Ah, a hole in the schedule. A lull in the magic. A short break before the exquisite waterboarding recommences. What better escape from the daily grind than nerding out in the nebulous future? If the season ended today, here are five roster moves I'd make over the winter:
- Try to re-sign Aubrey Huff to a lucrative one-year deal -- he's earned a nice raise -- with an option year that can kick in with easily-reached performance milestones.
- Re-sign Pat Burrell to a one-year deal if he agrees to low base pay and high incentives.
- Re-sign Juan Uribe to a one-year deal, but think hard about the possibility of Emmanuel Burriss, Ryan Rohlinger, or even Brandon Crawford as next year's starting shortstop. If the Giants can put together a better lineup in the 1 through 7 spots, they might be able to carry a light-hittin', good-glovin' shortstop at #8. If not, Uribe will be on board to step in.
- Try to trade Aaron Rowand for someone else's bad contract, preferably a starting pitcher. Carlos Zambrano was one oft-floated suggestion earlier this year. As Big Z's teammate Carlos Silva has shown, a guy who seems totally hopeless can always rebound. Zambrano looks like he's already begun his rebound since rejoining the Cubs' rotation, so that particular option might be off the table. Why a starting pitcher? You know how I feel about the lack of rotation depth. A guy who can fill the long role in the bullpen, work on whatever's cursing him, and provide rotation insurance would be more useful in 2011 than Aaron Rowand, Fifth Outfielder.
- If Cody Ross continues to show a good glove (yes, despite the now-infamous misplay Monday night) and a good approach at the plate, see if he's open to a two-year, $10 M deal. The idea behind this: He's bound to get $5-6 M in arbitration in 2011, then he hits free agency in 2012. With the two-year deal, Ross gets cost certainty in 2012, when he potentially would make less than $5 M on the open market. Or more. There's compromise on both sides. It seems like an overpay, but remember the Giants are paying Mark DeRosa for 2011 with no idea if he can contribute; if he can't, Ross is a good backup plan. He's also a good platoon option for Torres in center against tough lefties, or for Schierholtz in right, if the Giants want to give Nate another shot.
...plus an extra philosophical puzzle to solve:
- Figure out the Panda. There's a lot of talk of his deteriorating defense at third base. Oddly, UZR has him slightly better than last year with the glove. Is he a first baseman waiting to happen? Should the Giants start thinking about other third-base options? This might be the toughest exercise -- no pun intended -- of the off-season.
Where's Brandon Belt in all this? Despite his meteoric rise through the minors and on the prospect lists, I feel funny penciling him onto the 2011 Opening Day roster in a major role. I'm conservative that way. Assuming he can fill a power void left by a departed Huff or Burrell (or both) doesn't seem wise. Let's make short-term plans without him, and if he forces his way into the big-league lineup, all the better.
Come April, the 25-man roster could look something like this:
SP - Lincecum, Cain, Zito, Bumgarner, J. Sanchez, Wilson, Romo, Affeldt, Runzler, Joaquin, Casilla, Longman/6th Starter
C - Posey, Whiteside
IF - Huff, Ishikawa, Uribe, F. Sanchez, Burriss/Crawford/Rohlinger, Sandoval
OF - Burrell, Torres, Schierholtz, Ross, DeRosa
- Try to re-sign Aubrey Huff to a lucrative one-year deal -- he's earned a nice raise -- with an option year that can kick in with easily-reached performance milestones.
- Re-sign Pat Burrell to a one-year deal if he agrees to low base pay and high incentives.
- Re-sign Juan Uribe to a one-year deal, but think hard about the possibility of Emmanuel Burriss, Ryan Rohlinger, or even Brandon Crawford as next year's starting shortstop. If the Giants can put together a better lineup in the 1 through 7 spots, they might be able to carry a light-hittin', good-glovin' shortstop at #8. If not, Uribe will be on board to step in.
- Try to trade Aaron Rowand for someone else's bad contract, preferably a starting pitcher. Carlos Zambrano was one oft-floated suggestion earlier this year. As Big Z's teammate Carlos Silva has shown, a guy who seems totally hopeless can always rebound. Zambrano looks like he's already begun his rebound since rejoining the Cubs' rotation, so that particular option might be off the table. Why a starting pitcher? You know how I feel about the lack of rotation depth. A guy who can fill the long role in the bullpen, work on whatever's cursing him, and provide rotation insurance would be more useful in 2011 than Aaron Rowand, Fifth Outfielder.
- If Cody Ross continues to show a good glove (yes, despite the now-infamous misplay Monday night) and a good approach at the plate, see if he's open to a two-year, $10 M deal. The idea behind this: He's bound to get $5-6 M in arbitration in 2011, then he hits free agency in 2012. With the two-year deal, Ross gets cost certainty in 2012, when he potentially would make less than $5 M on the open market. Or more. There's compromise on both sides. It seems like an overpay, but remember the Giants are paying Mark DeRosa for 2011 with no idea if he can contribute; if he can't, Ross is a good backup plan. He's also a good platoon option for Torres in center against tough lefties, or for Schierholtz in right, if the Giants want to give Nate another shot.
...plus an extra philosophical puzzle to solve:
- Figure out the Panda. There's a lot of talk of his deteriorating defense at third base. Oddly, UZR has him slightly better than last year with the glove. Is he a first baseman waiting to happen? Should the Giants start thinking about other third-base options? This might be the toughest exercise -- no pun intended -- of the off-season.
Where's Brandon Belt in all this? Despite his meteoric rise through the minors and on the prospect lists, I feel funny penciling him onto the 2011 Opening Day roster in a major role. I'm conservative that way. Assuming he can fill a power void left by a departed Huff or Burrell (or both) doesn't seem wise. Let's make short-term plans without him, and if he forces his way into the big-league lineup, all the better.
Come April, the 25-man roster could look something like this:
SP - Lincecum, Cain, Zito, Bumgarner, J. Sanchez, Wilson, Romo, Affeldt, Runzler, Joaquin, Casilla, Longman/6th Starter
C - Posey, Whiteside
IF - Huff, Ishikawa, Uribe, F. Sanchez, Burriss/Crawford/Rohlinger, Sandoval
OF - Burrell, Torres, Schierholtz, Ross, DeRosa
