While we chew over the Manny Ramirez madness, two other news bits this morning combine to make my afternoon post. First, Bengie Molina is reportedly agitating for a contract extension, or at least a yes or no signal from management. According to this morning’s reports, Molina cites respect as an issue. He’s right — he deserves the organization’s respect, though that certainly doesn’t translate into a contract extension or discussions of one. Remember, Bengie’s a little sensitive, and this isn’t the first time he’s pouted over alleged disrespect.
Before we answer the question To extend or not to extend? let’s note the second news bit: Three top prospects are being promoted from San Jose to Connecticut, and Buster Posey is not one of them. As expected, Bumgarner and Alderson are moving up, but the surprise is Brandon Crawford, last year’s second-round pick from UCLA who is scalding the ball (and striking out a lot). At least one prospect hound thinks Crawford has too many holes in his swing — more details in this thread.
Whither Posey? Giants’ personnel guy Bobby Evans told Schulman that Posey still has a lot to learn as a catcher and there are no plans to promote him soon. News item 1, meet news item 2.
Game this out a bit. Let’s say Posey, as talented as he is, can’t step right in as the 2010 Opening Day catcher. It’s a distinct possibility. The team has Pablo Sandoval, of course, but Sandoval is doing nicely right now as a full-time third baseman. Moving him off third would create another hole to fill; the Giants also might want to slide Sandoval to first base permanently this year or next, depending on Ishikawa’s progress.
If I were the Giants, I’d be willing to discuss a one-year Molina extension. If Posey beats the odds and is ready next April, he can split time with Bengie in 2010, with Molina being an obvious mid-year trade chip if he plays well. If Posey needs to start the year in the minors, voila — the Giants could do a lot worse than Molina behind the dish one more year.
The question is, will Bengie bite on a one-year extension? The way he’s played the past three years, he and his agent might be set on another multi-year contract.
The Giants could also offer him arbitration after the season. If Molina walked, they’d get a draft pick, if he accepted arbitration, it would be a one-year contract decided by a mediator, probably with a decent raise. It would be a good risk to take.
