The Giants Baseball Blog

Well, with how things were looking at this point last year, I would have called you crazy if you would have told me the Giants would have become World Champs in the 2010 season, and as good as this year was to the Giants, all good things must come to an end. 2010 is in it's waning moments, bringing an end to the Giants memorable run in 2010, but also indicating we're only about 6 weeks away from starting it all up again, and this time, I think Giants fans will be ready for anything. 2010 was up-and-down year for the Orange and Black for much of the first half of the season, and even through a lot of the 2nd half, but as they often say in regards to a Baseball team especially, the regular season is a marathon and it's not how you start, it's how you finish. The Giants finished the year off strong, and cruised right the playoffs, without having to force any series' the full 5 or 7 games, and that's something we can never forget. Not only did the Giants win the Wor...

Ever since their flurry of moves at the end of November that really put a shape to their team, the Giants have been extremely quiet on the player transaction front. After re-signing Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell, then obtaining Miguel Tejada to take over at short, Brian Sabean and co. have stood pat as they decide whether or not to add to what they've already constructed here. It's no secret that Sabean was seeking another infielder, one who could handle shortstop seamlessly. They made an offer to World Series hero Edgar Renteria (who has apparently decided he'll be playing again in 2011 after all) of $1 million to come caddy Miggy at short, but Renteria was "offended and hurt" by what he deemed was a low-ball offer from a team he helped win th e Series. As I've said many times here, I'll never forget what Renteria did for this club in October/November this past season, and I will always have a fondness for him, but for him to get so upset at a real reasona...

Edgar Renteria was a huge part of the Giants' success in October/ Novemeber last season and he showed he still can bring some positive traits to a ballclub , even when he's not playing. However, his days as a starter are long gone and he'll have to accept a utility role if he decides to stick around. The Giants apparently wanted him back in that role, but he said no to a one-year, $1 million deal that would have put him back in his comfort zone and back with a contender. He supposedly wants to go to Florida or St. Louis, but I don't know many GM's who are going to offer Renteria much more tha n a million bucks to come ride the pine for them. I think the Giants are his best bet. The same cannot be said for the Giants though, in my opinion. There are better, more versatile infielders out there who could come in just as cheaply as Renteria . I know Orlando Cabrera isn't exactly a guy who jumps out at you, but check his track record, and look at all the winners ...

A couple weeks back, we started out 2010 Minor League Review by taking a look at some of the top hitters in the system from 2010. Now, since the Giants have quieted down over the last week, and with not much new to talk about on regarding possible free agent or trade targets, I figured I'd use today's post to finish off our 2010 Minor League pitching review. Contrary to years past, the Giants actually have more promising young hitters in their system right now than they do pitchers. Their top prospect heading into 2011 will be first basemen Brandon Belt, who should be one of BA's top-20 as well. However, after Belt, there is a huge fall-off in terms of Major League ready prospects, both on the pitching front and the positional front. There are some young hitters who have upside like Thomas Neal, Francisco Peguero and Brandon Crawford, and you can read the report on them here , but as far as young arms, they no longer have that Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum or Madison Bumgarner w...

Freddy Sanchez finally started to show what he can do for a team when he's healthy with a nice 2nd half and solid performance in the playoffs, but once again, the Giants fragile 2nd basemen has gone under the knife. Sanchez had surgery on his left-shoulder to remove a bad tendon, a procedure identical to the one he underwent last winter. That one, he had later on the in the offseason though, and it kept him on the DL until late May. The Giants are hoping he'll be ready for opening day after the operation was deemed successful, but they are expecting him to be behind in his spring training work, and may not get into many Cactus League g ames. That said, Brian Sabean said Tuesday night that the Giants would not be pursuing 2nd basemen in the free agent market, and that Mike Fontenot and Mark DeRosa would cover for Sanchez if he did miss any regular season time. Although this news may not require him to go after another second basemen, I think it's pretty clear now that the Gi...

With the flurry of action on the hot-stove market we've seen over the last week, I'm not too surprised that the Winter Meetings got off to a quiet start Monday in Florida. I really didn't expect anything too earth shattering to take place just days after the Adrian Gonzalez trade to Boston, and hours after Jayson Werth was given "Barry Zito Money" to play in Washington over the next 7 years, especially on the Giants front. As I said in the previous post here, the Giants could enter the 2011 season tomorrow and be in good shape, so a move on their part is not at all imminent. That said, Brian Sabean gave warning to the press before hand that the Giants "would not be stagnant" during these meetings, and apparently he still is searching for help outside of the organization. Again though, after Burrell and Huff re-signed, and with Tejada now on board to play shortstop, the Giants are running out of roster space. The area I think Sabean is looking into now is...

Now that Pat Burrell and Aubrey Huff are back in orange and black, and the Giants have acquired Miguel Tejada to play shortstop, whatever Sabean does at this point will be just adding to the Giants' depth chart. So, what's next for the Giants now that the Giants appear to have a usable lineup already on roster, as well as a stock full pitching staff? The Winter Meetings are just days away, yet the Giants have already done most of their work, and now that Adam Dunn is off the table, I don't see anyone out there in the Giants price range who could really come in and make a difference on this team. Sabean is apparently still active and looking for ways to upgrade the offense, but I just don't really see what they can do at this point. I'm still thinking a back-up shortstop could be on-tap, but the Giants tendered Mike Fontenot a contract for 2011, which would seem to indicate he's their back-up at this juncture. They've supposedly had talks about bringing Edgar...

Giants fans who were waiting to see if Pat Burrell would follow Juan Uribe out of town, or stay put with Aubrey Huff and take the hometown discount, got their answer sooner than expected. The Giants announced a one-year pact with 34 year-old left fielder Wednesday evening, bringing Burrell's right-handed bat back to the roster for 2011. He'll be making a fraction of the $9 million he made from Tampa Bay last season, I'm thinking closer to the $3-4 million range, and because it's a one year "discounted deal" as Baggs calls it, it's really tough to complain. If the Giants didn't get Burrell when they did last year, it's arguable that they don't even make the playoffs, let alone win the Series, so if you don't think this guy was big for this team, check again. He faded big time in the World Series, and couldn't hit the broadside of a barn, but the guy came up with big hit after big hit in the second half and early October. Burrell hit .266...