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.
The numbers, thanks to the AP: Renteria gets a $2 million signing bonus, $7 million next year and $9 million in 2010. The Giants have a $10.5 million option for 2011 with a $500,000 buyout.
It also begs the question: did the parties have a deal in place for more than a week but left unsigned to make sure the Tigers didn’t offer Renteria arbitration? If so, is that legal? If it’s legal, it means either Renteria couldn’t get anything better than the Giants’ offer even with time to shop it around, or he really really really wanted to play for the Giants and told his agents not to bother trying elsewhere.
Which do you think is the case?
Do other teams know something the Giants don’t know? Such as: the risk of Renteria’s skills falling off a cliff far outweigh the reward of a potential bounce-back year (or two)? Or the magic powder labeled “National League” that Renteria has sprinkled over his body in past revivals is now tainted with Chinese melamine and no longer available?
Again, let me point out this article, which I hold against my cheek like a warm fuzzy blankie everytime I feel scared and alone. (For more warm fuzzies from the geeknerds, check this out. Or just read this sentence: “Affeldt and Howry are significant upgrades to the Giants bullpen, and for a total 2009 cost of $7 million, the Giants have gotten quite a bit better already this winter.”)
I am also a firm believer that just because one highly speculative, initially refuted rumor turns out to be true, the next one won’t necessarily be. In case you’re intrigued by the idea of standing in the bleachers next year and shouting “Yes! We! Cantu!”, try this one on for size.
SMALL PRINT UPDATE: Renteria on the 40–man with a $7 M salary.
