Lots of interesting tidbits emerged from the Giants' FanFest this weekend. Some revealed grander macro-economic truths about the state of the game, some provided fodder for quasi-autistic, detail-obsessed roster nerds. Ooh! I'll take the latter for $500!
First, Brian Sabean announced he has offered Rich Aurilia a minor-league contract similar to the one Juan Uribe accepted, which turns into $1 million guaranteed if he makes the team. No word yet if Richie will accept, decline or make a counter-offer. You have to think he could find a major-league deal somewhere, but it's possible the Giants are taking advantage of his comfort zone in San Francisco.
I've made my thoughts on non-roster invitees known -- don't assume they're on the team just because they seem an obvious fit. If Aurilia accepts the offer, he'll be thrown into utility infielder competition with Uribe and Josh Phelps, with each guy's chance diminished.
And what happens if Joe Crede joins the mix? There's a TV report that the Giants have offered Crede a one-year deal. No dollars mentioned, but a Minnesota paper has pegged his demands for base salary at $7 M. I'll eat my old cleats if the Giants offer that much.
As Baggs notes here, the Giants will carry 12 pitchers and a third catcher, presumably Steve Holm, behind Molina and Sandoval. Lewis, Winn, Rowand and Schierholtz will be the four OFs, and Renteria the starting SS. That leaves five Opening Day spots for nine players:
Roberts
Ishikawa
Frandsen
Burriss
Velez
Uribe
Phelps
Aurilia
Crede
The final two are premature, obviously, but let's assume they both sign contracts, Crede guaranteed, Aurilia not so much. I think it's becoming more and more clear that Pablo Sandoval will not be the Giants regular third baseman. Baggs says the team still considers him so, but after Sabean's FanFest press conference, Baggs reported this:
Sabean said he wasn't concerned about the youngster's ability to catch and throw. They're unsure how much range he'll have, though. And if it leaves something to be desired, that could lead to a greater concern: His lack of knowledge about major league hitters, and therefore, his relative inexperience positioning himself from pitch to pitch.Knowing the Giants, and seeing how much decent talent is still out there, it just doesn't seem they'll put Pablo there with no Plan B. Super-scout Ron Schueler, a former White Sox exec, was at Crede's workout. With no other reported competition for him except the cheap-ass Twins, the Giants should get Crede if they truly want him.
If the doctors sign off, Crede makes sense. The chance to get a right-handed hitter with a good shot at 25 home runs and excellent defense without trading top prospects or giving up draft picks? And he's not really blocking anyone? What's not to like?
That would set off a cascade of events. First, it would push Sandoval to first base, with Travis Ishikawa either off the roster -- and possibly out of the organization, because he's out of options -- or a late-inning defensive sub for Sandoval, plus the occasional start against RHP when Sandoval slides to third to give Crede a day off or behind the plate to spell Molina. That seems thin gruel to use for a coveted roster spot, especially when Sandoval's strong side is also hitting lefty. But Sandoval's not locked in at 1B -- for example, a trade of Molina mid-year could make him the full-time catcher -- so dumping Ishikawa now might seem short-sighted later.
With Crede on board, it's hard to imagine both Phelps and Aurilia making the team. Crede also makes Uribe less necessary, since Sandoval could handle the backup 3B work. The big question for Uribe, then, would be how much the Giants need him backing up the middle infield spots. Manny Burriss can do that job more cheaply, with more on-base skills and speed, and better defense. And even if Burriss wins the 2B job outright, he could still slide over to back up Renteria once in a while.
Or Kevin Frandsen could be the starting 2B as well as the backup SS, with Eugenio Velez taking the occasional start at second. That might make more sense, seeing how Burriss could benefit from a year of AAA to prove whether the Giants should save shortstop for him in the post-Renteria era.
Of the nine candidates above, Crede and Frandsen as starters makes the most sense, with Ishikawa and Velez on the bench and Burriss back to AAA. That leaves one more spot, and the Giants would love to fill it with right-handed power. Aurilia and Phelps both hit lefties well, but Phelps hasn't done it in a significant sample size since the early '00s. Aurilia posted this line last year: .321 / .377 / .526 in 151 plate appearances. He probably won't reach that again, but even his career line against lefties -- .297 / .364 / .494 -- is plenty good.
Aurilia can also fill in at third and, in an emergency, second or short. Phelps should probably be a DH. Uribe once hit more than 20 home runs, but let's not fool ourselves into thinking he'd be an asset with the bat. If Phelps and Uribe agree to a AAA assignment, my inclination is to stash them there at first, to be brought up as needed, and start the year with Aurilia. If he's headed toward another ugly year like 2007, ain't no thing to swap him with Phelps.
If in spring training it's obvious Frandsen won't fly as the occasional backup SS, or Velez's glove takes a permanent vacation, then Velez goes to AAA (he still has options, I believe), and Uribe gets the call. The problem is that configuration leaves team without a pinch-runner. The luxury of three catchers (Molina, Sandoval, Holm) begs for one. Say Bengie leads off the eighth or ninth inning of a close game with a hit. It's crucial to bring in someone who can beat a three-legged Galapagos tortoise in a sprint. Nate Schierholtz would work, I guess, but he won't steal you a bag when absolutely needed. (Neither would Velez, but his speed is a huge late-inning factor.) Which brings us back to Dave Roberts. Crap. I forgot about Dave Roberts.
I feel like I've just done a math proof that leads to division by zero. Game ends. Brain explodes. Universe turns inside out. But I can escape this Moebius strip of roster construction by noting -- aha! -- that Crede and Aurilia haven't even signed contracts. It's all a figment of your imagination, son.
Whew. I just dodged a bullet from my own mind. Eat that, Wachowski Brothers. I mean, really, what was I thinking? Joe Crede, cleanup hitter? Aren't we saving that place for Manny Ramirez?
The answer after this weekend is far more likely to be No, but I'll say more about it in my next post wherein we ponder the macro-economic ripples emanating from baseball's singular winter and breaking upon the shores of our beloved McCovey Cove.
