In this morning's Chronicle.

A couple of brief excerpts from a terriifc, very long article (excellent photos too):

They call him "Papa" here in his hometown. Angel Villalona is the baseball hero you go to when you need uniforms for the youth ball league, bats or gloves for the neighborhood kids, a little money to help with the bills.

It's hard to find anyone in town who's not rooting for Villalona. He is their inspiration for a better life.

 "Angel was so poor that many days he only ate once," said Hochi Leandro Nolasco, manager of the La Romana youth league....

Out on Nolasco's ball field, a spread of dirt spotted by stones and wild-grass patches, 30 kids ages 6 to 14 practiced hitting and throwing one day last week under a 100-degree sun. It looks the same as when Villalona was there four years ago: Used tires, logs and concrete chunks serve as bleachers, and a highway roars alongside left field.

"Angel is the best," 6-year-old Eligio Parede said breathlessly after smacking a fastball past first base. "He buys us uniforms, gives us bats. He is Papa. I want to be like Angel."

All around, the other players grinned hugely and called out, "Angel! Papa!"

Villalona, through the court and his attorney, has refused interview requests. But his family and friends, who include the co-owner of Tony's, say he had nothing to do with the shooting.

"I was sitting on the sidewalk right here with Angel when suddenly people spilled out of the bar, fighting," said co-owner Jose de la Cruz. "I heard one shot, and everyone left, including Angel."

He shook his head sadly. "Angel only turned himself in to clear things up. People say he did this because they want to squeeze him for his money. He doesn't own a gun. He helps you out if you are short on your bills. At Christmas he gives out food. He is not a troublemaker."

 I so hope he didn't do it.

So says Schulman, with confirmation from Kline, so its a done deal. Ten days to deal or release him. Merkin and Threets both make the team. The Giants look clueless this spring regarding their lineup, but the pitching decisions seem ok - giving the kids a chance.

Schulman also thinks the Giants may acquire backup catcher Humberto Quintero (good field, no hit) who was dfa'd by Houston.

Choose one: Ortmeier, Frandsen or Velez? 

 

Since the Frandsen-at-short experiment was aborted, the starting infield has been pretty set, with Ortmeier, Durham, Bocock and Aurilia getting the overwhelming number of starts at their respective positions. But now, after the first two weeks of spring training games in which Ortmeier started virtually every game at first and really struggled offensively, the Giants seem to be moving to Plan B. For the first time that I can recall, Bochy was quoted in the weekend papers as saying that Aurilia could start at first (ResDog links to this in the diary below) - and Richie then played 1b with the A team in Cain's game against the Angels.

 

Essentially, with Aurilia starting somewhere (whether at first or third), the question is which one of the three kids do you want in the lineup - Ortmeier, Frandsen or Velez. The writers seem to have assumed that Frandsen gets first dibs at third, but interestingly Bochy had Velez at 3b against the Angels, alongside Aurilia, Durham and Bocock, and started Frandsen in the other game with mostly minor leaguers. For a while now he has been playing the starters together, so this might be an indication that he's leaning Velez' way. Which would be seriously cool by my book.

 

Note: In today's game Ortmeier and Frandsen aren't in the lineup, neither is Aurilia, and Velez is at 2b.

 

Shortstop: not Bocock, but who? 

 

In the last 13 days (today included) Bocock has started at short 11 times, so its pretty clear what the Giants are thinking in terms of a stopgap while Vizquel is out. But after a promising start his offense has been pretty brutal - not surprising for a guy who has been in the minors only a year and a half and didn't hit in high-A last year. The downside of adding him to the 40-man roster two years before he is rule 5-eligible (just to replace Omar for the first two weeks of the season) is considerable. In addition to the risk of messing up his development, flipping the options hourglass this year means he'd be out of options in 2011 rather than 2013 - quite a gamble.

 

So who, then? Burriss obviously has similiar issues, and doesn't have the defense. Aurilia hasn't played an inning at short all spring, so its not going to be him. Which seems to leave Ochoa. Given the dearth of options, he would be my choice for a 2-week stopgap but Bochy is hardly playing him - Ochoa has started only 4 games all spring, and subbed in only 5 others. With no one on the immediate horizon, the only other possibility is a trade - hopefully for a youngster blocked somewhere who can back up Vizquel this year and then move in as the starter. Otherwise we'll be back in the same situation next year.

 

What is it with the pickoffs? And: Fred Lewis 

 

Freddie Lewis was picked off first on Sunday. And on the previous Thursday. During the last week or so, Davis, Velez, Durham, Denker and Leone have also been picked off. WHAT is going on? First every starting pitcher seems to be trying out a new windup - now the baserunners are trying out taking leads with their eyes closed? Does anyone have Roberto Kelly's cellphone number?

 

Lewis worries me. In addition to his poor baserunning, there is the issue of his apparently brutal defense. GiantsFan9 has written a few times in his spring training blog about Lewis' bad routes, dropped balls, poor throws. Sometimes he seems like he might become a glorious hitter, but you wonder if he's the kind of player who is just incapable of "getting it" as far as the other stuff is concerned. Kind of like a Pedro Feliz in reverse.

 

Long relief? 

 

With the rotation set (assuming our guys stop screwing around in the first inning), who's in the bullpen? Wilson, Walker and Hennessey seem like locks. Taschner has pitched well. Kline seems to be on the trading block (though Andy Baggarly says today that he might be released), which would hopefully allow Threets to stick around. I think we're all rooting for Merkin (great AP article on him by Janie McCauley today). Chulk would make it seven, but he's out with tendinitis and it would surprise me if he was ready in time for the start of the season. Chris Haft (nice to see he's back) says the Giants want someone for long relief, with the candidates being Misch, Santos and Yabu. Umm, Misch please.

 

Minor league moves 

Randy Messenger has signed a minor league deal with the Giants - I guess he's going to be a Grizzly this year after all. BA and the San Jose Giants website (a pleasantly surprising source of information this spring) have listed a bunch of minor league pitchers the Giants have already released: Darren Sack, Adam Ortiz-Jusino, John Odom, Ivan Herrera-Rusova (too bad: you had to root for a pitcher from Canada who was born in Cuba and whose father was Russian), Gregorio Martinez, Ryan McGrath, Josue Gomez, Ricky Bauer, Alberto Montes. 

 

Will Villalona's move to 1b affect who we draft? 

 

Jim Callis at Ask BA now thinks the Giants will take a pitcher. He's assuming that the first 4 picks will be - in some order - Alvarez, Beckham, Crow and Matusz. 

 

As for the draft, teams picking at the top of the draft usually worry about taking the best player available (unless signability is a factor) and not so much about the strengths or weaknesses of the organization. However, Villalona's shift from third base has to decrease the Giants' chances of selecting another first baseman at No. 5. Though Villalona is still just 17 and a ways from the majors, it wouldn't make much sense to take a slugging first baseman who can't move to another position when San Francisco has so many other holes to fill.

Complicating matters is the fact that first basemen represent the greatest strength in this year's draft. When the Giants' pick comes around, Florida high schooler Eric Hosmer, Smoak and Alonso will be three of the most talented players available. The best guess at this point is that San Francisco will opt for a pitcher, with Missouri high school righthander Tim Melville, Eastern Kentucky lefty Christian Friedrich and Fresno State righty Tanner Scheppers among the candidates.

Oh well...

Spring training just around the corner, Fan Fest today - and a couple of articles on the Enchanter in this morning's papers. What could be more glorious (other than having corner infielders)?

Schulman and Baggarly report that Timmy is working on a sharp slider. "I plan to be a four-pitch starter," says the lad (bless his heart).  And, says he, "it's looking like a strikeout pitch". Now, is that sweet or what?

Plus, he's psyched that the fans were so strongly against trading him.

Other encouraging notes of interest:

The Giants will be scouting hitters in spring training and, says Sabean: "If a position player could help us, it'll be long-term". Sure hope that rules out trading for Crede (I prefer to ignore the possibility of signing him to a Borasesque-level extension).

Several clubs plan to scout Noah to see if his elbow is sound. Giants say he's fine.

Bochy says Roberts will go into camp as the "frontrunner" in LF, but Sabean is less clear. On the one hand he says "we hope Dave comes back to form", on the other hand there's "But you're going to have to find a way to get (the younger) guys in there. I'd hate like hell to be in a position to send any one of them back to the minor leagues". Me, I'll always take the more optimistic route, so I prefer to read that as somewhat encouraging.

The links:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/09/SPFLUV4JN.DTL
http://www.mercurynews.com/sportsheadlines/ci_8210696

I love baseball. Go Giants.

The Little Giants have announced their 2008 staff. As anticipated, Steve Decker replaces Sakata as manager, after 3 years managing Salem Keizer. New pitching coach is Pat Rice, who has been Seattle's minor league pitching coordinator the last 8 years. Gary Davenport returns as hitting coach after 2 years with Connecticut.

http://www.sjgiants.com/ArDisplay.aspx?ID=1101&SecID=27

BA latest transactions page has the Giants signing Japanese RHP Keiichi Yabu to a minor league contract. He'll turn 40 this year, so nothing dramatic about this. Yabu pitched in 40 games for the A's in 2005 (anyone see him then?). In 2006 the Rockies released him in ST and he pitched in Mexico. I don't know about 2007.

Also the Giants re-signed Justin Leone to a minor league contract. Just a few years ago he was a pretty highly-rated 3b prospect with Seattle, last year he played all over the IF and OF at Fresno.

Finally, Andy Baggarly writes in today's Merc that the Giants have been talking to Scott Boras about Dallas McPherson. All right! Seeing as how he had back surgery in January and only started his comeback in instructional league in September, its hard to imagine McPherson playing in the majors this year, but signing him and letting him work his way back in Fresno would be a great move. Here's an article on him, before the non-tender:

http://futureangels.mlblogs.com/futureangels/2007/12/the_return_of_d.html

In a (non-subscribers-only) chat on the fall leagues, BA's Chris Kline says the most extraordinary thing about his expectations for Velez in 2008:

Q:  Mark from Skokie asks: Who of the AFL National League prospects do you see making the biggest impact in 2008?
A:  Chris Kline: Eugenio Velez, Giants; Sam Fuld, Cubs; Matt Antonelli, Padres; and I'll go out on a limb and say that Rockies lefty Sean Thompson could be a bullpen fit.

Q:  Russ from Chicago asks: Matt Antonelli has not fared very well thus far in the AFL. With Marcus Giles not coming back to San Diego next year, what are Antonelli's chances of even having a realistic shot of claiming the 2B job this coming spring?
A:  Chris Kline: Going back to the last answer, I think it's very realistic.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/chat/chat.php?id=2007110201

I include the second question, about Antonelli, because it clarifies what Kline means by impact - he expects Velez to start for the Giants next year. Wow. Add this to the Kline article that keenlow posted in his diary a few days ago (NL scout even lauding Velez' defensive skills at 2b (!) and expecting him to spend all of 2008 in SF), and its dizzying. But, but... despite his breakout season at Augusta he didn't make BA's Giants top-30 list coming into this year; and just a month ago John Manuel didn't even include Velez on his Eastern League top-20 list; and during his September callup I remember an article about the coaches working with Velez on his serious defensive deficiencies at 2b, especially his throwing.

Eugenio Velez starting for the Giants at 2b next year and leading off? Now there's an exciting thought. Man, I hope Chris Kline isn't just messing with us.

www.minorleaguebaseball.com has posted an interview with Giants' Director of Player Development Jack Hiatt that was done a couple of days ago. Interviews with Hiatt are always fun, he's such an enthusiastic guy, but this time he seems more excited than ever about the kids in the Giants system:

They're crazy about Burris, with his game-altering speed and natural shortstop skills.

David Maroul has great "untapped power".

So far Marcus Sanders looks great in camp and his shoulder seems fine. It has been decided that he will not play short. They hope for him to play second at San Jose, if his shoulder holds up, with Burris at short

They love Velez' hitting, he's a terrific athlete but they aren't sure he'll be able to stay at second. They played him at center in Instructional League and he was terrific there. Hiatt really sounded enthusiastic about him.

EME looks better than he ever has, stronger and thinner. He's "a genuine major league hitter". What sets him apart as a prospect at this stage is his ability to hit curves as well as fastballs.

Some other points:

They'd rather have Lincecum work as a starter for now, because there he'll have room for error, whereas as a reliever he wouldn't have that luxury. But they haven't decided on his ultimate roll yet.

Frandsen has the ability to play second, short or third "very well". They see him as a future starting second baseman. He sounded as if he'd prefer Frandsen spend the year in the minors rather than sit on the bench with the Giants, since he hasn't had a lot of minor league at-bats.

When Russ Ortiz was coming up through the system, the Giants moved him to the bullpen in order to force him to concentrate on each pitch, because he had been so wild in college.

If they decide at the end of the spring that Sanchez' future role with the team is as a reliever, they'll pitch him in relief in Fresno too if he's sent down.

Its fun to  listen to Hiatt. Not sure how to post the link - help, anyone? - but right now its on the upper right-hand corner of the www.minorleaguebaseball.com homepage.

The BA transactions page lists two new Giants minor league moves. Most importantly, the Giants signed an Australian high school pitcher named Cameron Lamb (great name). Googled this article from Australia about the signing, with more encouraging stuff about the Giants enhanced scouting efforts abroad:

http://www.baseball.com.au/site/baseball/abf/downloads/PRO%20SIGNINGS/Giant%20Australia%20Day%20for% 20Perth%20Teenager.doc

The second move isn't significant, just cute: the Giants traded catcher Nick Conte, Stan's son, to the Dodgers (for "future considerations", which means zilch). He was a 13th-round pick in 2003 but never progressed beyond low-A.

The Giants have announced the minor league coaching staffs for 2007.

http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20070129&content_id 1789206&vkey=pr_sf&fext.jsp&c_id=sf

The Arizona club has a new hitting coach. The staffs in Salem-Keizer, Augusta, San Jose and Connecticut remain the same. In Fresno there is a new manager (Dan Rohn, from the Seattle organization) replacing Shane Turner, who becomes the new roving outfield and baserunning coach (Darren Lewis is no longer with the organization, it seems). And Fresno has a new pitching coach - Mike Caldwell (who the Giants once traded Willie McCovey for).

There is no mention anywhere of Trevor Wilson - neither in the press release nor in Draper's piece (unrelated newsflash: in the new Mailbag Draper reveals that Justin Hedrick is a lefty), and a quick Google search turned up nothing. Anyone know anything? Wilson was such a great coach and overall cool guy, what a bummer if he left the organization.

Here's the non-subscriber content:

Drafting the young arm with the best pure stuff in the 2006 draft was a good start. Add an intriguing sign out of the Dominican Republic, and the Giants have the makings of a farm system.

Excellent Prospects
1. Tim Lincecum, rhp

Very Good Prospects

2. Angel Villalona, 3b
   
3. Jonathan Sanchez, lhp

Good Prospects
4. Emmanuel Burriss, ss

Average Prospects

5. Eddy Martinez-Estevee, lf
   
6. Sharlon Schoop, ss
   
7. Fred Lewis, lf/cf
   
8. Nate Schierholtz, lf
   
9. Billy Sadler, rhp
   
10. Mike McBryde, cf
1. Tim Lincecum, rhp
   

DOB: 6/15/84
Height/Weight: 5-11/160
Bats/Throws: L/R
Drafted: 1st round, 2006, University of Washington
What he did in 2006: 0.00 ERA at Short Season (4-1-0-10), 1.95 ERA at High A (27.2-13-12-48)
The Good: Best pure stuff of any 2006 draftee. Despite looking like a 13-year-old on the mound, Lincecum's unorthodox mechanics and the fastest arm action you'll ever see allow him to unleash 92-96 mph fastballs while touching 98-99 and maintaining that velocity throughout the game. Curveball is an even better offering, grading out by many scouts as a pure 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale. Slider and changeup are there and usable. Despite size and delivery, arm was remarkably resilient in college, as he often closed 1-2 days after racking up a high pitch count without ever having problems with arm soreness.
The Bad: Control can be a problem at times. Lincecum walked 216 in 342 college innings, and while he made significant improvements this year, his rate was still a relatively high 4.52 per nine innings.
The Irrelevant: The three highest single-season strikeout totals in Washington history are Lincecum's junior (199), freshman (161) and sophomore (131) seasons.
In a Perfect World, He Becomes: An all-star starter or an all-star closer.
Gap Between What He is Now, And What He Can Be: Low - Lincecum could have pitched out of the Giants bullpen at the end of 2006, but the team decided against it for a variety of reasons. He'll likely start 2007 at Double-A, and could be in the majors as early as the All-Star break.

2. Angel Villalona, 3b
DOB: 8/13/90
Height/Weight: 6-3/210
Bats/Throws: R/R
Signed: 2006, Dominican Republic
What he did in 2006: Signed a contract three days after his 16th birthday that included a $2.1 million bonus.
The Good: Absolute man-child and the top international prospect of the year. Already has plus-plus power to all fields and advanced pitch recognition. Good fielder with soft hands and a plus arm. Even an above-average runner.
The Bad: Um, he's 16! There will obviously be some weaknesses in his game, but we won't know what they are until they are exposed. At his age and his size, he could easily outgrow third base, but he's athletic enough where the backup plan is right field instead of first base.
The Irrelevant: International scouts saw Villalona hit a 400-foot home run with a wooden bat . . . when he was 13.
In a Perfect World, He Becomes: The sky is the limit, though Villalona is still on the ground. Whispers of the next Miguel Cabrera are understandable at this point.
Gap Between What He is Now, And What He Can Be: Very High - Again, he's 16. The Giants won't reveal their plans for Villalona, but all signs point to either a slow introduction to professional baseball with a year in the Dominican Summer League, or a half season in the Arizona Rookie League.

3. Jonathan Sanchez, lhp
DOB: 11/19/82
Height/Weight: 6-2/165
Bats/Throws: L/L
Drafted: 27th round, 2004, Ohio Dominican University
What he did in 2006: 1.15 ERA at AA (31.1-14-9-46); 3.80 ERA at AAA (23.2-13-13-28); 4.95 ERA at MLB (40-39-23-33)
The Good: Strong-armed lefty was moved to the bullpen in order to accelerate his progression, but moved back to the rotation and ended up making big league debut as a starter. 91-93 mph fastball is a plus pitch for a lefty, and changeup features excellent arm action. Goes after hitters with aggressive style that serves him well.
The Bad: Has tendency to overthrow breaking ball which causes it to lose break and get elevated, leaving it highly hittable. Has problems throwing strikes at times.
The Irrelevant: Sanchez's dominating four-year career at tiny NAIA Ohio Dominican included four no-hitters.
In a Perfect World, He Becomes: A No. 3 starter.
Gap Between What He is Now, And What He Can Be: Low - The signing of Barry Zito makes things a little more difficult for Sanchez, but he'll likely beat Brad Hennessey out for the final slot in the Giants rotation.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=5783

Sorry the formatting seems to get screwed up in the transfer.

Does anyone know what is the earliest date that teams can place players on the 60-day DL?

Right now the Giants' roster is at 39, and Bonds will make it 40 - meaning that (barring a trade) we can't sign anyone else to a major league contract without DFA'ing and possibly losing a young player (as in: Burres, Coutlangus and Chavez last offseason). Metheny and Merkin will definitely be placed on the 60-day list to free up a couple of spots on the 40-man roster - but how soon can that happen?

For all the sick people out there in Grantland, for whom, like me, uniform numbers are a source of considerable anticipation and excitement - the Giants have posted the uniform numbers for the entire roster.

http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/team/roster_40man.jsp?c_id=sf

Morris is 35. Worrell takes back his old 45 and Walker moves to 47. Kline is 34. Sweeney is 9.

Some of the kids get new, real numbers: Lewis 20, Schierholtz 38, Ortmeier 40, Burres 48. The others are in the 50's and 60's.

No one has JT's 6.

And for those who, like me, were constantly asking themselves WHO the Giants would outright since the Morris signing put the roster at 41 - the Giants website has only now posted that on Dec. 2 Jeff Miller was outrighted to Fresno.

No word yet on minor league free agent signings, or non-roster spring training invitees.

From today's Pittsburgh papers:

"Free-agent third baseman Bill Mueller is expected to choose his new employer today, and the Pirates are thought to still be the front-runner, as has been the case since they upgraded their contract offer Friday from two to three years.

But that does not necessarily mean he will pick Pittsburgh.

A source close to the negotiations yesterday said Mueller would decide "within 24 hours" where he will play next season and strongly suggested a desire to play on the West Coast still could have an influence. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants also have made offers and have reiterated their interest in the early part of this week.

Although the Mueller family maintains its offseason home in Missouri, Mueller spent parts of six seasons with the Giants, and his wife, Amy, is from San Francisco. Mueller also has longtime ties to Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti, a former assistant GM with the Giants.

"But the Pirates are very much in this," the source said.

Mueller, 34, was the American League batting champion in 2003, his first year with the Boston Red Sox, and stayed with them the past two seasons.

A 10-year veteran and switch-hitter, he batted .295 last season with 10 home runs and 62 RBIs. He also posted a .972 fielding percentage that ranked fourth among all third basemen in Major League Baseball. The previous year, he batted .283 with 12 home runs as part of Boston's World Series championship team.

The Pirates are believed to be the only team to offer Mueller a three-year contract, a strong indicator of their level of interest. The amount of their offer is not known, but Mueller made $2.5 million last season and has been seeking a salary in the range of $4 million."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05348/621997.stm

"The Pirates initially made a two-year offer to Mueller at baseball's winter meetings last week in Dallas. When the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants presented similar proposals, the Pirates added a third season with the package ranging between $13-14 million.

The proposal is the sweetest Mueller has received, but he has expressed an interest in playing on the West Coast. The St. Louis Cardinals also are believed to be in the running, with the idea of playing Mueller at second base."

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/sports/pirateslive/s_403795.html

Lets hope that this is finally settled, one way or the other, on Saturday... but anyhow, the pendulum may be swinging back in the Giants' direction, The Cards made Morris a surprisingly low offer on Thursday night - apparently 2yrs/$12m + an $8m option with a $1m buyout. So that's only 2/13 guaranteed, and 3/20 max - whereas SF reportedly has offered both 2/18 and 3/25. The St. Louis writers seem to think Morris is on his way out. Read with caution, obviously, but here goes:

"Exhibiting restraint within what they classify as a "crazy" market, the Cardinals have extended a two-year offer with a club option for 2008 to free agent pitcher Matt Morris, who has received three-year bids from the San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers, according to sources familiar with negotiations.

The offer guarantees Morris about $13 million over two years and would grow to $20 million should the Cardinals assume the option. The deal, similar to the extension signed by Cy Young Award winner Chris Carpenter last April, isn't believed to be competitive with what the Giants and Rangers have offered.

Hopeful that Morris might give the club a so-called "home team discount" Thursday, general manager Walt Jocketty on Friday played down the possibility Morris would return to the only organization he has ever known.

Jocketty tendered the club's offer late Thursday night and awaits further word from Barry Axelrod, Morris' agent. "After the discussion I had with his agent, I think it would be probably less than a 50 percent chance of" Morris accepting, Jocketty said.

The Rangers reportedly made a three-year, $25 million offer before leaving the winter meetings Thursday. The Giants modified their proposal Friday after originally offering Morris $16 million over two years. The Giants are expected to make a frantic push after failing to offer salary arbitration to their own free agent pitcher, Brett Tomko.

...

Of the Cardinals' offer, Axelrod conceded: "It wasn't in the range of the other offers we've been receiving. How that may play out I don't know."

Axelrod described the situation as "not purely a financial decision."

"Every time I have a free agent, they may end up going to the highest bidder, but not necessarily," he said. "It's the right circumstance. That's assuming all the offers are in the same ballpark. There is an element of loyalty and comfort. That all means something. But how much money you're willing to leave on the table in consideration of all those factors?"

The Cardinals structured their offer to Burnett similar to the offer to Morris; however, the final two years of the offer to Burnett were heavily back-loaded, making the average annual value close to $10 million. The disparity has not escaped notice as Axelrod called the Cardinals' desire for a home-team discount "an interesting juxtaposition."

"Matt has been consistent, productive and exhibited leadership," he said. "The same loyalty and continuity you want to have an impact with Matt shouldn't go the opposite way with the team. If they should be important to the player, they should be important to the team as well."

On Friday Jocketty sounded resigned to Morris' departure. "If we don't get one of these guys we still feel we have a pretty strong rotation," Jocketty said. "We wanted to get a little depth; it might've allowed us to do some other things. We'll have to go to Plan C. We have a lot of plans left.""

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/9A6AB7431B30C458862570D3001CB578 ?OpenDocument

And another St. Louis writer said this:

"They've been rejected by Morris.... not officially, but Jocketty was bummed about the response he got from Axelrod."

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2005/12/cards_may_miss_.html

Elsewhere -

"The Giants also are trying to sign third baseman Bill Mueller, but The Chronicle has learned that Mueller's return to San Francisco is less likely than it was earlier this offseason as other teams with more attractive situations have approached him. A highly placed source said there is no truth to reports that Mueller has agreed to play for the Dodgers."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2005/12/10/GIANTS.TMP

That the Giants would still be looking at Mueller for third base seems curious to me, since they just stated that they've decided to let Niekro enter the season as the starter at first. Where's the missing LH power going to come from?

I. David Wells "would be happy" to play in SF?

From Saturday's Boston Herald:

"A frustrated David Wells has been telling friends that he has no intention of returning to play for the Red Sox, but club management is offering no guarantees that the left-handed pitcher will be traded during the up-coming winter meetings in Dallas. Wells, who went 15-7 in 30 starts (and also left three games with leads subsequently blown by the bullpen), has another year on his contract but the 42-year-old felt uncomfortable with his lack of privacy in Boston and has asked to be traded closer to his native San Diego. It was believed that the Sox discussed a deal with the Padres prior to former general manager Theo Epstein's Halloween departure, but Wells has become frustrated by the apparent lack of progress. Boston was believed to be discussing a swap for outfielder Dave Roberts and/or relief pitcher Akinori Otsuka. If nothing is resolved before spring training, Wells has told friends that he definitely will not be reporting to the Sox. If a trade with the Padres (for whom he went 12-8 in 2004) can't be worked out, he would be happy with the San Francisco Giants. Wells does not want to remain in the American League."

http://redsox.bostonherald.com/redSox/view.bg?articleid=115299

That's the first time I've seen the Giants mentioned regarding Wells, though it may just be Wells' agent putting pressure on San Diego to make a deal. The Globe is reporting that the Sox and Padres are now talking about a deal involving Wells and Mark Loretta.

II. More on Kris Benson

From Saturday's NY Daily News:

"On the trade front, Benson has emerged as a legitimate chip. Minaya is still believed to have interest in Orioles reliever Jorge Julio, but the Mets backed off discussions for a swap with Baltimore when it became clear there was significant interest in Benson around the league. The Giants and Royals are believed to have made serious overtures regarding Benson, but it's unclear if there'd be any match with either club."

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/371199p-315781c.html

III. Indy League signing

I see in BA that the Giants have signed a 21 year-old RHP prospect from the Indy Leagues, Tom King, who attended the U. of Miami briefly - and he looks intriguing. The team he played for has been disbanded and I can't find their stats anywhere, but there is this September article from the Golden League website:

"Mesa Miner right-handed closer Thomas King has been acquired from the league by the San Francisco Giants. The Giants will sign him to a contract and either have him report to fall instructional league or to spring training next season.

"Although he joined us for just the second half of the season, Tom was a key part of our pennant winning team" said Les Lancaster, Mesa Miners Manager and former major league relief pitcher "He filled the closer role and was incredible as he did not allow a run in fifteen appearances. With his size and nasty submarine motion he overpowered our league and should do the same for the Giants. At only 21 years old, he's truly a prospect with unlimited potential and will be fun to watch climb the ladder."

King, 21, is a 6'5" 200 pound right-handed pitcher out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He excelled in high school at Westminster Academy earning Florida First Team All-State honors as a senior in 2002. He went on to the University of Miami and pitched briefly before he had to depart due to family matters. He was ready to pitch again this season and was noticed by a scout who contacted the Mesa Miners coaching staff. After watching Tom throw a bullpen session and in need of a closer due to injuries, the Miners signed him for their playoff drive. He was virtually unhittable in the regular season as he appeared in 15 games, won 3 and lost 0, recorded 5 saves, pitched 20 innings, gave up only six hits, struck out 29 and was never scored upon - either earned or unearned. He was even more dominant in the playoffs, as he saved one game and struck out 6 while allowing no baserunners in four innings as his team reached the Championship Game before losing to the San Diego Surf Dawgs. His deep submarine motion and dominance of GBL hitters, including many ex-major league, Triple-A, and Double-A batters caught the eye of the San Francisco Giants at the end of the season."

http://www.goldenbaseball.com/ArDisplay.aspx?ID=1909&SecID=138

IV. More on Tony Siegle

From today's Tribune:

"During his four decades in baseball, Tony Siegle has worked for eight organizations and 23 general managers -- including the Giants' Brian Sabean. Siegle might be a candidate to return to the Giants, filling the assistant GM post vacated by Ned Colletti.
A report out of Washington indicated Siegle, the Nationals' assistant GM, could be on his way to San Francisco. But a Nationals spokesperson said the Giants have not request permission to talk to him.
Siegle said he hadn't heard from the Giants, though he would be thrilled if Sabean considered him. "It would be very, very flattering," Siegle said. "I think Brian Sabean is one of the premier GMs in the game, and I'd love to work with him. Brian and I go way back. There's nothing to talk about yet, but if that opportunity came up, it would be like walking right into a family."
Siegle was the Giants' farm director and vice president of baseball administration from 1990-94, and he recommended Colletti for his post when he left to take a position with the Rockies. Before joining the Expos/Nationals in 2002, Siegle worked as a special assistant to Sabean.
Though Siegle said he is content in Washington, it's no secret the Nationals will have new owners soon, and GM Jim Bowden is interviewing for other positions
Siegle has long been viewed as an expert in rules interpretation and contract negotiation, skills that Colletti had. Sabean plans to delay hiring a replacement for Colletti until after he completes the bulk of work to assemble the 2006 roster."

http://www.insidebayarea.com/sports/ci_3275336

V. Minor note

The Detroit Tigers have released Jason Knoedler's twin brother, Justin. He's a switch-hitting outfielder they took in the 6th round of the 2001 draft, but he's never hit and has been a bench player in A and AA for the last three years.

There's a lot going on these days, so I thought it would be worthwhile to pull together some of the newspaper reports into one diary. Here's what I've seen today:

I. Colletti's replacement?

"Nationals assistant GM Tony Siegle is the leading candidate to replace Ned Colletti as Giants assistant GM."

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/bbw/columnist/nightengale/2005-11-30-mlb-report-minaya_x.htm

Tony Siegle has been a baseball executive for 40 years. He was assistant GM to Al Rosen and Bob Quinn with the Giants in the early 90's, and briefly worked with Sabean a few years ago too. From what I've read, he looks like a good short-term fit to handle Colletti's duties, if Sabean doesn't want to shake up the existing front office structure just yet.

Found a good article on Siegle from a couple of years ago here:

http://espn.go.com/mlb/columns/schwarz_alan/1497820.html

II. Forget about Abreu

Seems there was nothing to the Schmidt-Abreu rumor. According to today's Philadelphia Enquirer:

"It's no secret the Phillies have made rightfielder Bobby Abreu available in trade talks - they offered Abreu to Toronto for Vernon Wells at the GM meetings last month - but they haven't talked to the San Francisco Giants about him, or a rumored Jason Schmidt-for-Abreu swap. The two teams have not talked recently."

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/13297078.htm

III. Is Hector Carrasco the reliever Sabean's looking at?

According to today's Washington Post:

" the Nationals... are fighting to keep right-hander Hector Carrasco. A baseball source said Carrasco is close to signing with a West Coast team. An invaluable reliever who filled in as a starter at the end of the season, Carrasco, 36, went 5-4 with a 2.04 ERA."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/30/AR2005113001939.html

Carrasco could be a terrific addition to the bullpen, but signing him will cost us our 2nd-round pick (he's a B-ranked FA). Since the Nationals want to re-sign him, they'll probably offer arbitration, so there might be no point in waiting for the Dec. 7 deadline.

IV. The Matt Morris watch

An article today from Morris' hometown of Middletown, NY:

"Morris said the St. Louis Cardinals, who drafted him in the first round in 1995, have not shown as much interest as other teams in signing him. "They have not jumped to sign me," said Morris, who went 14-10 with a 4.11 ERA for the Cardinals last year. "That's OK. That's the Cardinals' decision. It's just nice to know that other teams out there are willing to spend time on me." St. Louis has until Wednesday to sign Morris or offer him salary arbitration. If the Cardinals offer and he doesn't accept, the sides can still negotiate until Jan. 8. St. Louis can't negotiate with or sign Morris until May 1 if they don't offer him arbitration by Wednesday. Morris, a 1992 Valley Central graduate, said he is unclear about what the Cardinals are thinking and hasn't heard much from them. Several teams, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Texas and Boston, have shown interest in Morris since he filed for free agency. Staying in the National League is attractive to him, but won't be a deal-maker. San Francisco seems attractive since the Giants play in pitcher-friendly SBC Park and Morris is close friends with their Gold Glove catcher, Mike Matheny. The pair played together in St. Louis. "It's definitely a possibility," said Morris, who made $6.3 million, including incentives, with St. Louis last year. "That would be great to go there and not have to worry about getting adjusted to a new catcher.""

http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2005/12/01/losportb.htm

Also, from today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

"The agent for free agent Matt Morris said he has the impression that the Cardinals' interest in his client - who has never pitched outside of the Cardinals organization - is dependent on other pursuits. Texas has invited Morris, who won his 100th game as a Cardinal this past season, to visit Arlington and the Rangers' ballpark, but agent Barry Axelrod said the righthander will not make any visits... Texas has made a formal two-year offer to Morris, one of two offers Morris has received. San Francisco is also wooing Morris and expectations are that the Los Angeles Dodgers will be more involved now that their front office is more set."

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/D3B185D9A20FBEBA862570CA001E00A7 ?OpenDocument

And finally, Henry Schulman:

"Barry Axelrod, the agent for Matt Morris, said the Giants remain in the hunt for the free-agent starting pitcher, who appears in no hurry to choose where he wants to play in 2006. "We continue to talk. The process is ongoing," Axelrod said. "I think the Giants were pointing at or working on (Esteban) Loaiza for a little while. To me, it's like a junior-high dance going on. You have all the boys on one hand and all the girls on the other hand, and they're going to wait and see who pairs up with whom." "

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2005/12/01/SPG1IG129E1.DTL

Plus, there's talk that the Cards are the front-runners for AJ Burnett - and signing Burnett would probably mean they don't offer Morris arbitration, so teams might be holding off on signing Morris until after the arbitration deadline in a week's time.

BA's new organizational report is on Whitaker, the Giants' still-young (21) 2003 supplemental first-rounder, who so far has pitched only in Rookie ball and low-A.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/minors/nlwest051122.html

Some highlights:

the Giants are still really high on him and consider him one of their elite arms

his move to the pen last year was temporary, the team considers him a potential frontline starter

stuff comparable to Cain's

quick arm action, mid-90's fastball, "a plus changeup and a hard, hard slider" (Tidrow). The article also mentions a "plus curve" - I'm not sure if thats a fourth pitch or the slider.

missed time with different ailments, but they're not worried about his health

once he develops consistency of command, "he's the kind of guy who'll come quick" (Tidrow)

Hey, sounds good to me...

I imagine he'll be in the San Jose rotation this season, working with Trevor Wilson. And he'll only be Rule 5 eligible in a year.

On the Minor League Baseball website there is a long article looking at prospects in the Giants' system.

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/news/article.jsp?ymd=20051121&content_id=34798&vkey=n ews_milb&fext=.jsp

A little too much hype, on occasion, and some curious ommisions, but an informative (e.g., Ishikawa hit lefties at a .317 clip this year) and encouraging read for these slow days of winter, when we thirst for news and reasons for hope.

There's an interesting new article at Hardball Times that looks at whether Barry's dad should be in the Hall of Fame.

http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/like-son-like-father/

I was surprised to read there that Bobby was the best rightfielder in baseball for a full decade (1969-1978). Despite already being a Giants fan as a kid when Bobby came up, I never realized he was that good for that long.

For the first six years of that decade Bobby was with SF, but then he played for seven different teams in seven years. Only once in the seven years after the Giants traded him did he play two years with the same team. That must have an awful lot to do with why he was, and remains, so underappreciated.

Eyre's agent says he's narrowed it down to Atlanta, Houston, St Louis and the Cubs. Not unexpectedly, the Giants are out of it. Too bad we didn't wrap him up earlier.

Only the Cubs' first round pick is protected (they pick 13th). Of the others, Houston picks 23rd, Atlanta 24th and the Cardinals last (30th). There are about 25 free agents higher ranked than Eyre.

Also (according to Henry Schulman):

"Sources have confirmed the Giants have considerable interest in free-agent pitcher Matt Morris and spoke this week to the agent for Esteban Loaiza... Loaiza's agent, John Boggs, also represents Giants catcher Mike Matheny.
The Giants are believed to have spoken to agent Scott Boras about some of his pitchers, possibly Kenny Rogers and Jeff Weaver...
Besides bolstering the rotation, the Giants want to acquire a platoon-type player for first base and the outfield. Two free agents fitting that bill are Daryle Ward and John Mabry, and the Giants have made initial inquires on both. Ward is a Californian and a good friend of Moises Alou. Mabry and Matheny are tight."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2005/11/17/SPG6QFPOHV1.DTL

All of the pitchers mentioned are A or B-ranked, so signing them before Dec. 8th means losing our 2nd-round draft pick. After that - depends if their teams offered them arbitration.

Mabry's numbers this year were seriously ugly: .240/.295/.407 with 63 strikeouts in 246 ABs. In addition to LF, RF and 1b, he also plays 3b. From 2000-2004 he changed teams 7 times (which means what?). He (like Mark Sweeney) is a C-ranked FA, meaning we could sign him immediately and not have to give up a pick.

Ward: .260/.318/.405 in 407 ABs (.281/.343/.454 if you take out the lefties), 5 years younger, more strictly a (pretty poor) first baseman. Despite poor numbers at Pac Bell, seems like a much nicer platoon option with Niekro, if that's the way we're going (rather than the Delgado/Thome/Huff trade route), but doesn't solve the fourth-outfielder issue. He's a B-ranked FA, so (hopefully) no way do the Giants sign him before Dec. 8.

You're trying hard not to show it, baby
But baby, baby I know it

You've lost that loving feeling
Oh, that loving feeling
You've lost that loving feeling
Now it's gone, gone, gone...

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/9031714

"Every fan should know I love San Francisco. How could you not? But if something comes up where I can play closer to home and it's going to be a fun clubhouse and something like San Francisco, it's going to be a tough decision to turn down."

"I'm trying to get three years and my agent thinks I could get more."

"He's going to have choices," said Eyre's agent, Tommy Tanzer. "All 30 teams have called. I've never seen anything like it. In my 23 years, I've never seen where every team wants the guy. He's going to be able to get whatever he wants."

The Giants removed six players from the 40-man roster: Cooper, Kinney, Haad, Clark, Shabala and Ramirez. No real surprises among the bunch.

http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20051017& ;content_id=1253117&vkey=pr_sf&fext=.jsp&c_id=sf

Who will we be adding before the roster is set for the Rule V draft?

Locks: Brian Wilson, Schierholtz, Ishikawa
Maybe: Sadler, Song, Misch, Coutlangus
Long-shots: Bateman, Mooney, Hutting, Jennings

Any thoughts?

602 posts, three full gameday open threads

Wow

Would've been better if the season wasn't toast after tonight's game, sure - but here's a toast to McCovey Chronicles

Best thing to enter the lives of Giants' fans in 2005 this side of Matt Cain and Randy Winn

Thanks