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

December 2008 Archives

12.01.2008
Toxic Assets
We’re thumb-twiddling as we wait for tonight’s arbitration deadline. Top-tier or “type-A” free agents who don’t get offers of arbitration from their old teams can sign with new ones without the old team getting draft pick compensation. But you knew...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 2:20PM
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12.02.2008
Arb Surprises
Several marquee players weren't offered arbitration last night. Here's a list of the surprises, according to MLB Trade Rumors: Bobby AbreuJoe BeimelPat BurrellAdam DunnBraden LooperJamie MoyerRandy WolfKerry WoodI would add Bobby Howry to that list. He's no Kerry Wood, but...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 11:30AM


12.03.2008
Hazy Sabes of Winter
The Hot Stove is kicking out a lot of smoke; fire has yet to be confirmed. But here’s where things stand. The Giants put one reliever smartly in the fold by signing Jeremy Affeldt early to a well-regarded deal. If...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 3:01PM


12.03.2008
Howry: Soon Is Now
Well, that was fast. Bob Howry is the latest Giant, at the low, low price of $2.75 million for one year, far less than I expected him to command. If he throws like he did in 2006–2007, not 2008, this...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 4:05PM


12.04.2008
Absolutely Positively The Last Word on Renteria Until Tomorrow
Now that the Giants have officially signed Edgar Renteria to a contract suspiciously similar to the one rumored before Thanksgiving — the one the Giants and Renteria’s agents denied — I guess we owe Sweeny Murti of WFAN an apology....

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# posted by E.L.M.: 2:04PM


12.05.2008
Take It Like a Manny
A couple quotes to note from the Renteria coverage. First, I love what Manny Burriss said about the signing: “[T]he Giants really didn't have to give me a reason. It's crazy that I've gone from playing with one of my...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 1:27PM


12.07.2008
Has Anybody Here Seen Hank?
The top Giant rumor of the weekend: the team is talking to Texas about 3B/1B Hank Blalock. Or going to talk. Have a longer look at Blalock's numbers, factor in that he's  declined in power, defense and health the past...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 10:43PM


12.10.2008
Sorry
Personal and work matters have kept me off the grid the past 48 hours and will for a few hours more. I'll get back to you later today with a breakdown of the 2009 lineup Bruce Bochy floated yesterday: RF...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 10:37AM


12.10.2008
What Happens in Bochy's Lineup Stays in Bochy's Lineup
As I mentioned earlier today, I’d like to take a closer look at Bruce Bochy’s tentative 2009 opening day lineup. This is what he drew up on the back of a cocktail napkin for reporters in Vegas: RF WinnSS Renteria3B...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 6:41PM


12.11.2008
...If It Wasn't for You Meddling Kids!
Brian Sabean ripped the media a new one tonight, according to Baggs, who tells us he was on the receiving end. It's the media's fault for....what, exactly? Sabean wasn't clear. Something about the public blaming the Giants for not signing...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 1:02AM


12.11.2008
Behold The Rule of Five
The Giants were all over the Rule 5 draft today. Here are the players the Giants chose, and the ones who got away. Gained Luis Perdomo rhp (from the Cardinals) Matt Yourkin lhp (Marlins) Perdomo is a 24–year-old who All-Starred in Single-A this...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 3:41PM


12.12.2008
Bullpen Penciled In
SMALL PRINT UPDATE: Now listening to 50 Foot Wave’s new EP Power + Light, streaming here. *** Jack Taschner will remain a Giant for now. The team plans to tender a contract to the frustrating lefty, who is eligible for...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 2:16PM


12.12.2008
Roundtable, Part 2
The baseballers at Blogs by Fans, my parent network, are in the middle of a roundtable dissection of the just-concluded winter meetings. Part one, with Depressed Fan asking Kingman about the Mets, is here. Part two: Kingman asks me about...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 5:42PM


12.15.2008
Get Wiggy With It?
First, a weather update: My street is covered in tiny hailstones. Fun! Onward. There’s one more third-base option for the Giants now that Ty Wigginton got the old can o’ shite from his employer the Astros. He was non-tendered, as...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 5:46PM


12.16.2008
Do It To Me One More Time
In 2008 the Giants scored 640 runs, or 3.95 per game. At the Winter Meetings last week, Bruce Bochy floated a trial-balloon 2009 lineup to the press, and it didn’t look much different than 2008. But is it so dire?...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 3:51PM


12.17.2008
Adios, Aloha, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye
I think BP’s Kevin Goldstein had the scoop last night on the demise of the Hawaiian Winter League. Seems that it makes more financial sense to run a second fall/winter league in Arizona. Hard to argue with that. The tidbit...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 3:55PM


12.18.2008
Rapid Strike Team Giant Force!
From the swirl of absurdity surrounding the Rafael Furcal saga, in which his agent seemed to break a verbal promise to Atlanta in order to re-sign with L.A., comes this nugget about the Giants, courtesy of Buster Olney: First, San...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 3:06PM


12.19.2008
You Knit! I Knit! We All Knit For Unit!
Hey, it was either that or "United Unitarianism." A couple days ago I crunched mad numbers and speculated that, with one more strong hitter, the Giants could have something that resembled a league-average offense. No one has yet called me...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 6:37PM


12.23.2008
Why Mark Teixeira is Like A Tall Glass of Prune Juice
If reports today are true, free agent Teixeira is on the verge of a massive contract with the Royals. Ha. Made you look. It's the Yankees, of course, in what will go down as the biggest shocker of 2008, save...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 4:03PM


12.27.2008
Randy Johnson
The Unit is a Giant. It's a one-year contract for $8 million, plus as much as $5 million in incentives, according to reports. Until further notice, we'll call it $8 M on the handy-dandy 41-man roster salary tracker to the...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 1:29PM


12.30.2008
The Best Giant-Related Things of 2008
I'm heading to Philly, land of several good friends and baseball fans who still pine for Lenny Dykstra and a sandwich even better than a cheesesteak (you'll have to wait 'til the end of the post to find out). I'll...

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# posted by E.L.M.: 11:21PM