...the possible return of Yorvit Torrealba works you into a lather. I spilled a good deal of verbiage here discussing the need for a Plan B in case Buster Posey isn't ready, so I won't rehash it. But before you get all warm and nostalgic for Yorvit, peruse his last few years worth of stats as a Rockist: consistently not good with the stick even with his home games at Coors. The only number to spark a bit of interest is his 2009 OBP of .350, but I wouldn't count on a late-career light bulb of plate discipline going "Ding!" above Yorvit's head.
It might be slow for a while. Brian Sabean has said he won't rush into the free agent market like he did last year, when he sewed up Affeldt, Howry and Renteria by December 1 or so. He also saw guys like Bobby Abreu do fine work for other teams in '09 after signing late in the off-season on the cheap, so he's learned his lesson. And economically speaking, this year could be even harsher than the previous. Just a hunch, but baseball fans who couldn't afford tickets this past year probably aren't rushing out to buy season tickets this winter.
The real test of the market will come when the non-Yankee teams make their bids for the guys just below the Holliday/Bay/Lackey $15-million-per-year tier. I don't see anyone else on this list cracking $10-mil-per-year on their new contracts. Do you? A fascinating case, perhaps the bellwether of the free-agent crop, will be Brad Penny. His stuff hasn't diminished. Everyone saw him throw 95 with a nasty curve when he came back to the National League after an ugly stint in Boston. At this point, I'd take him over Oliver Perez, but no chance Penny will sniff anything close to the 3 years/$30 M the Mets forked over to Perez last winter.
While we wait for someone, anyone to set the market (no, Omar Vizquel doesn't count), the big news this weekend was that the Giants protected four young players on the 40-man roster: Francisco Peguero, Kevin Pucetas, Darren Ford, and Brett Pill. Pucetas is the most likely to make an appearance in the bigs next year. Last year at this time, a pitcher with similar skills, Joe Martinez, went on the 40-man and ended up with the W on opening day.
Pucetas might be a fifth-starter/long-man candidate, but he was hit hard in AAA last year, so he might be more of an emergency call-up who has to prove himself again in Fresno to merit serious consideration. First-baseman Pill was a middling prospect coming out of college, but he broke out this year at Double-A Connecticut as a 24-year-old, so no doubt the Giants are curious if he's a late bloomer.
Darren Ford represents a small -- OK, tiny...OK, laughably pyrrhic -- victory for Brian Sabean. Ford was the player exchanged for Ray Durham a couple years ago. That the Giants got someone who has made it to the 40-man is quite a feat. Problem is, he's been in High-A ball for three years, and it's just starting to click.
Question of the day: What position will the Giants' first acquisition of the winter play? Left field? Third base? Backup catcher? You get a bonus for naming the actual player, and a super bonus for coming close to the real contract terms.
