When the Giants Come to Town, It's Bye-Bye Baby

06.13.2008
Nobody Loves Erick...

Threets…at least no one baseball-related. I hope Threets’s mom or other family members love him no matter how shaky his fastball command. But the hard-throwing lefty who was out of options went unclaimed when the Giants cut him, and he’s now back in Fresno.

This is a minor detail about a player who was marginal to the Giants’ plans, even when he made the 25–man roster out of spring training, so why is this piece of news leading off today?

Two reasons: First, it tells us that our own assessment of Giants’ talent is often skewed. A big lefty who throws in the mid-90s should be attractive to someone, no? A valuable trade chip even if he’s not on the 25–man roster? All 30 teams had a shot at him, and he didn’t have to be placed on a major-league roster. In other words, a free no-risk pick-up of a guy with a great arm and still relatively young. Anyone?

<crickets. wind in the grass. somewhere, a lonely dog barks. not a creature is stirring, not even bavasi.>

I can only guess why not. No attitude problems ever surfaced, and he seemed healthy after elbow surgery a couple years ago. Perhaps teams have plenty of their own hard-throwing former-prospect projects to fix without taking on someone else’s. The devil you know, etc., etc.

So next time someone says, “Geez, why don’t the Giants just trade [marginal reliever X] to the Mariners for [interesting prospect Y],” remember Threets. Adjust for common human bias: the importance of things in front us is often magnified to the point of delusion. This is why I have a hard time throwing out my 20–year-old collection of tray liners from various Central European McDonalds. (Did you know “cheese” in Hungarian is “sajt,” which is pronounced “shite,” and which turns certain menu items into sajtburgers?) 

The second reason I bring up Threets is administrative. (Someone’s got to count the beans, pal.) Threets’s former spot on the 40–man roster lies empty, as does Eliezer Alfonzo’s. Alfonzo, aka Notgardo, recently finished a 50–day suspension for eating the naughty fertilizer. Perhaps as a further lesson to future fertilizer-eaters, Notgardo is now toiling away in low-A ball. From the majors to the Augusta GreenJackets. Ain’t that a kick in the cojones. Apparently he passed through waivers, too, as he’s no longer on the Giants’ 40–man roster.

I’ll try to muse more on the 40–man a bit later today, but right now the day job calls…

Erick Threets: Future major-leaguer? Otherwise lovable? Discuss.



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[June 13, 2008 4:09 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Mark C. O'Connor said

I've had Threets-on-the-brain for some time. He's my lefty Merkin. Alas, you are right, I think we over-value certain commodities as fans. I'm still reeling from him being cut, then waived, then clearing waivers. It's as if my universe is turned upside down. I really thought this guy was the real deal.

When I was in Ireland, my cousin's favorite expression of contempt was to call someone a "bleedin' gobshite." Now I know that's just the gooey blob of cheese clinging to an undercooked Hungarian McBurger.


[June 13, 2008 4:25 PM]  |  link  |  reply
bigO said

one flaw in your thinking: I'm sure the M's didn't pass on him (remember they wanted Zito) but Bavasi is such an idiot, he probably didn't even know Theets was avail (forgot to check the wire). Well of course he knew but is under such fire up here that I too think he's pretty poor. Living of the legacy of the name I guess (plus it looks like someone put his head in a vice and squeeeezed real hard).

[June 13, 2008 6:34 PM]  |  link  |  reply
PM said

So Threets goes to Fresno. What are the rules? If the Giants call him up to the majors again temporarily and then want to move him down, can they do that? How long will the Giants have options? If anyone knows and points out here, it will be greatly appreciated.

[June 13, 2008 6:55 PM]  |  link  |  reply
ELM said

>>If the Giants call him up to the majors again temporarily and then want to move him down, can they do that?

They would have to add him to the 40-man roster. To move him down again, he would have to pass through waivers again and accept his assignment to Fresno. I think that every time he's DFA'd, he is technically a free agent. If he wanted to try to leave the Giants' org and hook on elsewhere, he could. Seeing that he's from Livermore, he's probably happier a Giants minor leaguer than anyone else's minor leaguer.

[June 13, 2008 8:40 PM]  |  link  |  reply
PM replied to ELM

Thank you very much ELM.

>> If he wanted to try to leave the Giants' org and hook on elsewhere, he could. Seeing that he's from Livermore, he's probably happier a Giants minor leaguer than anyone else's minor leaguer.

At anytime? That is, is there not going to be any contract between him and the Giants at least for the duration of the year when he is sent to Fresno?

[June 14, 2008 1:27 AM]  |  link  |  reply
obsessivegiantscompulsive replied to PM

When he rejoined the SF farm system, he signed a minor league deal with us, I'm sure.

Not sure what obligations there are after the season, he could probably leave if he wanted to, probably becoming a free agent again.

But it's like that guy who pitched for the Giants for years for Fresno, Brian Cooper, he just came back every year until he was ready to move on (or maybe someone offered him a job in baseball; he seemed like a good guy, hope he found what he was looking for).

Threets could do that too, but his skills seem to be a bit better, so he could decide that he would be better off in a system where he would get a chance in the majors. With Taschner looking like he's not letting go of his position, and Hinshaw looking like what we always hoped for from Threets, he might decide to move on after the season.

Also, I recall reading that moving would be much harder in the middle of the season, all your stuff is in one place, then you have to arrange for things, etc.

[June 13, 2008 8:45 PM]  |  link  |  reply
giantsrainman said

Lefty,

You are misunderstanding the waiver rules. Any other team that claimed Threets off of waiveers would have to keep him on the 25 man roster not just their 40 man roster since he is out of options. This is why no other team claimed him. Erik did have the option of choosing free agency after he passed thru waivers but he realized that he would be no better off on some other teams AAA squad and not on thier 40 man roster then he would be accepting the Giants assignment to Fresno off of the Giants 40 man roster.

[June 13, 2008 9:18 PM]  |  link  |  reply
ELM replied to giantsrainman

Thanks -- that's what the MLB.com story said too.