The Giants Baseball Blog

The offseason is finally coming to an end, and in about 3 weeks we should start having some actual baseball to talk about rather than discuss whether Barry Bonds will or won't be back. With that in mind, and all the roster moves wrapped up and done with, I figured now would be a good time to give my offseason review. WHO'S HERE : FROM LHP Barry Zito (A's) CF Dave Roberts (Padres) C Bengie Molina (Blue Jays) RHP Russ Ortiz (Orioles) 1B/OF Ryan Klesko (Padres) 1B/IF Rich Aurilia (Reds) WHO'S GONE: TO RHP Jason Schmidt (Dodgers) C Mike Matheny (retirement) OF Moises Alou (Mets) 1B Shea Hillenbrand (Angels) CF Steve Finley (FA) RHP Jamie Wright (FA) C Todd Greene (Padres) LHP Mike Stanton (Reds) Comparing the players coming in and the players leaving, I'd say the Giants did pretty well. Zito for Schmidt is an upgrade in my opinion due to Schmidt's recent decline and Zito's durability. The signing of Zito also puts together a starting staff that has great potenti...

It's now been over a month since Barry Bonds and the Giants agreed in principle to a 1 year deal to bring the slugger back to San Francisco. However, the bad publicity the Giants recieved for their decision to bring back Bonds coupled with the recent reports of his failed amphetamine test, have apparantly given them second thoughts. Now there are reports that the Giants are trying to back out of the deal if possible. As far as the drug test is concerned, the news about a first positive test for amphetamines is supposed to be held in confidentiality, and not even the players employeer has a right to know. So according to those rules, the leaked "failed test" Bonds took shouldn't have even been let out and the Giants should have never even known about it. If this is the reason why the Giants are now quesitoning this deal, then Barry Bonds has a legitimate gripe. If the Giants where questioning the deal before the test results where leaked, then why did they agree to bri...

The Giants signed Russ Ortiz to a one-year $380,000 contract on Tuesday. The move gives the Giants insurance for their starting rotation, and if all goes as planned, should help the bullpen out as well. Ortiz signed with San Francisco over other suitors because the Giants told him he has a good shot at cracking the starting rotation. If that happens and Ortiz can rebound from 2 horrible seasons, then the Giants have themselves a bargain. Even if he continues to struggle, the Giants are only on the hook for the league minimum in salary. As I said in my last post, there will be questions as to whether or not Ortiz can be effective enough to hold down the 5th spot, but I have no doubt he will be better off in San Francisco than he was in the hitting friendly confines of Arizona and Baltimore. Supposedly he found his release point again with Leo Mazzone in Baltimore late last year, and after checking out his stats, he did actually drop his era 2 points over his final 10 outings. Then there...

Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in a little over a month, and the Giants 2007 roster appears to be pretty set, at least until spring training starts. The "Armondo Benitez to the Florida Marlins" rumor started up again earlier this week, and it appears that if Benitez can prove he can throw effectively off of a mound in the spring, then the Marlins will take him off the Giants' hands. Yusimero Petit is said to be the player who the Giants would get in return. Petit is a 22 year old right hander who had 12 wins and struck out 200 batters in the 2004 season, split between a few different levels. Anytime someone strikes out 200 batters in a minor league season, you know they have good stuff. Petit got roughed up last year in limited time at the big league level, but if the Giants could get him for Benitez I'd be all for it. Petit, Lincecum, Sadler, Micsch among others could give the Grizzlies a nice staff for the Giants' to choose from when someone on ...

The Giants were definetely persistant in their pursuit of the top starting pitcher on the market, and there persistance paid off. The Giants signed Barry Zito to a 7 year, 126 million dollar deal on Thursday in a move that officialy has turned around what had been an uneventful offseason on the Giants front. Zito is getting big money, but I think he will be worth it. He is only 28 years old, and has never missed a start in his career. As I've said many times here, you don't worry as much about giving that type of pitcher a long term deal as you would with a power pitcher such as Schmidt. Zito has a good chance to be just as good or better than he is now 7 years down the line. This move gives the Giants a potential roation of: Zito, Matt Cain, Noah Lowry, Matt Morris, Jonathon Sanchez. A rotation which consists of 1 pitcher over the age of 28. Whether or not the rotation alone can carry this team into the playoffs remains to be seel, as they still have a terrible bullpen that ha...

After the 2004 season, when the Giants had Matt Herges and Dustin Hermanson closing out games, it was apparant that the Giants needed a bullpen makeover. Sabean went out and signed Armondo Benitez after that season, and hasn't touched the bullpen since. Benitez has obviously been a bust, and the Giants bullpen gradually got worse in '05-'06. Here we are, entering the final month and a half of the offseason, and once again, the Giants bullpen has been untouched. The only move they've made so far has been resigning Steve Kline while most late relief options have already been plucked off the market. With Keith Foulke set to sign with the Cleveland Indians, it leaves nobody on the free agent market with succesful closing experience. It isn't just a coincedence that the Giants have missed the playoffs the last 3 seasons while their bullpen has ranked near the bottom of the league. It's amazing that most Giants' fans can recognize this, and Sabean hasn't. He...

The Giants have added a 4th (and counting) former Padre to their 2007 roster signing Ryan Klesko on Tuesday. The Giants had been dead quiet since announcing their re-signing of Barry Bonds about two weeks ago. Klesko now joins Dave Roberts, Rich Aurilia and Bruce Bochy as former Padre's now employed by the Giants and they may add another one. The Giants are still on the short list of potential suitors for David Wells who will likely choose between the Padres or Giants before the new year. I don't have much of a problem with the Klesko deal itself, a one year, 1.75 million dollar contract plus incentives, but I think the Giants could have used that money plus the money they gave Pedro Feliz and gotten a legit 1st basemen in Aubrey Huff. Entering the off-season, I had Huff high on the free-agency board, and I can't believe he is still hanging around. Huff, a guy who is entering his prime and a player who could make a difference for the Giants, is just sitting there waiting to...