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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?
Follow me on twitter @vintalkingiants. Be sure to use the #talkinggiants tag when referring to my article on twitter.
Questions or comments? E-mail my blog mailbag at vc4re@yahoo.com. Your questions may be answered on my blog.
I think we'll live to regret letting Beltran go, especially after his price came down.
ReplyDeleteIm going to be an optimist. I really think that with a healthy Posey and Sanchez the lineup can be serviceable. Now, I am also expecting Huff to bounce back and for Panda to continue surging. With Pagan, Theriot, Cabrera, Schierholtz, I think the lineup can be average. Average is all the Giants need to win.
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