Mound Talk

The highlight of the year for the San Francisco Giants was Barry Bonds breaking the home run record and the excitement it brought to the bay area. It turned out that was the only excitement for the Giants as they finished last in the NL West with a record of 71-91. This has been coming for quite some time; their team continues to get older while the rest of the teams in the division have developed new young talent. The bright side of their team is the starting rotation that is very young and kept them in many games this past season.

At the end of the season the Giants released that they would not be bring back Barry Bonds which alone will give them greater flexibility this off-season. While it is still possible to bring him back it is highly unlikely after that statement. Bonds was the face of the Giants for many years and there has been much speculation that they will attempt to bring in a new perennial MVP to fill his shoes. Alex Rodriguez is likely to draw interest from the Giants considering the payroll that has opened up and because without Bonds they do not have any exciting players to put people in the seats.

Potential players leaving

Ryan Klesko (1B) - $1.75 million

Barry Bonds (OF) – $10 million ($10 million more deferred)

Russ Ortiz (SP) - $0.38 million

Omar Vizquel (SS) - $4 million

Pedro Feliz (3B) - $5.1 million

Armando Benitez (RP) - $4.73 million (ended season with the Marlins)

Tim Worrell (RP) - $2 million

The Giants will have $27.96 million coming off their books but after salary increases they will have $10.75 million to spend if they keep their payroll at $90.2 million. Of their free agents they are likely to bring back Omar Vizquel to anchor their infield and keep a veteran presence. They could consider bringing Feliz to play third, but likely only at a one year deal. They have holes at first and left or right field and do not have players in their system to fill these spots. There team is aging and needs to get younger, with the strength of the other teams in the West they will unlikely be able to compete next season, their team is aging and not getting better. With the end of the Bonds era in San Francisco it is time for them to make a new start. They should attempt to acquire some young position players through trading some of their young pitching. Noah Lowry and Jonathan Sanchez would be appealing to many clubs and could bring back some good talent.

Strengths

Starting Rotation – The starting pitching for the Giants kept them in many games this season and they look to continue to get better in the future. Barry Zito, while not a true number one, gives them experience of a Cy Young winner and playoff experience. Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum have the talent to become aces and could anchor this team for years to come. Noah Lowry is a solid pitcher who could be valuable on the trade market this winter. Sanchez has the talent to become a number 2 or 3 pitcher but needs to work on his control. This rotation could make them contenders next season but they do not have the offense to provide the run support.

Weaknesses

Offense – The Giants do not have the players to compete. They have some solid players but they are all on the decline of their careers. Ray Durham, Dave Roberts, Randy Winn; they are the offense for the Giants and they do not strike fear into other teams. They are good complementary players but not the core of an offense.

Off-season Priorities

It won’t make their fans happy but the Giants need to look towards the future. Without a major haul of their offense they won’t be able to be competitive. They should sign cheap veterans to start the season and then trade them and any of their current veterans away to teams at the trade deadline. This would be an effective way to build their farm system which is devoid of high level prospects.

The biggest priority should be to put Noah Lowry on the trade block and see what they can get for him. He is a quality pitcher who could be out of their control by the time they are competitive. They need to target a top level position prospect that could become the cornerstone of the team in the next three years. The Devil Rays need pitching and could part with outfield talent. A package of Rocco Baldelli or Akinori Iwamura and a prospect like Elijah Dukes or Reid Brignac could be attainable and give them players for the future.

The Giants are paying for years they tried to surround Bonds with players to make it to the World Series. Now that window has closed and it is time to start a new era. There has been talk that the Giants will pursue A-Rod to take over Bonds’ throne but they already have a big contract with Barry Zito and they should work on developing around the young pitching staff. To accomplish this they need to build their farm system back up (Giants Top 10 prospects).

.