The Giants made their first big move of the offseason Wednesday, signing Aaron Rowand to a 5 
year, 60 million dollar contract to be the teams new center fielder. If you've followed the Giants closely this offseason, you could see this one coming. Rowand had a career year last season (.309, 27, 89, 105) and was a major part in the Phillies winning the NL East. I thought that Rowand was set to be overpaid this winter due to the way he played last year and to the fact that he was one of the top 3 outfielders available on a weak free agent market this winter. I really didn't want to see the Giants pursue him whatsoever. However, after seeing the terms of the deal, and comparing that to what Andruw Jones and Torii Hunter got, the Giants actually got themselves a real solid player for a decent deal. In comparison, Rowand is 2 years younger than Hunter, possesses a better career average and OPS, and he's signed at 2/3 of the price. The 5 years is a little too long, but 12 million annually for an all-star, gold glove center fielder who can hit and has just entered his prime isn't a bad deal. One of Rowand's best attributes is his all-around hustle and hard-nosed approach to the game. That is something that Giants' fans are going to notice about him right off the bat, and they're going to enjoy watching him play. There are some people who are concerned that his production was a byproduct of playing 1/2 his games Citizens Bank Park, but his home/road splits where actually very similar to each other. It's not likely that he's going to hit 27 home runs a year playing at AT&T Park(probably more around 20-25) but don't expect his production to see much of a drop-off besides that.
I have done my fair share of Sabean bashing this offseason, but I can't rip him to hard for this move. He did add another center fielder to a team full of young outfield options who should get a shot to play, but it goes a little beyond that. This offseason was working itself in a direction where the
Giants were beginning to put themselves in a corner. They need offense in a bad way, probably more than any other team in baseball. Aaron Rowand was the last "impact bat" on the free agent market, and if the Giants had missed out on him they would have had to part with a Cain or Lincecum to get someone of his caliber through a trade. For those reasons, Rowand had a ton of leverage in negotiations with Giants, and they still got him for a relatively good deal. This by no means is a move that will save this team or reshape this offense, but they had to start somewhere and signing Rowand is not a bad start. The Giants did already have depth in the outfield but quantity doesn't equal quality. No Giant outfielder has the credentials or the offensive ability that Rowand brings. I also wouldn't be surprised to see the logjam in the outfield break up a little with a trade or two. There is still a lot of work to do before the team breaks for camp in February, but the team is better than it was yesterday and they now get to hang onto their 2 young studs.
year, 60 million dollar contract to be the teams new center fielder. If you've followed the Giants closely this offseason, you could see this one coming. Rowand had a career year last season (.309, 27, 89, 105) and was a major part in the Phillies winning the NL East. I thought that Rowand was set to be overpaid this winter due to the way he played last year and to the fact that he was one of the top 3 outfielders available on a weak free agent market this winter. I really didn't want to see the Giants pursue him whatsoever. However, after seeing the terms of the deal, and comparing that to what Andruw Jones and Torii Hunter got, the Giants actually got themselves a real solid player for a decent deal. In comparison, Rowand is 2 years younger than Hunter, possesses a better career average and OPS, and he's signed at 2/3 of the price. The 5 years is a little too long, but 12 million annually for an all-star, gold glove center fielder who can hit and has just entered his prime isn't a bad deal. One of Rowand's best attributes is his all-around hustle and hard-nosed approach to the game. That is something that Giants' fans are going to notice about him right off the bat, and they're going to enjoy watching him play. There are some people who are concerned that his production was a byproduct of playing 1/2 his games Citizens Bank Park, but his home/road splits where actually very similar to each other. It's not likely that he's going to hit 27 home runs a year playing at AT&T Park(probably more around 20-25) but don't expect his production to see much of a drop-off besides that.I have done my fair share of Sabean bashing this offseason, but I can't rip him to hard for this move. He did add another center fielder to a team full of young outfield options who should get a shot to play, but it goes a little beyond that. This offseason was working itself in a direction where the
Giants were beginning to put themselves in a corner. They need offense in a bad way, probably more than any other team in baseball. Aaron Rowand was the last "impact bat" on the free agent market, and if the Giants had missed out on him they would have had to part with a Cain or Lincecum to get someone of his caliber through a trade. For those reasons, Rowand had a ton of leverage in negotiations with Giants, and they still got him for a relatively good deal. This by no means is a move that will save this team or reshape this offense, but they had to start somewhere and signing Rowand is not a bad start. The Giants did already have depth in the outfield but quantity doesn't equal quality. No Giant outfielder has the credentials or the offensive ability that Rowand brings. I also wouldn't be surprised to see the logjam in the outfield break up a little with a trade or two. There is still a lot of work to do before the team breaks for camp in February, but the team is better than it was yesterday and they now get to hang onto their 2 young studs.
Comments
You're giving Rowand far too much credit. This was a lousy signing. My take on it: http://www.offinlefffield.com/?p=19
1. I'm gonna miss Rowand...and you guys will like him. Good, tough player; good leader and a great guy
For Who? - My Team, For What? To Win. - I think that says it all (Fack Watters)
1. 5 years is a long time...
1. His bat is extremely overrated. Aaron Rowand should not be the best batter on a team....and he just might be
1. I'm sorry to see him go, but him being on the giants makes me feel a little better...until he's traded to the mets...ugh
No doubt, he was helped out immensely by the Phillies offense, and the Giants don't have a Rollins, Howard, Utely or even a Pat Burrell. As far as the ballparks go, Rowand has a lot more power than Randy Winn who managed 14 playing here last year (hitting mostly left handed). AT&T isn't a bad place to hit for righties with some pop. Bengie Molina had success here last season and there is no doubt in my mind that Rowand will be around 20-25 home runs by the end of the year (if healthy). His hr count since '04 is 24, 13 (off-year), 12 (injury-shortened season) and 27 last year. His career stats tend to point more towards the 20 hr mark over the course of a full season. Again, not saying he's great, but he's now the best they have.
The human rain dealy this guy goes thru entire check list for 40 sec before each pitch,will just fast forward every time he bats rather than waiting for a weak grounder to short. Pedro Feliz will top
him in power numbers real disaster
things just keep getting worse for
bay area sports teams
Yeah, Rowand is the best they have. This would be a great signing for a team that was building for a pennant push and had one piece missing. The Giants are not such a team. The smart strategy for the Giants would be to build for the future, not the present, and by the time Lincecum and Cain are old enough to be as good as they can be, Rowand will be cashing Social Security checks, and checks from the Giants. He'll be eating salary and not contributing.