Its not up to the Giants where Lincecum is going when he reaches FA. Its up to Lincecum and there is no way any player like him is going to want to stay with a team that is saying out loud that it is trying to sign second tier players.

1 Size of Contract
2 Chance to win a championship

Giants will be somewhere around #3 or less on size of contract when he hits free agency.
His chances of winning a championship with a cast of “second tier” players is about fucking nil.

Neukom isn’t about to part with more money than Steinbrenner, Henry, the Dodgers or the Angels.

The MLB central pool punishes the achievers and rewards the losers. Which is why the good players migrate to the successful teams in free agency.

Do you think CC Sabathia is happier in New York or Cleveland. Would Nick Swisher rather be in the House of Al Davis or Yankee Stadium? Same for Johnny Damon. Would A.J. Burnett rather be back with Florida along with Red Sox ace Josh Beckett or earning millions more with a WS ring.

And so it goes. Current Management. Current priorities all stay in place.

He’s gone.

Bank on it

Their per capita revenue on ticket sales is amongst the highest in MLB. Never lose sight of that fact. Neukom liked the status quo. Hence the 3 years to Sabean and Bochy. The Giants are in a state of almost perfect financial equilibrium when chaos reigns around their baseball brethren. Promise them anything, but continue to give the same old shit. Its worked for 10 years, and continues to work. Its time tested. Nothing will change given unchanging circumstances.

To quote from Tim Kawakami’s take on the Brian Sabean press grovel yesterday. Here is Sabean virtually echoing the opinions of many here (at least those of the smart guys ) when it comes to the Giants as a second tier team:

Sabean: “…Quite frankly, there are a lot of nice opportunities with that second tier. There are some people that are going to help, maybe in some cases just as well as the higher-priced free agent, including the numbers of years you’d have to give somebody.

We have some flexibility, as you know, because Pablo can play third and first. And if we had to, Sanchez could also play third. And in the outfield, we know we have to get better at, especially offensively…

-Q: Holliday and Bay are the big names… Have you gauged their possible interest? Do you think either of those guys would have genuine interest in coming to the Giants?

-SABEAN: We have not. I don’t think that they would have genuine interest based on the field that they’re going to be involved in. Why would they?

I would like to know who the fuck Sabean is talking about when he talks about some “second-tier” player helping “just as well as the higher-priced free agent”

You mean like Edgar Renteria? Aaron Rowand maybe? Freddy Sanchez? Dave Roberts? Ryan Klesko? Edgardo Alfonso? Brett Tomko? A.J. Piersynski? Randy Winn?.

I found the “we have to get better in the outfield” comment particularly charming. You mean like in 2006 when you gave a big fat multi-year contract to Randy “Two-Bombs A Year” Winn? Or like in 2007 when you gave a big fat multi-year contract to Dave “Herve Villechaize” Roberts? Or in 2008 you gave a big fat multi-year contract to Aaron “Fenceface” Rowand. Or like in 2009 after having a dead nuts awesome oufield you started to build up your infield offense with yet another multi-year contract just to treat Giants fans to the awesomeness of Edgar “.635 OPS” Renteria.

Yep Brian. Love those second tier signings. Incredibly shrewd.

And like everything else in MLB, even its awards and recognition and championships are eroded and soiled by the relentless cacaphony of player denigration from msm, whom Selig has sold out to in exchange for his annual $6 billion dollar revenue stream.

I care about as much about the BBWA recognition clusterfuck as I do about the fools in charge of HOF membership.

I follow MLB for a number of reasons, very little of which have to do with individual recognition or awards.

Team Championships

The pure grace of the game.

The amount of incredible talent and hardwork and even- temperament required for an individual to consistently excel

Individual excellence displayed in a team setting over the course of Spring, Summer, Autumn. A beginning. A Middle. An End.

The daily opportunity to celebrate all that is good about the human condition, and criticize much of what is bad

None of them have to do with what msm wants me to think. None of them have to do with my rooting interest for a fucktard with no life whose only sense of self-worth comes from a piece of paper that tells him he has temporary stewardship over a National Institution and the parking privileges thereof.

I don’t care who gets the plastic jesus statue. What I care about is what I saw in the context of what I love about this game. And that is something that msm has no say in whatsoever.

Fuck em. And the Sabean horse they rode in on.

So, what, exactly, am I supposed to be apologizing for?

I expect Sabean will try to sign Timmy up for a 3 year extension, to avoid arbitration, perhaps 3 years for $30-35 million. Lincecum might be more favorably disposed to accept a modest deal for 3 years security because of his late season back injury – call it just in case money, and it would be good for both teams, while giving both options in 3 years.

I don’t expect a Holliday siging, Sabean indicated he was going to wait, to try to get a “better deal” – on some flawed player other teams overlook. cringe

I am holding my nose for what is sure to be a doozy of a signing for the outfield. Think 35+, middling batting average, some HR power, few walks and a gold glove 5-10 years ago. Lets hope at least it is an AL player who could show some improvement moving over to the NL.