The Giants have officially signed their remaining first-round picks. No official dollar figures yet, though yesterday Baseball America said Fairley would get $1 million, and today BA reported Bumgarner inked for $2 million, which is slightly less than Tim Lincecum’s bonus in the same draft slot last year.
Young Messrs. Fairley and Bumgarner: a Giant welcome from the Lunatic Fringe. Now go out and solve all the team’s pitching and hitting problems and negotiate a lasting Middle East peace while you’re at it. Got it? Good.
Speaking of fresh blood, Baseball Prospectus’s John Perotto, the weak link in that site’s chain of mainly good-to-excellent writers, has a clip-job story today about the Giants need to rebuild. Nothing new or insightful, unless you count the tongue-in-cheek speculation that the Matt Morris trade was outgoing Pirate owner (and NorCal native) Kevin McClatchy’s parting gift to the favorite team of his childhood.
While Perotto identifies this team’s glaring problems, he takes no time to discuss the most intriguing — and to many fans, the most anguishing — strategic thrust this winter: trading young pitching to rebuild. It must happen. This team cannot field a decent offense in the next three years unless it a) goes buck-wild in the free agent market or b) trades young pitching for good young hitting.
Only one pitcher is untouchable: Tim Lincecum. Matt Cain is close, but for the right offer, I’d move him. Straight up for Ryan Braun? Hanley Ramirez and Mike Jacobs? Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera?
Noah Lowry is in the sweet spot: Not so dominating that you hate to lose him, but young and good enough to bring back quality. Jonathan Sanchez is the wild card. We as close observers see his tremendous potential, but do other teams look at his walks and his inconsistency and see just another unpredictable live-armed kid? I can’t get my mind around his value right now, either as a keeper or a trade chip.
Everyone other pitcher on the 40–man roster is fair game.
