Gerald Posey is a Giant. He signed a minor-league contract with a $6.2 million bonus, the highest ever for the Giants by more than $3.5 million. As I noted yesterday, our two major daily beat writers had different information leading up to the announcement. Turns out Andy Baggarly of the Merc got some bad 4-1-1 and passed along that it was in the neighborhood of $7.5 million and a major-league deal. It might seem inconsequential to most of us, but you can bet it stings. I imagine when the real details came out, Baggarly called certain sources and gave them an earful.
As a fellow scribe, I'm curious to know who passed him the bad mojo and why. Was it a ploy to negotiate through the media? Was it someone who meant no harm but got it wrong?
Anyway, welcome Buster. Word this morning is he could go as high as San Jose this year to help the Li'l Giants in the playoffs. I've got him penciled into the opening day lineup 2010.
Here's a taste of what we might see.
I'm thinking now that the Giants gave Posey two choices, $6.2M upfront but no major league contract, or $7.5M and major league but spread over a number of years which probably brings the present value to around $6.2M (Beckam's was worth $6.15M total, but around $5M in present value).
Yeah, the more I see that the more I agree: he should be in the starting lineup 2010. He's either ready or he's going to learn in majors, much like how the Brewers threw Robin Yount in the majors when he wasn't ready, just had him learn in the majors.
I had another thought related to my comment yesterday about Posey eventually blocking Sandoval.
We all know that catching every day turns most catchers' knees to jelly by their early to mid 30s. What if the Giants give Posey some reps next year at SS or 2B (he was a SS entering college) so that when he's not catching they can keep his bat in the lineup? Or that, at a certain point in his career, he could move out from behind the plate for good, like Biggio did.