As defending World Series champions, the San Francisco Giants had a relatively quiet offseason.
General Manager Brian Sabean felt little need to shake up an intriguing roster filled with castoffs, journeyman and young talents starting to reach their potential.
Sabean let World Series MVP Edgar Renteria leave for a one-year, $3 million deal with the defending NL Central champion Cincinnati Reds.
At this point in his career Renteria is little more than an average fielder and below average hitter who will have trouble staying on the field due to various ailments. The Reds plan to use him as a backup to both incumbent shortstop Paul Janish and All-Star second baseman Brandon Phillips.
Juan Uribe also skipped town, striking a three-year, $21 million deal with the rival Los Angeles Dodgers. The free swinger hit a career high 24 homers in 2010, but he was still barely a league average bat, generating a .749 OPS.
Uribe gains most of his value from his versatility however. In 2010, he started 103 games at shortstop, 26 games at third base and 24 games at second base and is an above average fielder at all three positions.
To replace this middle infield production the Giants will turn to Miguel Tejada, whom they signed to a one-year, $6.5 million agreement. The shortstop will return to the Bay area for the first time since leaving the Oakland Athletics following the 2003 season.
But at the age of 37, the Giants shouldn’t expect too much from Tejada. Although he is a liability as a defender, the Giants will see if they can get his bat going one last time. For all intents and purposes, Tejada is this year’s reclamation project (see: Burrell, Pat and Huff, Aubrey).
The Giants made no major moves this offseason, but going stagnant isn’t usually a good thing when trying to repeat as a champion. The rest of the league, particularly the teams in your division, adapts to beat you.
The Rockies and Dodgers are already talented enough to overtake the Giants, and the Diamondbacks and Padres are rebuilding more quickly than even they had expected. The 2011 NL West race should be an exciting one.
What follows are 10 moves the San Francisco Giants can make to shake up their roster, overtake their division rivals and put themselves in the hunt for the NL pennant once again.
Data Courtesy Of
www.fangraphs.com
www.baseball-reference.com
mlbcontracts.blogspot.com (Cot’s Baseball Contracts)