Sabean has a habit of "rewarding" veterans by over paying, it continues to bit hard.

Let me start by saying that I am going to pick on Brian Sabean about this one issue.  In general, I really like what he has managed to do with the team since becoming GM and hope he stays for a long while.  He has built out the Giants minor league system into one of the four best producers of MLB talent in the game (especially Pitchers).  He has also made trades that have surprisingly, strengthened the team each year.  Of course there are those trades that have been duds, like the Sidney Ponson, Shea Hilenbrand and the king of the duds, the A. J. Pierzynski trade that sent Nathan, Liriano and Bonser to the Twins.  In contrast, he make stellar trades for Jeff Kent, Kirk Rueter, Jason Schmidt, Robb Nen and Cody Ross; while recently grabbing cast offs Huff and Burrell.

Trades aside, the deals that brought several to the team in recent years, just do not make any sense.  Randy Winn and Dave Roberts were great Giants and are reportedly good guys, but hardly worth $9 and $7 mil per season.  The same can be said for Aaron Roward ($9.5 mil per season where he has never earned more than $4.5 in his prime) and averaged $3.5 mil, Aubry Huff's new contract if for $22 mil over two seasons or $30 mil over 3 years (Two years @ $10 mil per and a club option for a third @ $10 mil or a $ 2mil buy out), where he has never earned more than $8 in his best years and $4.5 mil on average (There is a reason that he was only $3 mil in 2010).  Edgar Renteria, who was a brilliant clutch hitter in the post season, has made us forget that he spent most of the season, as well as the 2009 season, on the DL for $9 mill per season (average $8 mil per plus a $2 mil buy out) and then there is Barry Zito who had never earned more than $8 mil and averaged $5 mil with Oakland, received a 7 year $126 mil deal with a option for $18 mil or a $7 mil buy out.  That's right, it will cost the Giants $7,000,000 to send him packing in 2014 or $18,000,000 to keep him making the total deal worth $133 mil to get rid of him after 2013 or $144 mil to keep him through 2014. By the way, the option would become guaranteed if Zito pitches 200 innings in 2013, 400 combined innings over 2012 and 2013 or 600 innings from 2011-2013 and Zito has a full no-trade clause, we may have him in 2014, like it or not.

It may not be fair to put the Barry Zito deal squarely on Brian Sabean, as Peter McGowan has fallen on his sword over this one.  However, knowing what we do about the Giants, it's Sabean who makes these things happen and works with a group inside of the Giants to sell it to the investors.  I am certain that Sabean AND McGowan made the Zito deal happen and it is tragic.  Not because of the failed promise, but that he was never going to live up to that deal.  Trade Rumors and the Chronicle have both published that the largest offer for Zito was a 5 year deal for $75 mil from the Mets and a far less expensive 7 year deal from the Rangers.  The Mets GM said after the Giants deal,

"We were not willing to go to the seven-year areas he said he had," said Minaya, who conducted studies on the performances of pitchers with lengthy deals. "This is one guy who has been healthy, and we all wish him well. At the end of the day, the history ... I could not recommend to my ownership to go to seven guaranteed years."


Minaya looks like a genius over this one.

ESPN reported that the deal was the highest for a pitcher in baseball history and "Only Alex Rodriguez ($252 million), Derek Jeter ($189 million), Manny Ramirez ($160 million),Todd Helton ($141.5 million) and Alfonso Soriano ($136 million) have contracts with more guaranteed money.


Huff probably could have been singed for $6 or $7 mil per season and with Belt crawling up the walls in the minors, why not sign him to a one or two year deal at $6, while Belt feels his way in.  Did Sabean really think Belt would be another Ishikawa?


Renteria was told that the team would buy him out and offer him $1 mil, effectively giving him $3 mil for this season.  He turned it down and went to the Reds for $2.01 mil.  With the injuries (which you cannot for see) he would have filled in for Pablo at third and then short, effectively negating the Tejada and Cabrera deals (Unless Renteria got hurt); which cost the giants a prospect and Tejada's salary, which far exceed the extra $1mil.  Unless Renteria was determined to go elsewhere after the Giants bought him out of the $10 mil due on the option for 2011.

I think Miguel Tejada would have taken less than $6.5 mil, but not much less.  Like Zito, Aaron Rowand's deal was just too long.  If it were a three year deal then we wouldn't be talking about this.  He would have been gone after the 2010 season and that would be that, but they are both still here and its killing us to watch them struggle and sit on the bench.  Last season the top paid guys were Zito, Rowand and Renteria.

The Beltran deal makes more sense now than it did when it was a rumor, but his trip to the DL hurts BAD.  The revolving door at second base following F. Sanchez has hopefully stabilized with Keppinger (whom I really like the way he plays and he only costs the prospect who may or may not have made the Giants rotation).  DeRosa's wrist has cost $6 mil per season.

With all of the unforeseen injuries and frantic signings to keep on track, which the Giants are not, the high cost of several over paid veterans seems like a foreseeable mistake that someone like Sabean should have been able to avoid.  Or is it, when he screws up, he goes big or goes home?

All Salary Data comes courtesy of Doug Pappas, and the Society for American Baseball Research. 

The Trade Deadline is gone are the Giants a better team?

Brian Sabean worked some magic and gave up a top prospect to nab Carlos Beltran, which certainly makes the Giants a better team (thought 2 for 18 over the last 4 games isn't what we were hoping for).  However, Orlando Cabrera is a more puzzling acquisition.  Offensively his numbers are not any better than Tejada's and offensively he is a minor upgrade over Tejada and less so than Brendan Crawford (Crawford's .190 batting average is a clear indication that he just isn't adjusting to Major League pitching and may need more time in the minors).  However, Fontenot has both the offensive numbers and defensive range.  lastly, Tejada is due $6m and the Giants knew that Tejada has lost a bit of range, so if Sabean and Bochy were counting on more offence, then certainly Cabrera doesn't make much sense? Does it???

Crawford is headed down to the Minors to make room for Cabrera, Hall was designated for assignment and Burriss was sent down.  Zito has another "injury", so there is now room for Sanchez to come off of the DL and Freddie Sanchez is now "officially" out for the rest of the season.  Is the new policy to keep players on the DL when Bochy isn't sure what to do with them? Tejada is due back soon, as is Burrell, DeRosa and presumably Zito has to come off at some point.  My bet is on a DL shuffle until September 1st when the roster expands to the full 40.

Anyone know what Sabean and Bochy are thinking?  Or is this just a spend and patch until ... what?  Guys can't get out of their funk if they don't play.  A bunch of money isn't hitting, sitting on the bench or hanging  on to the DL.  Anyone???

I'm also ignoring the Cincinnati series for a few reasons 1) it gave the Reds some hope, 2) it was a worse than normal pitching performance, 3) the series was a worse than average bullpen performance and 4) no bats, even from our new right fielder.  The trade deadline is always a weird time for a team and after the Phillies series it clearly impacted the Giants (that's my explanation and I'm sticking to it).

Update:  Initially Mark DeRosa's return date was "August", however, as of this afternoon it was changed to TDB, and he was moved to the 60-day DL.

Giants will welcome Carlos Beltran to SF. Some serious roster decisions are on the horizon!

According to a Cincinnati paper, where the Mets are playing the Reds, Carlos Beltran has waived his no trade clause and is coming to San Francisco (in Philadelphia) on Thursday morning when the deal will be officially announced.  Insider info has the deal done with the Mets picking up $4m of the remaining $6.5m of Beltran's contract and the Giants handing over baseballs #2 pitching pitching prospect, , the Giants #1 pick in the 2009 draft, righty Zack Wheeler and possibly one my prospect to be named later.  Wheeler is significant in that the Giants will be giving up draft consideration for Beltran, who most likely will run in the open waters for a multi-year contract for the next few seasons, making this a rental of this hitting skills for the rest of the season.  As the current pitching staff begins to cost the Giants considerable money to keep intact in the next two season, new blood is often injected and others are allowed to seek more money elsewhere.

I recently predicted that this deal wouldn't happen because of the cost ($6.5m remaining on Beltran's contract) and the pitching that the Giants would have to give up, with a small nod to the current platoon of outfielders, especially the recent play of Nate Schierholtz in right field and the fact that Beltran has always been #15, a number belonging to skipper Bruce Bochy.

The money has largely been taken care of by the Mets sending over all but $2.5m and the pitching, by taking a top prospect and not a starter.  The outfield is still a clogged group and will become more so when DeRosa and Burrell come off of the DL.  However, in the mean time it looks like Beltran will take right field (having to learn AT&T's difficult angles, while Ross and Schierholtz will probably platoon in left.  Ross and Torres are less productive and both have seen their playing time reduced.  As for the number 15, according to Bochy, "it's nothing that a Rolex can't cure", he said with a smile.

Beltran's offensive numbers (hitting .289 with a .904 OPS, 15 homers, league leader in doubles and 66 RBI's) will be a nice change with Huff, Ross and Torres on a long term slump and Sandoval and Schierholtz leading the team with a .806 and .768 .OPS respectively.  Clearly, Beltran is going to the #3 slot in the order with Pablo moving to #4 and Huff, Ross/Schierholtz in a 5/6 slots.

Now, here comes the tricky part.  How does he fit into the roster?  The pitching staff is set and the outfield isn't going anywhere.  Whiteside and Stewart are set as are all of the veterans (since none have been mention in trade talks).  This leaves Burress, Belt and Crawford, who can be sent down to the minors.  There is further complications in the 25-man roster when Jonathan Sanchez comes off of the DL, with Vogelsong pitching better than he and Zito, someone will have to go into the bullpen and either the Giants send down another fielder to carry a fat pitching staff or do something (release or designate) someone to make room.  Additionally, August appears to be the month that Burrell, DeRosa, Hall, Tejada and possibly Freddie Sanchez will come off of the DL.  Where are they going to go and will they stay on rehab assignments until the roster expands?

One thing is for sure, the roster has a lot of moving parts, with difficult decisions to be made about the future of several players and the production of others going into the stretch.  It would be nice to see some of those rewarded with another season and some serious money, delivering in the second half.  I think Beltran is a shot over the bow for Huff, Burrell and Ross.  Hall, Rowand and Tejada all have short term opportunities to start helping this team out, as Beltran is expected to do for the next few months.  Let's hope Bochy can continue to play the roster shuffle while working his magic.  Who's in?  I am.