I understand the thinking behind getting a better pitcher and that works if we are trying to maximize wins in 2009. That's why the thought of adding Sabathia was intriguing to me.

But while we can use an innings eater in 2009, he won't really be useful after that because both Bumgarner and Alderson look like they are going to be ready in that timeframe, and the other three starters that make sense are Lincecum, Cain, and Zito.

I like that he's a shorter term commit and thus won't overlap when we hope to sign Lincecum and Cain to long-term extensions.

Still, do we want to win with Lowe or do we want to boost the bullpen so that Lincecum and Cain wins the games they should have? I prefer the latter.

I like Lowe as a pitcher that might be a little undervalued in the market just because he's not CC, Sheets, or Burnett.

If you're wondering, FanGraphs has him throwing his sinker 65% of the time from '05-'08.

I have heard that he wants to go back east and pitch, specifically for Boston. Whether or not he goes in that direction is anybodies guess, but I can see him heading back to Boston depending on how the Red Sox want to use Buchholz.

One thing to think about with the Giants and Lowe is the infield defense. The Giants infield in '08 was rather porous and probably ranks in the bottom 3 infields in the NL. The Dodgers infield was closer to average. If you're bringing in a groundballer, you need to have the personal to catch the groundballs.

This post frames it up nicely. I think SF is a longshot because a very strong market will develop for Lowe and he'll have his pick of teams like the Mets or Tigers (he's from Mich.) or any of the super-rich teams that are still not satiated after CC/Sheets/Burnett get swallowed up. The other thing is that the proposed pitching alternative -- $8 mil for 2 middle relievers -- is anything but sure. We've seen how relievers, esp. middle relievers, are unpredictable year to year and can easily get overvalued and stick teams with bad contracts (while unheralded guys like Romo step up). Lowe, at least, has been a sure thing.

Why bother with Lowe when Sabathia is on the market. Yes, it will take more money, but if you look at 2010, there will be over $40 million coming off the books from our 2008 team salary. Plenty for Sabathia with more money on the back-end and then I would like to add one-power hitter after 2009, maybe Matt Holiday, and maybe going after a potential young power-hitter like Chris Davis from the Rangers now, who would play third. I think that would still give us plenty of financial room to add a couple of worthy middle-relievers and maybe an extra-bat for 2B or 1B if things dont pan out this year with our current roster. But Sandoval should be starting at 1B if we keep Molina. Trade Sanchez for Chris Davis, then trade Molina for a #3 type of pitcher to take Sanchez spot in the rotation.

I think this is the correct type of thinking, namely that the Giants should acquire one experienced arm to soak up innings for the #3 or #4 slot in the rotation at a cost of up to $10-12 million per year, because of the load it takes off the bullpen's shoulders. The problem is that it probably won't be Lowe, because he wants to go back east. But there are other candidates.

As for other moves, I still think that moving Rowand is critical, either to the Yankees or the White Sox (both of whom apparently would take him), and I would still explore with Seattle what it would take beyond Sanchez to get Beltre to anchor down 3B, even if it meant putting Pablo at 1B for the next two years or so. Alternately, we know that Kenny Williams wants to move Javier Vasquez (pricey, but an innings-eating K machine at a 3 or 4 spot) or Nick Swisher. But the idea of adding an experienced innings-eater at the back of the rotation has lots of merit and would make their bullpen decisions less important and less prone to overpayment.