. at 5’11”, if that’s his real height.
“If Panda hit .330 with 25 hr this year, his weight would not be that big of an issue. But the fact is he didn’t.”
Probably somewhat true, but his D at 3B was getting hard to watch, because he couldn’t get to the soft rollers in time to make a good throw. It is an interesting to contemplate as much as the Giants value defense.
After the Giants re-sign Huff and Uribe that should be the end of dealing with free agents this offseason. There are no free agents close to resembling what the Giants need. A patient hitter with pop and speed.
I hope Sabean tries to trade for a left handed bat. Maybe Cleveland’s right fielder Shin-Soo Choo? Or maybe Nick Markakis?
I also love the fact that the Giants are cming down hard on Sandoval. He has loads of talent. I think he’ll soon become the hitter Vladimir Guerrero was when he was in his prime. He just needs to work for it.
The difference between vlad and Pablo is that vlad actually makes contact and hits the ball. Vlad only had about 60 k’s this season. Pablo needs soo much work this off season to even stay out of AAA. Physically and mechanically
While Pablo does K at a higher percentage than Vlad, it’s not like 14.4% is unbearable. And if you take a look at Pablo’s contact percentage, he makes pretty much the same amount of contact that Vlad did in his prime. Also, the break downs for inside and outside the strike zone swing to contact percentages are also very comparable.
Something I found interesting that may be a contributing factor in Pablo’s decline is that he swings at pitches inside the strike zone roughly 80% of the time, which is about 15% above the league average, but his contact rate on pitches inside the strike zone is equal to league average.
He definatly needs to cut down on his swing and miss rate and I know that he is very popular in SF however he is an AL guy on an NL team. Maybe if he can slim down some and get his value up they can move him in a deal to an AL team. Maybe chicago for Carlos Quentin?
Carlos Quentin? We already have a great CF and an expensive one on the bench. We’re full of OFers, don’t need another one. Besides, Pablo’s under team control for 4 more years and is much cheaper. Pablo’s defense has really been taken out of proportion. He’s not Brooks Robinson out there, but, he really isn’t that bad (replacement level I believe).
come on man, you cant tell me you cant notice his range took a big dip between 2009 and 2010. He also just got a lot fatter in an off season where the goal was to slim down.
And lets be honest, if we hadn’t seen what he could do (2009 season) we’d be all begging Sabs to get a better 3B because Sandoval was actually below league average at the plate and wasn’t that good in the field either. Point is his 2010 campaign put him below a league average replacement so if he doesnt improve we could plug just about anyone else in there and they’d out perform him… only difference we know he’s better then that.
BTW… if you dont believe he was below league average, take a look here at his advanced stats: fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=5409&posit…
According to this, it proves my point. His fielding actually improved from last year (he has a positive UZR compared to last year). He produced 1.9 WAR which is roughly league average. I don’t know what you’re talking about.
You know what i was looking at his UZR at 1B not 3B which actually shows some improvements so you’re right there (although his range is starting to suffer). But that proves my point even more…. Sandoval was pretty bad at the plate this year with a .732 OPS, .314 wOBA and a 95 wRC+. So his defense actually carried his WAR which for his limited range isnt a good thing. Not to mention early in the year when he was killing the ball, he was consistently grounding into double plays (which went on all year) and couldnt hit with RISP. I’m not one to say a guy lives and dies by rbi’s but he sucked when it counted the most and needs to get more dedicated to his trade.
Well, Jayson Werth really sucked with RISP this season. Albert Pujols grounds into a lot of double plays, not just this year but for his career (this was his first season ever with it being this high for Pablo, it could just be an outlier or a reflection of the team’s overall lack of speed). I think it’s mostly bad luck. This team led the league in GIDP for a reason, the only fast guy is Andres. However, this is but one season of not amazing play. Pablo’s only 23 with talent.
Last year he had little incentive to condition himself. I mean, he was big last year and that didn’t stop him from being great. A little change in fortune should get him in shape. You can’t give up on players so quickly. Also, range is not as crucial in being a 3rd basemen, it’s arm strength. However, shedding a few pounds should allow him to reach a few more balls and may help with the DPs.
I agree with you for the most part and have not given up on Sandoval… but you can’t deny he has gotten bigger since he emerged in ’08 and this after the whole “Operation Panda” BS. Its hard to know if which season showed a lot of good luck or a lot of bad luck… maybe his true talent resides somewhere between the two (maybe around a 3.5 WAR). Whatever the case the dude needs to shed about 25 lbs and start adjusting to pitchers who have already adjusted to him. If he doesnt do that (which i believe he will) the Giants need to move on.
Carlos Quentin? We already have a great CF and an expensive one on the bench. We’re full of OFers, don’t need another one. Besides, Pablo’s under team control for 4 more years and is much cheaper. Pablo’s defense has really been taken out of proportion. He’s not Brooks Robinson out there, but, he really isn’t that bad (replacement level I believe).
I’ve been a huge advocate of Shin-Soo Choo who I think is the most underrated outfielder in the league. The only way I see this working is a straight up trade of Cluberson and Belt for Choo. As much as I love Choo I would rather the Giants just pursue him in free agency and not give up those position players. Plus if the Giants make it back to the World Series next season they’re going to become power players in the free agency market in no time. Raise pitchers in the farm system and go after hitters in free agency is not a bad way for this organization to go.
Not to mention that Choo’s citizenship issues are still lingering.
It’s pretty remarkable, though, that if Pablo can figure things out, in two years the Giants could have an entirely homegrown starting infield and starting rotation. Posey, Belt, Culberson, Crawford (or Adrianza), Sandoval, Lincecum, Sanchez, Cain, Bumgarner, Runzler. That’s just ridiculous, although I still reckon Brandon Crawford and Dan Runzlers as longshots for the major leagues in the long run.
I believe you mean Zach Wheeler not Dan Runzler as he’s already on the Giants and is a short reliever.
There are internal talks about converting Runzler to a starter; his “stuff” is above average, and with Affeldt locked up or another year and Lopez all but a lock to be retained through arbitration, there’s no real spot on the 25-man for Runzler to fill as a lefty reliever without a strongly defined role. So he’s likely to be in Fresno to start 2011 anyway, so they might try to make him into a starter to fill the void left by Joey Martinez.
As for Wheeler, he’s definitely got great stuff, but he’s still only in the low minors; the outlooks on when he will be in the big leagues tend to vary, but I think that 2013 is a more reasonable expectation than 2012, especially given Zito’s contract status.
You could always bring Runzler on as another lefty reliver. He may come in handy against our division rivals. A. Gonzalez (SD), C. Gonzalez (COL), Ethier (LAD).
You really don’t need three lefty relievers on a pitching staff. If you have a 12-man staff, that leaves 7 spots for your closer (Wilson), 2 lefties (Affeldt, Lopez), your RH setup man (Romo), and 3 other RHP: preferably a 7th-inning type guy (Casilla), and two MRs, one of whom can be used in long relief – this year, Medders, Joaquin, Mota, Ray, and Bautista were all used in that capacity at some point.
Worst case scenario, Runzler builds the endurance to work as a long-reliever, a la Martinez. Best case scenario, you have a lefty who can spot-start, a la Tim Stauffer. You can bet that Lopez will get the dubious honor of facing Andre and the Gonzaleses next season.
If they’re quality arms, it doesn’t matter which arm they use. However, it’s nice to have a LOOGY like JLo.
I love how the giants have the problem of too many arms where they don’t know where to put them.
True, but I still think Runzler has some great stuff and I’d rather have him on the team even though he’s left handed. Also say Affeldt or Lopez go on the DL it would be nice to have him used to pitching to Major League hitters not AAA hitters.
I think Wheeler would be our number 5 starter in two years, not Runzler.
Wheeler has more upside as a starter. I think the Runzler starting idea is just in case we need a backup as we already traded Kevin Pucetas and Joe Martinez.
Wheeler has more upside as a starter. I think the Runzler starting idea is just in case we need a backup as we already traded Kevin Pucetas and Joe Martinez.
I like…Choo is indeed underrated, still in arb years (not sure how many), and only made 400K something last year he’s do a fatty raise but should still remain cheapish compared to others with those numbers, he’s all Cleveland’s got for a future affordable hitter or trade bait. Hard to say what they would do. I’d be scared to give up a young potential stud 1st basemen though.
Sorry but theres no way the Giants trade Belt. I could see a Neal, Joaquin, Burriss trade since Choo since he has never been an all star and has no accolades on his mantle. Also theres the problem with his citizenship and he only has two good seasons under his belt and he’s already 28.
There doesn’t figure to be very many fitness and nutrition experts in SAN DIEGO that want to see Pablo Sandoval get into better shape, so that might be the Giants’ first mistake.
My hunch is that the only “benchmarks” that Sandoval will make in the offseason are the ones he leaves when he sits on a bench.
Bochy chose San Diego, since he worked there for over a decade as the manager of the Padres. There is speculation that he is arranging for Pablo to work with someone from Camp Pendleton.
I’d imagine Bochy suggested training him in San Diego for two reasons: 1) keep him away from his friends, family and party scene back home in Venezuela and the Bay Area and 2) keep him close enough to keep the fear of his manager in his heart and so Bochy can pay him a visit and keep in touch with the front office on his progress. Bochy has a winter house in the San Diego area.
Someone should get Patrick Willis to whip him into shape. Have Pablo do all the MMA training Willis did last off season and he might report 20 lbs lighter and a heck more focused.
why would any free agent sign with the giants after the way they are treating their players by saying “we won the world series, no dont’ let the door hit you in the fanny on the way out.” I figured they would compete this year with their pitching but their lineup was so-so, but the lineup came through.
Most athletes want to play for a winner. Standing pat while everybody improves is not going to help the final standings.
So because the Giants won the series they should do things like pick up Renteria’s $10.5 million option and give them whatever they ask for at the expense of the overall good of the team? Have to disagree. Sure, if this was the Yankees, then yeah, bring these guys back, but pretty sure there’s a budget.
Right. $10.5 million dollars is way too much for a sentimental overpay. There’s nothing to say that the Giants can’t still resign Renteria, much as it would better serve both parties for Edgar to retire, but nobody in baseball would pick up the option if they were in the Giants’ position.
I think someone’s bitter cause….
POSEY’S BETTER!
Maybe Braves fans think it’s just standard operating procedure for teams that don’t choke in the playoffs.
Calm down. Bravesfan just wants everything to be right in the world…..and posey is better. The guy can hit man.
This is ridiculous. They’re actively trying to resign basically all the players they had. The only guy they’ve let go is Renteria, and as great as he was in the WS, it just doesn’t make any sense for a mid-market team to waste 10M (or 1/10 of their payroll) on an aging shortstop who was pretty bad for most of his time in SF and was on the DL 3 times this year.
big mistake some previous winners made was signing on sentiment…if renteria had a poor post season to go with the injury riddle season would he give the $ he made back? no way….
the core of this team is on the bump and they’re all coming back…
when your pitching is this good, you have some flexiibility with big contracts of medicore players….
i’m not a giants fan, but getting to watch them play in prime time was a treat
Are you referring to Renteria? All they did was decline his option, that was for $10M or so. Would you like your beloved Braves trotting him out at short every day? You can’t let the World Series cloud your better judgement regarding next year’s squad.
I’m not a Sabean fan by any measure but he’s saying a lot of the right things this offseason (all 4 days of it).
Yea everyone says Carl fits in S.F but there are 2 problems. Yankees and redsox! They will be the highest bidders for him. Giants just won’t give him the 25 mill per year that he might be asking for. Adam Dunn might be the more realistic solution for s.f. He’s a left handed bat that can play first. And oh yea he is slow and a little over weight which is the other 2 prereq. That the giants look for
First of all, there is no way Crawford gets $25MM a year. Second, Adam Dunn already flat out refused to play in SF
I can’t tell which is more indicative of how little reading you do: your editing, or that you think the Yankees will be serious bidders for Crawford.
Since you do so much reading then you should know that the giants can’t afford Crawford. Their payroll is already going to exceed 100 mill next season without him. Stop getting your info from knbr and start reading actual facts. Giants won this year big deal! Season is over and everyone is looking on to 2011. Get over your selfs playoff giants fans and return all your gear that you recently purchased during the worldseries. Enjoy it while you can because it you won’t see it again for another 60 years.
If Sabean says they’re looking into it, I’ll assume that the Giants have a rainy day fund somewhere. They spent more than they said they would this year, and will likely do it again this offseason. But they’re still turning a profit, especially with all that extra revenue from October, so I’m not too worried about it. Whatever happens, happens. Being bitter won’t get you a new ballpark.
Sabean is the reason why the A’s haven’t gotten a new ball park. All these territorial rights that they don’t want to give up after the A’s gave it to them in the early 90’s. Bar far not bitter. The Giants have nothing the A’s don’t have already besides a park
“The Giants have nothing the A’s don’t have already besides a park.”
What about a World Series title in the new Millennium? Do the A’s have one of those? NOPE!!!
I’m not from San Francisco so maybe I just don’t get it, but why do A’s fans hate the Giants so much? They don’t play in the same league, only play each other 6 or so times a year, and are both generally excellent franchises. I don’t get it one bit. I’m a Giants fan but I would definitely consider the A’s as my favorite American League team, it hurts to see their fans take shots at the fans of my favorite team.
Sabean has nothing to do with that situation.
hey look its a bitter jealous A’s fan man I haven’t seen many A’s fans in years. You guys are great really its incredible even when the team was winning 100 games a couple years ago no one showed up to the games, nice loyalty. Now that the Giants win the world series, A’s fans the ones that are left at least, have nothing to brag about over the Giants anymore. The A’s play in the worst division have a good pitching staff(which A’s fans go as far as claiming they are better than the Giants) that can barely carry the A’s to .500 ya they sure are better. The Giants pitching staff carried a 72-win team to become an 88-win team in 1 year in a more competitive division and a worse offense. This guy is mad because the last time the A’s made the World Series they lost and haven’t been back there in 20 years. I don’t hate the A’s but seriously why do you need to hate so much?
Sabean being very vague about Crawford points to one thing…they are in fact serious about attaining him. Think about it? He fits well into their plans of getting more athletic and stressing defense. Crawford’s hitting will not be an issue at AT&T and in fact I think he will excel, but there were reports of Crawford wanting to transition more into a pure hitter instead of a “speed” guy in the later years of his contract when his legs won’t be as strong. Anyway Crawford in a Giants uniform would be a huge boost to our offense and with a core of Posey, Crawford, Sandoval, and Belt you have a very formidable middle of the lineup.
Sabean should be taken at his word about Crawford. They’ll check in early with him and his people, see if there is any interest at all, and if there is, he’ll play it out for a week or two. If not, he’ll circle back to Huff and Uribe, since they can’t afford to do all. He’s said he won’t get sucked into being someone’s patsy, and since Huff and Uribe apparently want to test the market now, there’s not going to be any immediate movement anyway.
There is no way San Francisco is going to be a major player in the free agent market. Nobody wants to play there long term, unless you are already a nut job. San Francisco is a pretty place, but it’s a joke of a city with ridiculously high taxes that the rest of the country would rather see secede from the union or just drift off into the Pacific.
“WHO’S THAT TRIPPING OVER MY BRIDGE?!” said the troll.
Yeah because no player wants to play for a team that just won the World Series and retains a pitching staff that is considered top 3 in baseball. Wait…
Well, enjoy that staff while you can. Lincecum will be long gone when his
contract year comes up. He’ll end up getting traded to the Yanks where
he’ll have to wear his hair high and tight like a man. They’ll probably
deal Wilson in that same trade, and he’ll have to shave off that brillo pad
on his grill. What a mess. He can carry Mariano Rivera’s luggage until he
decides to retire. The Giants are a team of cartoon characters. If it
wasn’t for real ballplayers like Buster Posey, Cody Ross, and Matt Cain, and
their manager Bruce Bochy, they wouldn’t have any class at all.
**
Again I sense more envy than reason here….
Can someone someone give this guy a tissue so he can wipe the tears out of his eyes because his team doesn’t have the awesomeness of Wilson’s beard and Lincecum’s changeup!
My team? My team has more class in one of it’s pinstripes than your team has on it’s whole roster. Especially when they are wearing those God-awful pumpkin colored jerseys. What an eye sore!
class? granted giants fans aren’t the classiest, but the whole cliff lee’s wife debacle really doesn’t help the class argument. get lost fool. Yeah, lincecum and Wilson are gonna be yankees? i suppose Wainwright and Pujols are gonna be traded for Nick Swisher and a bag of balls too right? you realize how far lincecum and wilson are from free agency? its not even remotely close. Yankee fans need to learn some self respect and self control. “buy me this and give me that or i’l bch!”
sadface
sadface
We’ll see how much the Lee family really cares about that when he signs with the Yankees within the week. He and his wife already said they could care less about what one random idiot did. And I can speak from experience going to many Giants games, their fans may be passionate, but they are THE most disrespectful to the opposing fans. Seen it first hand too many times. As far as Lincecum and Wilson go, I know they are under team control for a few more years, but as soon as they aren’t, I expect at least Lincecum to be traded.
the Giants aren’t a small market team they can lock up Lincecum not to mention Tim has already said he wants to stay here, the Giants won’t allow him to reach free agency, the Yankees won’t have a chance at getting him.
Seriously, the Giants payroll is going to be $100 million. Lincecum is
going to demand at least $20 million per year. That’s one fifth of the
team’s entire payroll. They might keep him, but if they do, say goodbye to
the rest of that pitching staff.
You forget, Rowand and Zito will be off the books. They cost us around 30 million dollars a year. I think we can use some of that to keep Timmeh.
the Giants aren’t a small market team they can lock up Lincecum not to mention Tim has already said he wants to stay here, the Giants won’t allow him to reach free agency, the Yankees won’t have a chance at getting him.
**Oh how I so love messing with No’Cals. So uptight. Hahahahaha.
I haven’t laughed so hard at such a ludicrous statement since Chuck Greenberg announced before game 5 that the Rangers were going to take the Giants to a Game 7 and beat them…LAWLS!
Joke of a city? You do realize that the only taxes that the city collects is sales tax, right? Do you really think someone making millions concerns themselves with what a city’s sales tax is? There’s a reason why a city’s real estate is among the most expensive in the country…usually because it’s a desirable place to live. Having lived there myself, I can attest to SF being one the best places to live in the country.
It’s a shame that my comment calling this dude out as a troll seems to have gotten moderated… oh well. I guess Dodger fans have to get their kicks somehow.
Dodgers fan? Uh… not even close.
My mistake. “Anonymous troll” it is, then.
And your the “voiceofreason”? Is that you Beck? Limbaugh?
Did it not occur to you that “voiceofreason” could have been chosen as my handle due to its irony? I freely admit there isn’t much reason in what I’m saying. But as I said, it’s so much fun to mess with No’Cals.
your comments strugle to contribute anything related to baseball and just pisses people off. why even bother commenting on this site?
Because it’s so much fun to see the uptight Frisco faithful go into defense mode. And I’m bored.
And because all of the “well if they sign him and trade him, and so and so can hit better, we’ll be right back in it” gets SO dang old. You never know what’s going to happen. Did you think the Giants were going to add all the players they did during the season, and that all those moves were going to work as well as they did? No. Nobody could have speculated any of that. Teams NEVER make the moves you think they’re going to make.
At least you have a sense of humor.
Successful troll is successful.
DID THEY/SABEAN’HEAD EVER SAY THAT TO BARRY BONDS WHEN HE WAS SLUMPING N A ALL “BULKED-UP” (SEND-HIM DOWN TO MINORS) GRANTED PANDA IS NO BARRY BONDS, BUT SABEAN’HEAD COULD USE A BIT MORE TACT/SENSITIVITY W/ HIS POST SERIES WIN “STATEMENTS” W/HIS PLAYERS/TEAM BUT GUESS HE GOT WIND/NEWS OF PANDA SEEN “CELEBRATING/PIGGING-OUT” AT BUCCA DI’PEPO THE OTHER DAY W/TONS, MOUNDS (CALORIES) OF THEIR “GIANT” FOODIES & DESSERTS, ETC!
JUST BBB 4 2011 (BRING BACK BARRY BONDS) IF NOT THAN GO AFTER CARL CRAWFORD OR JASON WORTH IN THAT ORDER N NOT HAVE2 WORRY BOUT PANDAFAT in 2011!!!
You won’t have to worry about the Panda. He punched his ticket out of town as soon as San Francisco banned toys in Happy Meals.
turn off caps lock and never comment on this site again. Thank toy.
please learn to speak like a human being and turn off caps. This hurts peoples eyes.
Why are you yelling?
SFGIANTS SHOULD REALLY SEND SABEAN’HEAD DOWN TO THE MINORS & GO AFTER BILLY BEENE!!!
HUMMMM BABY….GIANTS TORTURE WILL BE ALIVE N WELL W/OR W/O DA’PANDA!!!
billy beene would bring torture to a whole new level if he was given the reigns to the giants.
I love Oakland AAAA’s fans!! So bitter because nobody gives a rats ass about them, their team, their city!!!
Oakland is the armpit of California. Worse than So. Central, Worse than East L.A. They put a tarp over their outfield so they can sellout…
LOL!!! Enjoy the Ghetto A’s fan!!
Every year we hear about big free agents and big trades. It’s not going to happen. If DeRosa comes back he can play 3b, if Sandavol can’t come back or he can fill in at a lot of positions. The Giants would be doing well if they can resign Huff and Uribe. Ross fills a hard to fill position at rf. I would like to see Burrell back. He gives you the power and walks that you need. I wish we had more players like Huff and Burrell and fewer free swingers. Pitching and power get you to the World Serries. It is rare that a team makes the playoffs without power.
Okay – so, I know it’s a bit early to start bandying about lineup cards, but – well, I can’t help myself…
1. Andres Torres, CF
2. Freddy Sanchez, 2B
3. Carl Crawford, LF
4. Buster Posey, C
5. Aubrey Huff, 1B
6. (1/2 of) Pablo Sandoval, 3B
7. Cody Ross, RF
8. Juan Uribe (?), SS
I love what Crawford does to this particular lineup – one that was not bad last year, but needed an obvious speed upgrade and could never say no to a bit more power. His addition in collusion with a bit more speed and for-contact hitting from Torres up top, and I think we’re sending more than enough across the plate, even for Barry Zito…
I’m a bit concerned at short, though. I love Uribe, but as a near-everyday utilityman, not as much as our everyday shortstop. We all love Edgar – you have to – and I’d be thrilled to see him back at a minimal (but respectful) rate to mentor and help off the bench, but it’s clear he simply doesn’t have 162 in him anymore. But, then, who does that leave? Bubba Crosby? Adam Everett? The list of FA shorts is not thrilling…
Any thoughts on who’s filling the gap on the left-side next year?