Winter Meetings Preview

Baseball's annual winter meetings start on Monday, and according the the Giants beat writers, the team is expected to be active. We should have a much clearer picture of what the 2008 San Francisco Giants will look like after the meetings. The Giants' main goal is to come out of the meetings with a middle of the order type young hitter without giving up Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and preferably Noah Lowry. Brian Sabean also said the team is trying to steer clear of the free agent market, so Andruw Jones (though I have a weird feeling he could be a Giant) and Aaron Rowand don't seem to be in the mix. I highly doubt they are going to deal Cain or Lincecum, even with all the Miguel Cabrera rumors flying around. Therefore, if they want to get a young and somewhat proven player, which would be ideal, the would have to part with at least Lowry. There are many of teams that would love to deal for a 27 year old, winning left-hander who is under contract for 3 more seasons. Not only that, but he was having a breakout year and was on pace to win 17+ games last season, before his injury, pitching for one of the worst teams in the league. Say what you want about his slightly high WHIP or low strikeout total, the fact is he gets people out when it counts, doesn't give up many runs and most importantly he wins. The Giants should have very high standards for Lowry, who in this market could very easily command a multi-year deal worth $12 million a year (currently due $12 million total over next 3 years).

The Giants are looking for a young 3rd basemen who can hit in one of the 3-4-5 slots. A couple 3rd basemen who I'd consider parting with Lowry for are Colorado's Garret Atkins and Cincinnati's Edwin Encarnacion. Both the Rockies and Reds are looking for starting pitching, and I'm sure they would be willing to part with either of those guys for a package that included Noah Lowry. The St. Louis Cardinals have also expressed interest in Lowry in the past and if the Giants could get Chris Duncan and another youngster (Brad Thompson, Anthony Reyes) for Lowry, than I'd also consider a deal like that. The Devil Rays have a plethora of young hitters, but after dealing Delmon Young for Matt Garza earlier this week, it's doubtful they are looking to deal another one. If the Giants aren't going to get a young player who they can control for a few years, then they should keep their rotation intact and consider letting their own players have a shot in 2008.