This better be a bad joke:
…. The Twins and Giants have emerged as new potential landing spots for free agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez…
…. The Giants have Bengie Molina to catch, and he’s even penciled in as their cleanup hitter, but Pudge could get games at first base and third base in San Francisco, which is planning to employ youngsters Travis Ishikawa and Pablo Sandoval at those positions, respectively.
Do you see?
If he thinks this is the way to build a team, if he thinks that signing another ancient player to fill a position he already has an ancient player to fill, Sabean should be fired on the spot.
I’m sure I’ll be hearing how Pudge’s two-year, $10 million dollar contract won’t stand in the way of the team moving forward, so let me say it now…..
YES IT WILL!!!!!!
UPDATE: Thank God.
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Looks like you may not need to worry, John:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3985628
I have to laugh at some of this stuff.
Randy Johnson can break his back, and be on the DL by June and it will still be a great move because the 9 million dollar contract for a 45 year old pitcher with back problems was only for a year. Meanwhile Nathan will continue to put HOF closer numbers and Liriano is one healthy season away from “elite” status. It is conceivable, the Twins could win their division with Liriano and Nathan leading the way
Zito will be even worse than he was last year and the year before and the year before continuing a trend that started before Sabean lost his mind completely. And when he is worse again this year, we will be given some random cherry picked statistic that tells us that he is not as bad as the steaming pile vapors that linger on the mound after most of his appearances would have us believe.
The fat kid Sandoval will struggle defensively because he is forty pounds overweight and somebody will point us to Prince Fielder as a potential golden glove. The fact that 57% of the pitches that Sandoval swings at, are out of the strike zone means that he is more likely to be 200 strikeouts waiting to happen, rather than a 900 OPS guy in spite of what the marketing mavens are trying to sell you.
Frandsen will be lucky to OPS over .700, yet we will be told how gritty he is and that he contributes intangibles.
Ishikawa will revert to his below average performances of the prior two years, but because he can flash leather and has appeal to the large Japanese community in the Bay Area, he will also be touted as bringing intangibles.
Sabean’s 2007 signing of Zito will cost 18 million per year
Sabean’s 2008 signing of Rowand will cost 10 million per year
Sabean’s 2009 signing of Renteria will cost 9. 5 million per year
Multi-year contracts for below average performance at best, and “booed off the field” types of performances at worst.
So pathetic its pretty hard to get worked up about it anymore. The only thing more pathetic is the last several years of rationalizing the inept stubborness and arrogant attitude of the Giants ownership as personified by Sabean.
Nah. Adding or not adding Ivan to this pile of shit team isn’t going to make a difference one way or the other.
Here is an example of the silly, stupid, ridiculous, non-credible, lying, insipid, vapid, stupidity that comes out of mainstream media.
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March 1, 2009 San Francisco Chronicle
The Giants, though, have reason to believe they will get a better Zito in 2009 based on what they see in camp following a better second half last year. Even before he pitched two hitless innings in his Cactus League debut against the Mariners on Saturday, Zito seemed comfortable on the mound. He changed a lot of things last year, including his delivery and pitch repertoire.
This spring, Zito seemed comfortable with the pitcher he has become the first moment he grabbed a ball.
“This is the third year,” pitching coach Dave Righetti said. “He’s not searching as much as he has before. Every time he’s thrown or pitched on the side, for me, his stuff has been there each time. I feel great about it. We’re excited. He’s on the right track and I think he’s going to have a nice year, and I think the next few years of his career are going to go up. I believe that.”
Last spring, Zito faced 67 batters before he had a strikeout. In Saturday’s 6-4 Giants loss, he struck out his second hitter.
“I definitely came through a lot of s- last year,” Zito said. “It feels good to be myself again.” Then, pointing toward himself, he said, “I proved to myself that it was in there last year. I think it was just a matter of pitching tight” before.
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March 16
In Sunday’s 11-3 loss to Kansas City, Barry Zito was blasted for six runs in five innings. He allowed two home runs, including the first of two by Mark Teahen (the only St. Mary’s man to have a good afternoon after the Gaels were left out of the NCAA Tournament). Everything Zito does is magnified because of his contract, and he knows a game like this provides his critics more fodder.
“Obviously you want to produce results and you want to come out and make a statement. That’s something that didn’t go on today,” he said. “I learned last year to not put too much stock on what else goes on outside the clubhouse and just stay with my routine.”
March 16
Zito had another rough outing, yielding six runs and 10 hits in five innings. The left-hander gave up hits to six of the 14 left-handed hitters he faced after holding lefties to .213 batting average with one homer in 2008.
“Finding a rhythm was tough,” said Zito, who has given up 11 earned runs in 13 2-3 innings over four spring starts. “I was a little too fast on my delivery. That led to location issues.
“(Rhythm) is not automatically there right now. You have to practice it and get that feel for it again. You want to produce. You want to go out and make a statement. That’s something that didn’t go on today.”
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April 1
Barry Zito got roughed up again today. Paris Hilton released a secretly home video of Zito having sex with himself
We got a kid named Buster Posey who plays catcher and is the reigning Golden Spikes Award winner. He’ll get a call-up in September and he’ll be at least a part-timer in 2010, and will be our starter in 2011. Why would we go after a catcher? Fer chrissakes, Pablo Sandoval is a catcher!!
Going after Pudge is nuts, absolutely nuts. The Giants don’t need a bench, they need starting position players who can hit. Pudge is no longer that kind of player.
I’m assuming this is one of those silly rumors with no foundation, just spring training talk by bored reporters.
What is so wrong with having as good bench as long as it is cheap and blocks no one important to the team’s future? Why are you so inpatient and so unwilling to wait for the rebuild that is already in process to complete? Why shouldn’t the Giants add players now that improve the team now so long as they don’t delay the Giants progress towands completing the needed rebuild?
I think we can stock the bench with guys like Josh Phelps and Jesus Guzman. Uribe and Aurilia have minor-league deals, they are already in place and will deliver about the same utility and value as Rodrigues. Pudge does not improve us–at all. I think the Giants need to figure out how to get their young talent on the field so they can find out what they can build on. The more guys like Pudge we stuff into the mix, the less chance we’ll get to see Sandoval, Ishikawa, Frandsen, Gillaspie, Posey, Bowker, Burriss, etc. Those guys might all be busts, but they at least have upside potential, something Ivan Rodrigues can’t deliver.
If the Giants sign Pudge it will be to replace Holm and it will be for just a year at around 1M just like the deals Aurilia and Uribe signed. I would have no problem with this. Holm’s slow release on attempted stolen bases has become known and is a liability we should be trying to eliminate.
Now if the plan is to displace Ishikawa at 1B by using Pudge and Sandoval at the corners this I would have a problem with. But, I just don’t buy that this is what the Giants are thinking. Sure, they might find some PAs for him against lefties at either 1B or 3B but I really don’t see many here for Pudge. I think most of these platoon PAs against lefties will go to Aurilia with Uribe (not Pudge) second in line.
What would be so wrong with a 5 man bench of Pudge C, Aurilia CI, Uribe MI, Schierholtz OF, Velez OF? This would be a pretty strong bench. Perhaps even the best in baseball with a total cost of less then $5M.
The one real problem I see with signing Pudge is that it might piss off Molina if it is not handled properly by making sure that both Molina and Pudge are comfortable with Molina is the starter and Pudge is the backup.
Rainman,
Again, you seem content to focus on the secondary rather than the primary. “What’s wrong with a good bench?” A seemingly straightforward question. Of course, every team needs a good bench. Great, we’d have the best bench in baseball.
WHO THE FUCK CARES!? A team without one single regular projected to hit 20 home runs DOES NOT NEED A FUCKING BENCH!!
I am not “content to focus on the secondary rather than the primary”. What I am is patient enough to wait for the already in process rebuild to complete that will deliver the “primary”. What I also am is someone that understands the Giants need to sell tickets in 2009. All the short term moves you are so much against don’t block anyone important to this rebuild but do improve the 2009 team and thus do help sell tickets in 2009.
Hahahhaa, no worries John, it’s Heyman who’s reporting that…. the same Jon Heyman who’s butt buddies with IRod’s agent, Scott Boras. Honestly, if Sabean wouldn’t pony up $5mil for Joe Crede (another Boras guy), I don’t see why he would for Rodriguez.
I wouldn’t be overly disturbed by this. This is exactly the kind of deal I told my pal 3 days ago that Sabean and Baer would love to make.
Old Baseball Card
He doesn’t trust either Ishikawa nor Sandoval so a guy like Pudge makes all kinds of sense on the Planet Sabean. He never trusted Niekro, Burris, Frandsen, Ortmeir, Bowker in the infield nor Linden, Lewis, Shierholz, or Bowker in the outfield and brought in overpriced over-the-hill guys 2 to 5 years beyond their “use by date”; Vizquel, Aurillia, Roberts, Renteria, Sweeny, Matheny, Alfatso, Alou and so on.
Just one more in a never ending string of lateral moves that do nothing except rearrange the locker stools in the clubhouse. Sabean is like the career convenience store clerk who goes from one 7-11 to another in search of the perfect Circle K, ends up dying a pauper and miserable, and never understanding why.
gotta agree with you there, John… I like Pudge, but he’s really no upgrade anywhere (which sure is nice to be able to say), and as you mention, I can’t imagine what shape his knees are in by now.
I don’t know much about the Twins, but I know they need to get Mauer out from behind the plate – guess why? Because he’s a catcher… and…. it’s… hard…. on…. your… knees….
Sabean should just be tied up with ducttape and give Sandoval and Ishikawa their shots. If that doesn’t work, better are on the way. If it does, yahoo, trade bait. Sheesh.
Okay, who?
He was very good AND he played in Texas. Gaudy offensive numbers? Sure. I agree that his OBP is what’s most dramatically dropped over the last couple of years. I wouldn’t condemn Sabean over THIS, for, say a year. I mean, I think he should have been fired years ago and certainly more for Zito and Rowand than Pudge for a year or Renteria for two. I’m on the fence on this one.
Still hitting? Since ’05. he’s posted an OBP of .290, .332, .294, .338, .319.
His last four seasons have been progressively worse, he’s at least his announced age, 37 years old, and he’s played something like 2200 games at catcher, and we’re supposed to pencil him in as our everyday third or first baseman?
At PacBell, he’ll hit three home runs, walk fifteen times, and ground into thirty double plays, all while playing a position he’s never played before in his life, and he’ll cost at least $5 million per.
There has to be twenty guys in the minors –you know players who actually are third or first baseman– who could post the same numbers Pudge will this season, and they’ll cost the league minimum.
Plus, rumor has it Pudge has always wanted to move to San Francisco…
You wouldn’t want him for a year, even at market value? The guy’s still hitting and we need offense and Posey’s not ready and Molina’s gotta be tired and I’d have no problem with Pudge as a short-term aid.
Isn’t .300/.400 good for a Sabean 1st/3rd baseman. He might could hit that well.
If only Rodriguez weren’t so short.