Kuzul

With the bubbly still flowing onto the carpet in the visitors’ locker room and the Giants reveling in the franchise’s first National League pennant in eight years, I thought it would be interesting to press the rewind button and review how exactly general manager Brian Sabean (pictured) put Team Torture together.

In this chronological history, I mark how every player on the 40-man roster was acquired over the last eight years, not just to illustrate that Rome wasn’t built in a day, but also the situation the franchise faces once this unforgettable season comes to an end.

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All that can be said about this Giants team in 2010 is, “Wow!”

The funny thing is, to be perfectly honest, I had a feeling coming out of spring training the team would do something special.

I told my friend to look out for the Giants this year. We were the best team in spring training and on paper and on the field had the best pitching in all of the Majors.

Even though I’m not a gambling man, I wanted to go put down a futures bet for the Giants to win it all. With 20/1 odds, there would be a nice payday if things worked out.

In investing or gambling, the goal is always to identify positions of leverage through superior knowledge or value.

In the Giants case, they would have great pitching along with strong potential from additions like Aubrey Huff, Mark DeRosa, Buster Posey, as well as the return of 2009 studs like Pablo Sandoval, Bengie Molina and Juan Uribe.

Say what you will, but there was only a tiny chance the Giants couldn’t best their record for 2009, 88-74.

The team was a better one going into 2010 then it was coming out of 2009, and some credit surely has to be paid to Brian Sabean and the brass.

Moreover, Sabean kept insisting the Giants did have the payroll to play with the big boys of New York and Boston.

Whether Texiera was ever going to come here when he could hit innocent fly balls for home runs in Yankee Stadium is another question.

So the Giants were better than 2009, had money to spend if it came down to it, a GM that was willing to roll the dice and a manager who had already led a team to the World Series.

The odds-makers had it wrong. The Giants should have been slotted anywhere from 4/1 to 10/1. 20/1 was absurd and therefore represented superior value.

I got as far as looking at flights and even thought about driving to the border and hitting a sports book near Reno.

But alas, I got lazy and never did.

Winning a sweet payout would have been nice if the Giants go on to win it all.

I do believe that this is the year.

I’ve had dreams about them doing it this year. The four-hit game Buster Posey had in Game 5 of the NLCS I dreamed about six weeks ago.

I’m either a little psychic or a little crazy.

Anyway, the most important thing about following the Giants is definitely not gambling. It’s not even entertainment.

It’s the camaraderie, friendship and love that having the common bond of San Francisco Giants creates and facilitates.

And the team, fans and ownership here all deeply and truly hold dear and embody this value.

So in a sense, we’ve already won.

But let’s not let that stop us from going down to Texas and wrangling us some Ranger meat!

Go Giants and enjoy the video!

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Regardless of whether the San Francisco Giants make the postseason, the 2010 campaign has already been a success.

The team is contending into September as it did in 2009, but the lads’ chances look much better this time around the bend.

Even if they ultimately fall short of the second season, the squad will improve upon the ’09 version’s 88-74 record as long as they don’t finish in a 10-12 skid.

Anything is possible, but such a thud down the stretch seems very unlikely from a San Francisco side that’s played .557 baseball through 140 contests.

Especially because the Gents are giving the distinct impression of being on their collective way to a peak at just the right time.

At various times in ’10, the Orange and Black pitchers have done the heavy lifting or the lumber has had to shoulder the disproportionate load. At no point have both sides of the baseball been clicking along in unison.

It hasn’t quite happened yet, but the arms and bats are hinting at a nice rhythm.

Rotation Finding Its Spring Stride

Ace-in-hiding Tim Lincecum is looking like his old self again. Giant fans are beginning to feel cautiously comfortable with the September version after the diminutive fireballer tossed 14 spectacular innings before tiring in his last frame of work against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

So far in Autumn’s first month, “The Freak” has twirled every bit like the pitcher who’s won two consecutive National League Cy Young Awards—2-0, 14.2 IP, 2.45 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 20:1 K:BB, .195 BAA, .196 OBPA, and .364 SLGA.

With “The Franchise” in his rightful spot, leading the rotation’s charge, a major concern would be eliminated not a moment too soon. It would also help set a dominant tone that’s been missing from Los Gigantes‘ starters recently.

If the early returns are any indication, that’s precisely what’s happening after Lincecum took the pearl on Sept. 1. The staff as a whole had a 1.96 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 5.55 K:BB, and opponents’ slash line of .179/.231/.282 in 55 IP entering play on Wednesday.

Of course, the Bay Area has seen a resplendent rotation getting the job done.

Lumber Continues to Bring the Wood

The new development is an offense that’s keeping pace…well, almost.

While the Giants batting order will never remind anyone of “Murderer’s Row,” it’s been doing its part with timely hitting and resiliency.

Although it’s only scored 21 runs in seven September games, the club has managed to win five of the contests behind the aforementioned pitching and an offense that’s saved its runs for when they’re most needed.

In so doing, the sticks have seen contributions from a whole host of deckhands.

Second-half acquisition Mike Fontenot contributed a game-tying single to back Lincecum’s first gem while Jose Guillen (himself a post-All-Star break pick-up) scored that run after breaking up Ubaldo Jimenez’ no-hitter.

Darren Ford, a September call-up, crossed with the winning run after being inserted by manager Bruce Bochy as a pinch-runner.

Freddy Sanchez, a trade-deadline acquisition in 2009 by general manager Brian Sabean, sealed the victory with a sprawling catch (OK, that one wasn’t offensive, but still…).

Three days later, the Gents used the long ball to come back against the hated Los Angeles Dodgers in Dodger Stadium—three of the four big flies came from Pat Burrell (a first-half acquisition), Edgar Renteria, and Juan Uribe.

Uribe’s two-run blast provided the game-winning margin off of closer Jonathan Broxton in the ninth.

The super utilityman, one of the keys to keeping an anemic first-half offense afloat, connected for another two-run dinger in support of a Jonathan Sanchez blinder the next day.

It was all the backing “Dirty Sanchez” needed as San Francisco took two of three from the Bums in their own house.

Next up in the game of musical chairs was Nate Schierholtz in the desert.

“Nate the Great” went from goat to hero against the Snakes on Monday when his extra-inning triple provided the winning separation in a game he entered as a pinch-runner, only to get picked off by the freakin‘ catcher.

But that’s how it’s gone for the Giants of late—a different day, a different darling.

Sabean and Bochy Have Earned Their Fair Shares of Credit

Perhaps lost in all the good news are two men who have taken more lashes than they’ve deserved while guiding the City’s pride and joy.

Bruce Bochy, for all the criticism he’s endured about sticking too long with veterans and constantly shuffling the lineup, must have been grinning as he watched bemoaned piece after bemoaned piece contribute to victories this past week.

There was Renteria, who the faithful wanted designated for assignment eons ago, getting a big home run to help the comeback against the Dodgers and hitting over .300 in September.

There were Schierholtz, Burrell, Guillen, Uribe, Freddy Sanchez, Fontenot, and others answering the bell without signs of rust or debilitating fatigue.

None of that happens without consistent playing time to keep the skills sharp offset by appropriate rest (or at least the percentages go WAY down) and the right balance ain’t possible without an expert juggler.

Take a bow, Bruce…actually, let’s wait a month or so.

Nevertheless, as nicely as Boch’s season is rounding out, it can’t hold a candle to Sabean‘s campaign.

Freddy Sanchez? Yep, he’s been a huge asset both defensively and offensively as he’s caught fire since August (though, technically not a  move from ’10).

Aubrey Huff? Quite possibly the team’s MVP.

Burrell, Guillen, and Fontenot? Brought in to bolster a sagging offense, each has had his moments of contribution while “Pat the Bat” (14 HR and a slash line of .266/.370/.514 in 265 PA with SF) has arguably been the biggest midseason addition in Major League Baseball…non-Buster Posey Division.

And Sabes‘ biggest finds are perhaps the least discussed:

Javier Lopez—16 IP, 1.13 ERA, 0.56 WHIP, 5.50 K:BB, and an opponents’ slash line of .130/.161/.148

Ramon Ramirez—17.1 IP, 1.04 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 0.90 K:BB, and an opponents’ slash line of .172/.284/.234

Chris Ray—17 IP, 4.76 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 1.57 K:BB, and an opponents’ slash line of .270/.343/.333 (these looked a lot better before Ray got Van Landingham’d for three hits, a walk, and three earnies without recording an out about three weeks ago)

Remember when Jeremy Affeldt and Dan Runzler—the resident southpaws in the ‘pen—were out with injuries?

The firemen had been roughed up a bit, now they had no specialist to handle left-handed boppers, and yet no elite lefty had been acquired.

Panic gripped the City as talk radio and the blogosphere demanded to know how such stupidity could be tolerated from the franchise’s brass.

The naysayers whined that the playoffs were going up in flames with the relievers’ weak, wild junk.

Ahem…

However, as pretty as all that looks, the real coup here is that the Giants’ general manager surrendered quite literally—in the baseball sense—nothing to grab these contributions.

The entire price tag amounts to some cash, a mentally/physically broken Bengie Molina, a badly fading blue-chip prospect (Tim Alderson in the ’09 deal for Sanchez), and major-league flotsam.

All in all, not too shabby from a couple of scoundrels the masses wanted on the first cable car out of town a few short months (weeks) ago.

But Keep the Cork in the Champagne and the Bottles on Ice

Again, nothing has been won yet.

The playoffs are still 20 games away and that’s a whole lotta baseball left to be played. The San Diego Padres have absolutely owned los Gigantes to date in ’10, so their recent tumble has only opened the door to the NL West pennant; no tickets have been punched.

Additionally, the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies could be tough to catch for the NL Wild Card as they begin to sniff the NL East flag beyond the finish line. Oh yeah, let’s continue to pretend the Colorado Rockies are of no concern while we still can.

Clearly, the San Francisco Giants still have an uphill climb if they want to reach the postseason.

But they have the personnel and a little momentum, which means they have a chance.

It also means Brian Sabean and Bruce Bochy are having the last laugh.

And it might be a long one.

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The San Francisco Giants did everything most fans insist that they never do and came away with an important win on Thursday night, beating the Colorado Rockies 2-1, to gain a game on the NL West-leading San Diego Padres.

The Giants dipped all the way down to Double-A Richmond to recall 24-year-old outfielder Darren Ford when rosters expanded Wednesday. Ford only batted .256 with a .680 OPS for the Flying Squirrels, but he stole 37 bases and the club remembered his sparkling effort in spring training.

(For an explanation of OPS visit: http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/4-18-2001-3026.asp)

General manager Brian Sabean OK’d the call to a kid without a single day of big league experience, then field manager Bruce Bochy utilized Ford’s wheels the minute the kid showed up in the dugout.

Sabean thought outside the box. Bochy did the same, and most importantly, put a completely unproven kid in a pressure spot. (Bochy doesn’t typically use young players, remember?)

With the game tied 1-1 in the eighth, Mike Fontenot drew a walk. Fontenot runs fine. Ford, however, might be one of the fastest guys on any big league roster. Ford ran for Fontenot and broke for second, and was standing on the bag, when Colorado‘s Ubaldo Jimenez fielded Tim Lincecum‘s quite average sacrifice bunt.

Bochy wouldn’t bunt-and-run with many Giants, but he was confident that Ford could steal the bag if LIncecum failed and bunted through the ball.

Guys who run like Ford are bold and, boy, can they read pitches in the dirt.

With Andres Torres at bat, Jimenez threw a pitch that bounced six or eight feet to the left of catcher Miguel Olivo and Ford was off for third as soon as he saw the pitch headed for the dirt. Then, he was streaking to the plate when he saw Olivo‘s desperate throw to third base sail into left field.

It’s hard to imagine many Giants who’d have even broken for third on that pitch. Torres, sure, and maybe Nate Schierholtz. but neither would’ve reached third as quickly as Ford did.

Giants 2, Rockies 1. And, the Giants are three games behind the struggling San Diego Padres in the West and just one and a half games back of the Philadelphia Phillies in the wild-card race.

How stunning was the move to call up Ford, then watch him steal a victory? Well, it overshadowed a sterling, eight-inning outing by Tim Lincecum.

While Giants fans and the media were trying to figure out how Lincecum had slumped so terribly, he quietly struck out nine, walked one and yielded just five hits against a strong Rockies lineup. Only streaking Carlos Gonzalez hit a home run off him to account for the only Colorado run.

Lincecum might be back in the groove, but the story in Wednesday’s game was Darren Ford and the fact that the generally conservative, by-the-book Giants used his incredible speed in a way they’ve never used a player like him before.

Sabean‘s worst critics must give him credit for going along with recalling Ford when, really, most expected his infusion of speed to be the recall of Eugenio Velez. Even those who want Bochy to be fired have to admit  he called on an utterly unproven speed-burner to bunt-and-run and is celebrating a victory as a result.

Sabean and Bochy just did something that makes incredibly good sense, though, and that’s what they are supposed to do.

Ford spent all day in the air and in airports, arrived in the middle of the game—and delivered the victory.

Let’s not forget Lincecum either. If he pitches like that down the stretch, Ford might have more opportunities to steal wins with his wheels.

Ted Sillanpaa is a Northern California sports writer and columnist. Reach Ted at tsillanpaa1956@gmail.com

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I’ve heard Brian Sabean compared to a lot of people ranging from Lex Luther to “The Grinch”, but no comparison seems nearly as fitting of that of one Michael Scott, Regional Manager of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.

When either Sabean or Michael Scott open their mouth, stupid usually comes out. Both make ridiculously idiotic decisions, yet somehow still keep their respective jobs. Since the Giants just dropped two of three to the Padres, I thought it would be a nice time to re-live some of Michael Scott’s greatest quotes and how they correspond to Sabean.

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by shlepcar

Burly is on vacation for a few weeks.  When he goes on vacation, he tends to go all out.  He’s likely in some jungle somewhere, hacking his way through very tall, razorblade-leafed undergrowth.  So, until he gets back, I’ll be sitting in for a few posts.

I’ve been a friend of Burly’s for going on 20 years now and have always turned to him for his take on all things baseball related.  I am a big Twins fan, and so I suppose I’m one of the reasons that there is so much Twins content on this site.  I am actually in Minnesota right now for the sole purpose of attending a game at the new stadium this coming Sunday, which I plan to write about. 

I know about one-tenth as much about baseball as Burly does, but hopefully if I stick with what I know, I might present a few things that will be of interest.   And blah blah blah, I’ll get on with it.

In a move that Burly dreaded, the Giants did indeed acquire Jose Guillen today for cash considerations and a player to be named later.  Guillen had been designated for assignment by the Royals after they could find no takers by the trade deadline.

After a hot June, he’d been on an 0-for-21 skid, hitting just .207 in July.  The 34-year-old is in the final year of a three-year, $36 million contract, and the Royals are on the hook for three million of the remaining $3.75 million owed to him this year.  So, the good news is that Guillen isn’t coming at too high of a price.  I know that isn’t exactly great news, but it beats a repeat of the Shea Hillenbrand deal a few years ago.

There is always a chance that Guillen could go on a Randy Winn-like tear for a few months and make Sabean seem like a genius, but until that happens, I’m not thrilled with the deal.  Bochy has already said that he plans on starting him in right field. 

That means that Huff will be the primary first baseman and Ishikawa will have to go back to proving himself again as a pinch-hitter.  Of course, it is likely that everyone in the outfield will see fewer at-bats.  The Giants have been playing pretty well lately, and Burrell has been doing really well. 

It’d be easier to damn Sabean for messing with the chemistry of a team that is beginning to gel if it weren’t for the fact that the Giants lost tonight to the first-place Padres (so, what, does Sanchez have to eat his hat?  What happens with that guarantee stuff?  I guess I’m not taking any stock tips from him).  Guillen wasn’t in uniform yet, but he will be starting tomorrow. 

I don’t like it.  I don’t like Guillen.  In the article posted by the Giants San Francisco Chronicle writers, Guillen is quoted as saying that he didn’t even want to come to San Francisco: “I talked to Sabean for an hour. (San Francisco) was not my favorite choice, but he convinced me. In the AL, I knew I’d be able to DH more, but now I’m totally healthy.” 

Great, Mr. 0-for-21 has decided to grace us with his presence.  The Giants are the 11th team to take a chance on him (Colorado signed him but he never played a game for them…smart). 

I don’t get Sabean.  Guillen is 34, he’s been linked to the Mitchell report, he’s got a reputation for hustling only when he feels like it, and when he was offered the job, he didn’t want it!  Sabean had to talk him into it!  I feel like Charlie Brown when he missed the football—“AUGH!”

I hope it works out, but I ain’t holdin’ my breath.

Eugenio Velez came off the DL—he had taken a foul ball to the face off the bat of Burrell.  As a warm welcome back, they optioned him to Fresno. 

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The are people who refuse to acknowledge reality and continue to insist that the San Francisco Giants needed to make a blockbuster deal before the trade deadline passed.

The Giants did exactly what they should’ve done. They gave up a minor leaguer for a veteran right-handed relief pitcher. Then, they traded two players with big league experience, but not much success, for a left-hander for the bullpen.

How anyone who has been paying attention to the club and its competitors since the All-Star break ended can think the Giants did anything but the right thing is baffling.

The Giants are scorching hot and just one and a half games behind the San Diego Padres in the NL West. They’ve managed stirring back-to-back wins that push the Los Angeles Dodgers further off the pace and put more room between San Francisco and the Colorado Rockies in the division.

The Giants are building a nice, little lead in a wild-card race where only the Philadelphia Phillies seem particularly imposing. The Cincinnati Reds are two games back and the Phillies three and a half. After that, there’s a log-jam that includes the Dodgers and Colorado Rockies between five and a half and six and a half games behind the wild-card race leaders.

The Giants didn’t need a journeyman hitter. Fans and media types who insist they should’ve landed someone like Washington slugger Adam Dunn ignore that the Nationals were asking for pitcher Madison Bumgarner.

So. lefty Javier Lopez comes from Pittsburgh for two popular Giants who just didn’t perform in fairly extended opportunities to do so at the big league level. Pitcher Joe Martinez and outfielder-first baseman John Bowker are Pirates now.

Bowker is a fringe big leaguer and a Triple-A all-star. Martinez is a right-handed starting pitcher who didn’t pitch well in the big leagues for a team that doesn’t need starting pitching to begin with. Love those guys? Well, they’ll get a chance to prove in Pittsburgh that they didn’t really get a chance in San Francisco.

Right-hander Ramon Ramirez comes from the Boston Red Sox for a kid pitcher named Daniel Turpen. 

There are going to be spouting the numbers that Lopez and Ramirez have put up in 2010. They’ll say that the two won’t help the Giants bullpen at all. They’ll be ignoring that the Giants have gone on a 15-4 streak that includes an 8-2 run without a lefty in the bullpen and without Brian Wilson to close in their last two victories.

At some point soon, somebody’s going to complain that Ramirez isn’t any better than the reliever the Giants send to Triple-A to make room for him. Before that somebody shouts the praises of, say, Santiago Casilla, consider that Ramirez has 31-16 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 42 innings pitched this season.

So, yes, many of the same people who’ve complained that Giants relievers don’t throw enough strikes will complain that they traded a minor leaguer for a strike-thrower and sent a notoriously inconsistent pitcher to the minors.

Incredible, isn’t it?

People are still lining up to moan that general manager Brian Sabean just can’t build a winner.

The Giants are winning with free agent acquisitions Aubrey Huff, Pat Burrell and Juan Uribe playing very well.

If Sabean gets the blame for Aaron Rowand’s contract, he deserves all the credit in the world for Huff, Burrell and Uribe.

And, boy, are Sabean’s detractors hoping that no one mentions that Andres Torres was a 31-year-old career minor leaguer when Sabean invited him to spring training in 2009 and is paying the mercurial lead-off hitter $426,000 to play all three outfield positions, hit .286 and lead the league in doubles.

Yep. The boys in the Giants front office are responsible for Torres being in San Francisco.

Fans are going to whine that Sabean and the Giants didn’t add a big-time run-producer as they completely ignore the fact that catcher Buster Posey was added to the big league roster in May. Posey has had more impact on San Francisco’s lineup than any hitter who was traded in the last two weeks will have on his new team’s lineup.

Fans who’ve noticed that the Giants are playing the best baseball in the National League are pleased to know that the Giants didn’t try to fix what isn’t broken.

Ted Sillanpaa is a Northern California sports writer and columnist. Reach Ted at tsillanpaa1956@gmail.com

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With the minutes ticking away toward the 2010 Major League Baseball non-waiver trade deadline, fans saw the typically violent flurry of activity as general mangers hustled to smooth out the rough edges. Some of the moves look brilliant while others seem to stink of acquisition for acquisition’s sake.

Take a gander at the maneuvering that started way back at the beginning of July and decide for yourself:

July 9th —Texas Rangers acquire RHP Cliff Lee from the Seattle Mariners for 1B Justin Smoak, RHP Blake Beavan, RHP Josh Leuke, and INF Matt Lawson.

July 14th —Atlanta Braves acquire SS Alex Gonzalez, LHP Tim Collins, and INF Tyler Pastronicky from the Toronto Blue Jays for SS Yunel Escobar and LHP Jo-Jo Reyes.

July 25th —Anaheim Angels (they can’t even see Los Angeles, let alone play there) acquire RHP Dan Haren from the Arizona Diamondbacks for LHP Joe Saunders, RHP Rafael Rodriguez, LHP Patrick Corbin, and a player to be named later.

July 28th —Detroit Tigers acquire INF Jhonny Peralta from the Cleveland Indians for LHP Giovanni Soto.

July 29th —Minnesota Twins acquire RHP Matt Capps and cash from the Washington Nationals for C Wilson Ramos and LHP Joe Testa.

July 29th —San Diego Padres acquire SS/3B Miguel Tejada and cash from the Baltimore Orioles for RHP Wynn Pelzer.

July 29th —Philadelphia Phillies acquire RHP Roy Oswalt and cash from the Houston Astros for LHP J.A. Happ, OF Anthony Gose, and SS Jonathan Villar

July 29th —Los Angeles Dodgers acquire Scott Podsednik from the Kansas City Royals for RHP Elisaul Pimentel and C Luke May.

July 30th —Chicago White Sox acquire RHP Edwin Jackson from the Diamondbacks for RHP Daniel Hudson and LHP David Holmberg.

July 30th —Rangers acquire INF Jorge Cantu from the Florida Marlins for RHP Evan Reed and RHP Omar Poveda.

July 30th —Rangers acquire INF Cristian Guzman from the Nationals for RHP Ryan Tatusko and RHP Tanner Roark.

July 31st —Tampa Bay Rays acquire RHP Chad Qualls from the Diamondbacks for a player to be named later.

July 31st —New York Yankees acquire 1B Lance Berkman and cash from the Astros for RHP Mark Melancon and INF Jimmy Paredes.

July 31st —Yankees acquire OF Austin Kearns from the Indians for a player to be named later or cash.

July 31st —three team trade in which the Padres acquire OF Ryan Ludwick from the St. Louis Cardinals and cash from the Indians, the Cardinals acquire RHP Jake Westbrook and cash from the Indians plus LHP Nick Greenwood from the Padres, and the Indians acquire RHP Corey Kluber, also from the Padres.

July 31st —Pittsburgh Pirates acquire C Chris Snyder, SS Pedro Ciriaco, and cash from the Diamondbacks for SS Bobby Crosby, OF Ryan Church, and RHP D.J. Carrasco.

July 31st —Los Angeles Dodgers acquire LHP Ted Lilly and INF Ryan Theriot from the Chicago Cubs for INF Blake DeWitt, RHP Brett Wallach, and RHP Kyle Smit.

July 31st—Dodgers acquire RHP Octavio Dotel from the Pirates for RHP James McDonald and OF Andrew Lambo.

July 31st—Yankees acquire RHP Kerry Wood from the Indians for a player to be named later or cash.

July 31st—San Francisco Giants acquire LHP Javier Lopez from the Pirates for RHP Joe Martinez and OF John Bowker.

July 31st—Braves acquire OF Rick Ankiel, RHP Kyle Farnsworth, and cash from the Royals for LHP Tim Collins, RHP Jesse Chavez, and OF Gregor Blanco.

Phew, that’s a lot of movement.

Yet noticeably absent from the list of substantial movers and shakers are our San Francisco Giants.

Despite an increasingly glaring need for help in the shaky bullpen—especially a capable southpaw—and another plus-piece of lumber, general manager Brian Sabean didn’t pull any major triggers.

He did grab a reliever who throws from the southside in the Bucs’ Lopez, but that’s not exactly the magical elixer for which some die-hards had hoped. Luckily, the Giant GM only cut bait on a couple of “prospects” who’d worn out their welcome in the City.

Nevertheless, there were constant rumors about the club sniffing around various primetime targets, but the prices were either too high or the players were ultimately deemed an unsavory fit.

Regardless of the specific reason, I commend Sabes on his willingness to let the deadline come and go while resisting the pressure—created by the activity of other squads—to make an ill-advised, big splash maneuver.

The man at the helm was clearly running (probably jogging) down leads, but his posture made it clear that any such decision would be made on Orange and Black terms.

And fans should applaud that.

Everyone loves for his or her contender to make a deal and bring in new blood as the calendar turns to August, but that doesn’t necessarily justify the decision.

There is something to be said for continuity and internal improvement; with Pablo Sandoval drastically under-performing and several injured pieces making their way back to the club, SF’s cupboard of assistance isn’t totally bare.

More importantly, as Giant fans will remember, the franchise was in a similar position last year and brought in the likes of Ryan Garko and Freddy Sanchez for a little extra playoff push.

Garko was incompetent and Sanchez was an injury disaster from the get-go; neither trade helped in 2009 and only the grace of the Baseball Gods has prevented the deals from going south badly.

Now, look back at that list of swaps.

The Lee, Haren, Oswalt, and Berkman developments are the only ones that appear to carry with them a significant power shift. The Ludwick trade gets honorable mention.

The rest are Garko deals—shots in the dark that could help, but seem more likely to be exercises in public relations while sacrificing potentially gifted prospects.

Guys like Jorge Cantu, Scott Podsednik, Miguel Tejada, etc. could rediscover their glory days (or keep them going in Pod’s case), but I’d say the chances of such renaissances are less appealing than the odds that the dearly departed blossom.

Furthermore, the most reliable pieces available were front-line starting pitchers.

That is the one place los Gigantes are set—they need a contingency plan for the eventual shutdown of No. 5 starter Madison Bumgarner, but that doesn’t merit leveraging the farm system for a guy like Haren/Lee/Oswalt.

Finally, dissect the action with an eye to San Francisco’s biggest vulnerabilities—the ‘pen and the big bat.

The thumper is easier to dispatch with because there simply weren’t any to be had unless a GM was willing to be a voluntary participant in highway robbery.

Don’t buy it?

Well, the only evidence anyone should need is the most neon name changing hands. Sir Lance-elot is still a threat, but check the splits .

Only a money-bloated franchise like the Bronx Bombers could part with two upper echelon prospects for what is essentially half of a platoon. No way San Francisco could do the same; not for a guy hitting below the Mendoza line against left-handers.

As for the relievers, only three major players changed hands.

Qualls had basically pitched himself out of any important innings for the Snakes, so forget him.

Dotel had been quite effective, but he cost the Bums two highly touted prospects. Neither McDonald nor Lambo have shown much at the Big League level (Lambo hasn’t gotten a shot yet), but you don’t have to search too hard to find glowing reviews of each.

Meanwhile, to grab Matt Capps—who can’t be considered one of the Show’s superstar closers—the Twinkies had to part with one of the most prized blue-chippers in all of baseball.

Granted, Joe Mauer made Ramos a redundant asset, but that doesn’t change the fact that Minnesota just shipped out a dangerously offensive catcher (perhaps the rarest of all baseball assets) to get a relatively unproven stopper. As the last man standing for the Pirates and then the Nats, Capps has never locked down a meaningful game yet he demanded a premium price on the market.

So, yes, it would’ve been ideal to soundly plug the gaps in the bullpen and the batting order.

But, as the saying goes, you’ve got to give to get.

In 2010, it would appear the giving was better than the getting.

Which means the San Francisco Giants’ relative inactivity could be very good news.

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In some recess of his or her brain, every San Francisco Giants fan is thinking the same thing now that Dontrelle Willis has signed a Minor League contract with the club.

Does this mean someone in the current rotation is on his way out?

It’s natural.

Although rookie Madison Bumgarner’s name has popped up on the trade radar, it’s doubtful the Gents would be interested in moving the 20-year-old lefty, given he’s twirled a quartet of blinders since being called up at the end of June.

Plus, he’s cheap and under control for a while as a member of the 2007 draft class.

Even the most cynical skeptic of Brian Sabean has to believe the San Francisco general manager has been impressed with the No. 5 starter and recognizes the cost-benefit analysis weighs heavily against moving the kid.

On the other hand, more of the recent trade gossip has theorized that Jonathan Sanchez—a 27-year-old southpaw with electric stuff who can struggle with his control—would be the centerpiece of any high-profile move los Gigantes might be contemplating.

Well, lo and behold, the team just brought in a 28-year-old southpaw with electric stuff who can struggle with his control.

Granted, paralleling Sanchez’s lack of consistency with Willis’ Rick Ankiel act is a bit like comparing your water-retaining girlfriend to Kirstie Alley (the latter is FAR dumber), but you get the point.

The acquisition of a player who profiles similarly to one who’s been at the heart of trade rumors justifiably sets the fan base’s gears in motion.

Some are excited at the thought because they can almost imagine Corey Hart or Prince Fielder winging his way to the Bay Area, complete with shining white armor.

Others are sickened by the thought if they’re even acknowledging the splinter is there.

It’s there, though, it’s gotta be.

But let’s be reasonable about this before the full-on paranoia hits.

Dontrelle Willis has been an absolute catastrophe in cleats since something went horribly awry in the 2006 season.

The goofy native of Oakland had a career year in 2005 when he won 22 games while posting a 2.63 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, seven complete games, five shutouts, and 55 walks in 236.1 innings.

He was an All-Star, finished 11th in the National League Most Valuable Player voting, and was the runner-up to the NL Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter.

One more key stat—Willis hit only eight batters in all those frames.

In ’06, some of the numbers still looked pretty good. He notched a 3.87 ERA with four complete games, a shutout, and a 6.4 K/9 (only a tenth off his ’05 rate) in 223,1 IP. But his walks shot up to 83 and his WHIP bloomed to 1.42.

More distressingly, the D-Train side-swiped 19 hitters.

From his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2003 through 2005—a span covering 594 innings—Dontrelle Willis hit 19 batters.

Then he hit the same number during one 162-game stretch.

The wheels were officially wobbling.

They came off in 2007 as the bad numbers went up and the good ones went down. A move to Detroit in 2008 as a throw-in part of the Miguel Cabrera deal didn’t help, and 2009 brought more of the same.

This year started in the same fashion, so the Tigers shipped Willis off to Arizona, where the Diamondbacks experimented for about 22 innings until kicking Willis to the curb.

That’s a very thorough way of saying the dude isn’t even close to being an option at the moment.

A brief way would be to mention his 56 free passes in 65.2 innings this year.

Nah, if I had to guess, Dontrelle is in the system on a wing and a prayer to see if he can find himself enough to be a help out of the bullpen.

Ever since Dan Runzler went down during that awkward at-bat, the firemen have a decidedly right-handed lean—only Jeremy Affeldt brings it from the south side and he’s been Rickety Cricket thus far.

The Gents are getting desperate for lefty relief and this move hints of desperation.

Maybe the big southpaw has been signed with dreams of reinforcing the starting rotation.

It’s possible, but even so he’d still have to right the ship well enough to be a reliable plan B by the July 31 trade deadline.

In two weeks.

Judging from the last few years, that would be nothing short of a flippin’ miracle.

The Bay Area worked its magic on Pat Burrell, another ballplayer who spent his youth within driving distance of the City.

Perhaps it will do the trick for Dontrelle Willis.

But the odds are too long for this to be a sign of things to come…

Right?

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Here’s an article from Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News about San Francisco Giants general manager Brian Sabean and his desire to hold information close to the vest.  It’s in response to an “informal poll” (meaning that not all GMs responded and it’s not entirely certain how many did) by Buster Olney of ESPN.com.

This found Sabean to be the hardest GM to make trades with because he doesn’t respond to telephone calls, according to the GMs who participated.

I thought the article was particularly interesting because of an e-mail I received from San Francisco Chronicle Giants beat writer Henry Schulman a couple of years ago.  I wrote him a snarky e-mail to the effect that his articles should be giving us (Chronicle readers) more information about what trade possibilities the Giants were pursuing, rather than telling us the Giants had decided to break up Barry Bonds’ old locker. 

After sending me an equally snarky response, Schulman sent me a second e-mail, in which he explained that Giants’ management is exceptionally good at keeping information from leaking out about what trade negotiations are going on, so local sportswriters have to find something else to write about. (I’m paraphrasing.)

Baggarly’s quotes describing Sabean include a statement to the effect that Sabean doesn’t return telephone calls when the opposing GM is just trying to “gather intelligence.”  I found that quote particularly interesting, because as a lawyer I know you have to give a certain amount of “intelligence” to receive “intelligence.”

In other words, you have certain information that no one else has, but there are 29 other GMs in Major League Baseball who may well have information that you don’t have.  You give them some information, and they will give you some in return. 

The key is to make sure that you only give them the information that you want to give or are at least willing to let them to know.

I strongly suspect that Sabean is a guy who knows what he knows and doesn’t much care what other people know.  That’s not a great way to learn something you didn’t know before.

Also, I suspect that sometimes the best deals for a GM aren’t the ones the GM initiates himself. 

Sometimes, another GM might express interest in a certain player on your team who’ve you’ve soured on or simply don’t value highly, but the other GM thinks the player is what his team needs.  There’s never a cost in listening to what the other GM is willing to offer and seeing if you can get him to agree to something more if the proposal sounds promising.

Exchange of information is usually crucial to any kind of negotiation, particularly when both sides have some idea of what they’re doing. You can’t get information without communication, so I’m not really a fan of a method which doesn’t include in engaging in communication.

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