Giants Look to Salvage a Game, Stay in First Place in Series Finale Against Dodgers

By Vince Cestone
@vintalkingiants






                              VS

The San Francisco Giants sit atop the National League West with a slim one-game lead, but the Los Angeles Dodgers and their new shortstop Hanley Ramirez have plans to share the top spot.

The Dodgers bolstered their lineup by acquiring Ramirez from the Miami Marlins in exchange for pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and a minor leaguer. Although Ramirez is batting just .252 for the season, he has 15 home runs and is 6-for-16 with the Dodgers.

In his first at-bat with Los Angeles against the St. Louis Cardinals, Ramirez tripled and then came in to score. He proceeded to hit a game-winning home run for the Dodgers on a hanging slider from Sergio Romo in the 10th of inning of Friday night's game against the Giants.

So far, the Giants have countered by acquiring Marco Scutaro,who will play third base in the absence of Pablo Sandoval, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday with a hamstring strain. Scutaro is batting .271, with four home runs and 30 RBIs.

Although the Giants may be short-handed, San Francisco will send Ryan Vogelsong against the retooled Dodgers in the series finale. Vogelsong (8-4, 2.26 ERA) is 2-0 against the Dodgers this year with an 0.63 ERA.

In order to avoid the sweep at the hands of their rivals, the Giants will have to be on top of their game. The Dodgers' ace Clayton Kershaw (7-6, 3.14 ERA) will face off against San Francisco for the third time this season.

Vogelsong beat Kershaw twice this season by scores of 2-1 and 2-0.

The Giants lost Game 1 in the 10th inning on Ramirez's home run, after they tied the game in the eighth on a Brandon Belt two-run single. Los Angeles routed Barry Zito and the Giants 10-0 in Game 2, thanks to seven combined RBIs from Matt Kemp and Hanley Ramirez.

Matt Cain received a no-decision in Game 1.

Too much great pitching from Chad Billingsley and too little hitting doomed the Giants.

San Francisco has still been hot since the All-Star break. They have gone 9-5 to start the second half, including a strong 4-2 East Coast road trip.

Here are some more news and notes about tonight's rivalry game.

• The Giants outscored the Dodgers 13-0 in their three-game sweep of  Los Angeles June 25-27 at AT&T Park.
• The Giants are 4-4 against the Dodgers this season.
• ESPN predicts the Giants will have a 45% chance of beating the Dodgers today.
• The Dodgers are 2-2 since acquiring Ramirez.
• The Dodgers have not shutout the Giants by this large of a margin since 1997, where they beat them 11-0.
• Kershaw's career ERA against the Giants is 1.45, the lowest all-time--over a minimum of 50 innings.

Weather Report:

The game-time temperature will be a cool 61 degrees. An 11-mph  west-northwest wind will carry the ball to slightly right of center, a spot Dodgers' slugger Matt Kemp loves to take the ball.

Who's Hot:

• Melky Cabrera: 30-for-79, .380, 3 HR, 13 RBI, .414 on-base percentage.

Who's Not:

•  Brandon Belt: 10-for-58, .172, 4 RBI, 25 strikeouts, .258 OBP, .207 slugging percentage, .465 OPS.

 ...

The Giants have been playing good baseball since the break. Although the Dodgers took the first two games of the series, the Giants can still escape with a two-game lead in the NL West by winning one-out-of-three.

Even if the worst happens and the Dodgers sweep, the Giants will still be percentage points ahead of the Dodgers, but if the Giants can continue to pitch well at home and get just enough offense, they should have a great chance of winning today's game.

Of course, they will need to catch the ball too. Shortstop Brandon Crawford committed one miscue in the game yesterday, and Melky Cabrera failed to hit the cutoff man on a play at the plate.

San Francisco must also improve on their situational hitting. Both in the second and fifth innings, the Giants had a runner at second with nobody out, but failed to move the runner over or get him in.

With the Giants needing to play scrappy, especially with Sandoval out of the lineup, they cannot fail in those productive-out situations if they expect to win ball games. Once again, the Giants were plagued with their overaggressiveness with runners on base.

Still, the Giants are in first place by one game. They must realize that the pressure is on the Dodgers--not them--so it is their job to stay loose and look like the team ahead in the standings.



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Information from ESPN.com contributed to this article.

Check out my NBCBayArea.com article on the San Jose Giants' Joe Panik.

San Francisco Giants' Sergio Romo Wrongly Snubbed from All-Star Game

By Vince Cestone

@vintalkingiants

Photo by SD Dirk/Flickr

2-1, 0.83 ERA, 4/4 in save opportunities.

These video game-like numbers are not part of my MLB 12: The Show season. They represent Sergio Romo's 2012 real season.

Wouldn't you put this man in the 2012 All-Star Game in Kansas City? Apparently not.

Romo was not chosen to represent the San Francisco Giants and the National League when selection ended Sunday, even with his excellent numbers.

Romo is the best right-handed setup man in the league. Although he is second in the league in earned-run average, Romo has a minuscule 0.74 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) and a 4.83 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Not dominant enough for you?

Romo averages 12 strikeouts per game with his premier slider and sneaky fastball. In addition, he has given up just 10 hits in 21.2 innings pitched.

The original purpose of the All-Star Game was to showcase the best each league had to offer (which is why I do not agree with every team needing one representative in the All-Star Game). The National League players and coaches missed a great addition to their bullpen.

Here are the relievers who made it to the Midsummer Classic over Romo:

• Aroldis Chapman: 4-4, 1.98 ERA, 64-12 K/BB, 9/13 Saves, 0.77 WHIP
• Joel Hanrahan: 3-0, 2.10 ERA, 35-15 K/BB, 20/22 Saves, 1.07 WHIP
• Craig Kimbrel: 0-1, 1.50 ERA, 50-10 K/BB, 23/24 Saves, 0.77 WHIP

Romo has a better ERA, save percentage (albeit Romo only had four chances), and a better WHIP than the above relievers who made the National League All-Star Team.

Romo may have been overlooked because he is not a closer. Regardless, the bearded right-hander's numbers show he is a more effective pitcher than the above All-Star relievers.

Was Romo undeservedly snubbed? My opinion is clear, but the players and coaches had something else in mind.

The other Giants in the 2012 All-Star Game were voted in by the fans as starters. Buster Posey will start at catcher, Melky Cabrera will patrol right field, and Pablo Sandoval will man third base.

The Giants have not had this many starting players on an All-Star team since 2001 when Barry Bonds, Jeff Kent, and Rich Aurilia all represented San Francisco for the National League.


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Information from ESPN.com contributed to this opinion article.

Check out my NBCBayArea.com article on the San Jose Giants' Joe Panik.

Sanchez, Posey Propel Giants Win In 14-Inning Affair in Milwaukee

By Vince Cestone
Twitter @vintalkingiants

The phrase "Bye, Bye Baby!" found its way back for the San Francisco Giants.

The Giants defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 thanks to the home-run ball. San Francisco scored all four of their runs on home runs.

The Giants jumped out in front 3-0 on a three-run, first-inning big fly from Buster Posey off of Brewers' starter Randy Wolf. They would not score again until the top of the 14th inning, when backup catcher Hector Sanchez launched a go-ahead home run, giving the Giants a 4-3 lead.

Giants starter Madison Bumgarner cruised along until the bottom of the eighth inning. With Bumgarner and the Giants leading 3-1, shortstop Brandon Crawford made a crucial error with two outs just before Brewers' slugger Ryan Braun came to the plate.

Bumgarner's hope for a win was tarnished after Braun launched a 1-2 slider well over the left-center field wall. The game was suddenly tied 3-3.

Setup man Sergio Romo was ready to go in the bullpen, but Giants' manager Bruce Bochy opted to let Bumgarner face Braun. The move backfired, but the Giants maintained focus going into extra innings.

Before Sanchez's go-ahead, extra-inning home run, the Brewers threatened to win the game.

Milwaukee had a shot in the bottom of the 12th inning. With two on and two out, Giants' reliever Javier Lopez induced a Nyjer Morgan groundout to send the game to the 13th inning.

Morgan replaced Braun, who left the game with tightness in his groin. Braun is listed as day-to-day, and according to RotoWorld.com, he told reporters he was not sure if he would play in Game 2 of the series.

The only sour pill the Giants swallowed was the no-decision for Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner pitched 7 2/3 innings, giving up three runs (one earned), five hits, while amassing 10 strikeouts.

Another sour note to the Giants' win was shaky defense once again. The Giants made two more errors in Monday's game, increasing their error total to 44 on the season.

The Giants lead the National League in errors.

Fortunately, the Giants' bullpen picked up Crawford, who made the crucial eighth-inning error. In 6 1/3 innings, Giants relievers surrendered no runs and just one hit.

Giants interim closer Santiago Casilla shut the door in the bottom of the 14th inning to earn the win, inducing a game-ending flyout off the bat of Corey Hart, who went 0-for-6 on the night.

Melky Cabera continued his hot-hitting ways, going 3-for-5 with two walks and a triple. Cabrera's batting average increased to .360.

Cabrera leads all of baseball with 62 hits for the season, just behind the New York Yankees' Derek Jeter who has 60 hits.

...


I can not reiterate enough about how Bruce Bochy is doing a phenomenal job keeping this team relevant.

The Giants lead the league in errors, lost their meal tickets Pablo Sandoval and Brian Wilson to injuries, have the weakest infield in baseball, and are watching their rival Los Angeles Dodgers dominate the National League.

San Francisco have a lot on their plate in 2012, but somehow, someway, they are just one game back of the NL wild-card lead.

How is a team that has so much going against them still standing?

Pitching.

The Giants sit at 22-20 because of their 3.32 team earned-run average, good for third in the league. I do not know the exact numbers, but the Giants appear to pitch through errors better than any other team in baseball--they had to have done so if they are over 500.

A quick comment about the Los Angeles Dodgers. Wow.

They are just on fire right now. They currently have a five-game winning streak, including a sweep of the first-place St. Louis Cardinals.

This is all with the absence of their slugger Matt Kemp. They will be awfully tough to beat, but there is a lot of season left.

San Francisco is currently seven games behind the Dodgers.


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Information from ESPN.com contributed to this article.

Image Attribution: By Ed Bierman on Flickr (Original version) UCinternational (Crop) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons 

Giants Look For Third-Straight Series Sweep at Home Versus Cross-Bay Rival Athletics

A pattern is starting to emerge.

For the past two seasons, The San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics exchanged series sweeps against each other. The Bay Area team who played at home was the club who brought out the broom.

The two teams play each other six times per year, three in San Francisco and three in Oakland.

History appears to be repeating itself.

Game 1 and Game 2 of the Bay Bridge Series were like night and day. Offense erupted in Game 1, where the Giants held on to beat the A's 8-6.

Game 2, however, was more of the light offensive game you would expect from these two clubs.

The Giants and A's took a scoreless tie into the seventh inning. Ryan Vogelsong would outlast Tyson Ross in a classic pitcher's duel.

Ross escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, he induced an infield popout from Angel Pagan, followed by a strikeout from Brandon Belt.

In the second inning, the Giants left another runner in scoring position, as Brandon Crawford struck out swinging.

San Francisco broke through in seventh inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Melky Cabrera hit a sacrifice fly into deep right-center field, giving the Giants a 1-0 lead.

The Giants tacked on three more runs in the inning. Buster Posey's RBI ground-rule double knocked in Vogelsong from third base to give the Giants a 2-0 lead.

The next batter, Pagan, delivered the big blow in the game. With Blanco at third and Posey at second, Pagan blooped a single to center field, which scored both runs and made the score 4-0.

This would be more than enough for the Giants.

Vogelsong gave up just one hit and no runs in seven innings, with five strikeouts and one walk. Ross was the hard-luck loser, pitching six innings of two-run ball.

Javier Lopez and Clay Hensley pitched a scoreless inning each to preserve the shutout against the A's. The Giants now have won eleven games in a row against the Athletics at AT&T Park.

Brandon Crawford continued his hot-hitting from the two-spot in the order. On Saturday, he went 2-for-4, and since being inserted into the two-hole, Crawford is 5-for-14 (.357)

The Giants will look for their fourth straight home series sweep against the A's Sunday. Tim Lincecum (2-3, 5.77 ERA) will take on Bartolo Colon (3-4, 4.13 ERA).

...

My respect for Bruce Bochy and the Giants just went up. The fact that this team is 21-19 is simply a borderline miracle.

The Giants have 2011 Fresno Grizzlies or minor leaguers at the following positions in today's lineup: first base (Belt), second base (Emmanuel Burriss), shortstop (Crawford), and third base (Joaquin Arias).

Notice anything? That is the entire Giants' infield.

San Francisco is also 21st in the league in runs scored with 153.

Even more remarkable is the Giants lead all of baseball in errors with 42. Usually, this spells disaster for any ball club, but they are third in the National League in ERA with a 3.36 clip.

More often than not, the pitching bails out the Giants' errors.

It will be interesting to see the moves the Giants make to improve their club.

Matt Cain Throws Shutout in San Francisco Giants' Home Opener

By Vince Cestone
@vintalkingiants

By User eürodäna (Original version) User StormXor (Crop) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Giants baseball is starting to feel like Giants baseball.

Matt Cain took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, only to be broken up by Pittsburgh Pirates' pitcher James McDonald. However, he completed the San Francisco Giants' second complete-game shutout of the season.

Cain also had the strkeout ball going in Friday's Giants' home opener at AT&T Park. Cain amassed 11 strikeouts, while walking none.

The Giants offense scored plenty for Matt Cain in San Francisco's 5-0 victory.

San Francisco has scored at least four runs in each of their first seven games, the first time they have done so since 2003 when they began that year 7-0.

Contrary to what one might expect, the Giants are 3-4, even with the much-improved offense.

The Giants jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Melky Cabrera, who went 2-for-3 with a walk, scored on a Buster Posey double to deep center. Aubrey Huff followed with a two-out single.

Huff later homered in the eighth inning, a two-run homer that made the score 5-0 San Francisco.

The Giants tacked on their third run in the sixth inning on a bloop single by Nate Schierholtz.

The Giants are currently second in the National League in runs scored with 33, just behind the St. Louis Cardinals who have 37.

The Pirates are going in the opposite direction. Since taking 2-out-of-3 against the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh has lost four in a row and are dead last in the league in runs scored with 11.

A little home cooking seemed to do the Giants good.

...

Who would have thought the 2012 Giants would put up their best all-around offensive output since 2003? I say all-around because even their outs are loud.

I have not seen so many line drives off San Francisco bats since the steroid era. If you're a Giants fan, this is a great sign.

The most salient weakness on this team was supposed to be the offense. That was to be the X factor.

Surprisingly, the run support has been there, but for the most part, the starting pitching has not. It must be a relief to see Matt Cain dominate again after his rough outing in Arizona.

It's been a tale of two pitching staffs. You got Tim Lincecum who cannot get the ball over the plate, and you got Barry Zito throwing complete-game shutouts.

Cain, Zito, and Bumgarner have rebounded nicely. The X factor here is Lincecum.

We will see how he does against Roy Halladay next week when they go head-to-head at AT&T Park. It is time to see if Lincecum is really the ace the Giants thought he would be--and if he is worth the next big contract.
...

What do you all think?




Follow me on Twitter @vintalkingiants

San Francisco Giants' AT&T Park Opening Day Weather Report

By Vince Cestone (with help from Christina Loren)
@vintalkingiants



From a cubicle at the NBC Bay Area studios...

Photo Courtesy of Vince Cestone

Today's San Francisco Giants' opening day game against the Pittsburgh Pirates may be interrupted by a bit of rain.

Right now, it is cloudy with no rain at AT&T Park, but stray downpours are possible by the 1:35 p.m. first pitch. The opening pitch temperature will be a cool 55 degrees, with west-northwest gusts blowing out toward McCovey Cove at 15 mph, and the wind will pick up throughout the game.

Matt Cain, who will be taking on the Pirates' James McDonald, better watch out for those isolated thunderstorms, as a low pressure system heads toward San Francisco.

What does this mean?

Pablo Sandoval and Melky Cabrera should gear up because it is going to be a short porch at the 309-foot marker down the right-field line. The ballpark should play live, so fans and kayakers should gear up for the long ball.

...

Tune in to CSN Bay Area at 1:30 p.m. for the Giants versus the Pirates live from AT&T Park.

...

What do you all think of the weather conditions for today's game? Are you ready for some splash hits?



Follow me on Twitter @vintalkingiants

For more great weather reports, follow Christina Loren on Twitter @Christina_Loren

San Francisco Giants Weekend Wrap-Up: Giants Continue Cactus League Dominance

The San Francisco Giants' biggest concern coming into the 2012 season has been anything but worrisome, at least during the start of the 2012 Cactus League.

The Giants have swung the bats so far in their first 10 games this spring. They stand at 7-3-1 for the spring and have slugged a .326 team batting average.

San Francisco's power numbers have been the best in the Cactus League so far. In 11 games, the Giants lead the league with 18 home runs and 70 RBIs.

The Giants are also second in the league in runs scored with 73. The only team better in that statistic is the Seattle Mariners with 74 runs scored.

Their ability to get on-base has also been encouraging this spring. The Giants lead all of baseball (Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues) in OPS with a .919 clip, and they have a team on-base percentage of .376, good for third in the Cactus League.

Is this foreshadowing the team's 2012 season, or is it a mirage?

It is difficult to say since the ball flies in Arizona, but a couple of players stand out as in-shape and ready to go (I would like to hear your thoughts by commenting below).

Keith Allison/Flickr, Creative Commons

Melky Cabrera continues to have a torrid spring training. Over the weekend, he went 3-for-7 against Milwaukee Brewers Saturday and the Seattle Mariners Sunday, with another double and three RBI.

Cabrera's spring average is now at .542, with three home runs, four doubles, and nine RBI in seven games. He leads the Cactus League in both home runs and RBI.

Here is a quick wrap-up of the Giants' three weekend spring training games:

Saturday (SS):

• Brewers 3    Giants 13  (Tommy Joseph, 2-for-3, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB)
• Barry Zito: 3 IP, 0 ER, 0 R, 1 H, 1 K
• Giants 5     Angels 9 (Aubrey Huff, 2-for-3, HR, RBI)
• Huff hitting .316 this spring.

Sunday:

• Mariners 5   Giants 7 (Hector Sanchez, 2-for-2, HR, 3 RBI)
• Eric Surkamp (3 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 3K)
• Sunday's box score can be found here. 

That is 25 runs in 3 games. It is safe to say that the Giants had a swinging weekend.

On the injury front, Buster Posey and Brian Wilson each played in the game Sunday against the Mariners. Both looked encouraging and appear to be back to form.

Buster Posey went 0-for-2 on Sunday, but caught four innings. With Brian Wilson on the mound and a runner at first base in the second inning, Posey fired a strike to second base to gun down the Mariners' Carlos Peguero in an inning-ending strike-em-out, throw-em-out double play.

Rob Shenk (Flickr) [Creative Commons]

 

In that same game, Wilson pitched a scoreless fourth inning. He gave up a one-out single to Peguero and struck out one.

Wilson's velocity was in the low 90s, but he still effectively and efficiently completed a scoreless inning. Most importantly, Wilson pitched nine pain-free pitches.

I am sure Wilson will crank up the velocity once the games count.

As I write this, I see Aaron Rowand, now with the Miami Marlins, on ESPN strike out on a low and away slider. Classic Aaron Rowand. I smile.



Materials from MLB.com.

Giants go 1-1-1 in Cactus League Opening Weekend; Hector Sanchez Deserves the Backup Catcher Role

If there is one positive sign from this weekend's 1-1-1 Cactus League opening start, it is that there are signs of life.

The Giants scored 18 runs in three spring training contests (albeit one of the games was a split squad with their "B" lineup). In doing so, the Giants looked like a faster, more athletic team and not the station-to-station snoozer offense the Giants displayed in the last couple of years.

Yes, the home runs will be less, but the runs will be there. San Francisco has also added more seasoned, professional hitters such as Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan, who both did excellent in their two games.

In Sunday's 11-1 victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks, each went 2-for-4, with an RBI from Pagan that day. For the spring, both are 3-for-7 (.429) and hitting the ball with authority and confidence--even on outs.

Another competition may emerge at first base. Brett Pill and Brandon Belt 3-for-6 and 4-for-8 respectively so far this spring. The incumbent, Aubrey Huff, is 2-for-5 and could be ousted in 2012 if he does not perform in spring training or the first half of the regular season.

The Giants proved last year they have no patience with over-the-hill veterans who do not produce, no matter how much they are paid.

By Cbl62 (via Wikimedia Commons)

To me, Huff's key to success is take more walks, swing at strikes, and go the opposite way more like he did in 2010.

Another bright spot so far this preseason is Hector Sanchez, who is vying for the backup catcher role to compliment Buster Posey. Sanchez, in two games, went 4-for-5, with a home run and four RBI.

Sanchez's counterparts, Chris Stewart and Eli Whiteside, will certainly have their hands full this preseason. Sanchez is coming off a winter ball season where he scorched the ball, hitting .339 with 9 home runs and 39 RBI in 51 games.

Here is my two cents on the catching situation...


Do whatever you can to inject offense into the Giants' lineup, and yes, that means sending Eli Whiteside and Chris Stewart down to Fresno or cutting them. Hector Sanchez is a blossoming young hitter who deserves a chance, and although his catching skills need work, he will only get better with major league experience as Buster Posey's backup catcher.

Whiteside and Stewart will just cost the Giants outs in their lineup, something they cannot afford to have. These two hitters are already over 30 and are unlikely to hit any better than .250 at any point in their future careers.

It is time that the Giants do more of seeing what players have--not what they have left. Sanchez is definitely worth a closer look in the big leagues.

...

A rather interesting moment occurred at the ballpark yesterday.

In the top of the second inning, a swarm of bees infiltrated Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, delaying the game for 41 minutes. As the bees moved in from the outfield towards the infield, Diamondbacks and Giants players exited the field.

The bees made their way to the Giants' first-base dugout. Grounds-crew personnel and local fire officials were summoned to get rid of them.

You can see pictures of the bees in this MLB.com article.

Giants' broadcaster Jon Miller described the workers trying to rid the bees as something you would see out of the movie Ghostbuster's. They wore space-men like suits that protected the workers from head to toe.

Runners were at second and third with nobody out at the time of the delay. There was no score.

When play resumed, Giants' catcher Hector Sanchez ripped a single bringing in the first run of the game.

You never know what you will see when you come to the ballpark. Baseball is back folks!



Information used in this article came from MLB.com

The Inactivity of the San Francisco Giants: Is their 2011-2012 MLB Offseason Wasted?

By Vince Cestone

 Add caption











Getty Images via The Bleacher Report






From the NBC Bay Area newsroom in Downtown San Jose... (yes, I am interning here)...

I know it has been so long since I talked to you, but here I am once again to provide you with my thoughts on the San Francisco Giants "and baseball in general." This new internship has ended my six-month battle with writer's block (Yay me!).

Something I heard from General Manager Brian Sabean about a month or so really bothered me, and it should bother you if you are a San Francisco Giants fan. The words Giants fans have heard countless times to the point of frustation came from this MLB.com article.

"We've pretty much gotten to the top of the budget," Sabean said in the article.

The article also says:

"In terms of player movement, the Giants' offseason has ended.
That's an exaggeration, but only a mild one.
General manager Brian Sabean said Wednesday that with guaranteed and projected salaries factored in, the
Giants have hit their $130 million player payroll limit."

It also adds that the Giants will continue scour the free agent market for potential bargain acquisitions.

Do Giants' fans really want to hear this same old story again?

The Giants have a real shot to establish themselves as the team to beat in the National League West--and perhaps the NL. They have the pitching staff to get it done, but their offense still remains sub-par in comparison to other elite teams in baseball.

Especially with much of the offensive talent leaving the league, such as Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols, the Giants had a shot to become the superpower of the division--or even the National League. One power bat could have been enough (a la Carlos Beltran) with a healthy Buster Posey, but the Giants decided to fold.

Beltran signed with the St. Louis Cardinals for two-years, $26 million. Since he did not command the big multi-year deal as originally thought he would, the Giants missed out on a great opportunity to sign a steady, respected, and established bat in the middle of their order.

I think this article from a fan on Yahoo Sports is right on the mark.

Don't get me wrong. I think the Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan deals were great and necessary to improve team speed and athleticism. However, I think if the team was truly committed to winning, an extra $13 million spent on a quality player would not have hurt the team too much financially--especially in a time where it's always a party at the corner of Third and King.

Perhaps the extra star power would have paid itself off in sales if the Giants made another playoff run--or even another World Series run.

It makes me wonder one thing. If Bill Neukom were still around, would the Giants have made a stronger push for Beltran?

Did the Giants miss good opportunities this offseason? What do you guys think?

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Giants avoid arbitration, sign Melky Cabrera to 1-year, $6MM deal (FeedCrossing.com)

By Troy Nelson

According to a tweet by ESPN Deporte’s Enrique Rojas, the Giants have signed outfielder Melky Cabrera to a one-year, $6 million dollar contract to avoid arbitration.

The switch-hitting Cabrera, 27, batted .305/.339/.470 (.809 OPS) with 18 HR, 44 doubles, 87 RBI, 201 hits, 102 runs, and 20 steals in a breakout season with the Royals last year.

Acquired in the trade that sent Jonathan Sanchez to Kansas City on Nov. 7, the Melk Man earned $1.25 million dollars last season. He is eligible to become a free agent after the 2012 season.

The Giants, who also reached agreement with Angel Pagan yesterday, now have five unsigned arbitration-eligible players: Santiago Casilla, Tim Lincecum, Sergio Romo, Pablo Sandoval, and Nate Schierholtz.

Today is the day in which teams and players exchange arbitration figures.

Be sure to check out other great articles at 22Gigantes.