Computer Down Again

In other news, the sky is blue and water is wet.

Trying to get the PC up and running again. Posts to come soon.

Up Those Trade Values, Gentlemen

I wrote this in response to a post over at OBnB. The comment turned out longer than I expected, so I decided to refine it and use it as today's discussion point.

Bengie Molina, C
- Yankees: With Jorge Posada out for the season and Hideki injured, the Yankees could use another catcher and added offense, just in case Richie Sexson doesn't pan out. However, the Yankees hope that Posada can retrun after the start of the 2009 season, and Bengie's contract is not fitting as an injury-replacement player.

- Marlins: Lots of murmuring that they want a backstop. Only problem is, would they take on Bengie's salary?

- Angels: Jeff Mathis has been a wreck offensively: .228/.304/.389. Bengie would be a huge upgrade.

Randy Winn, OF
- Braves: I wrote a piece discussing the Winn-to-Braves rumor floating around in June. Winn would be an upgrade over Francoeur, whose slash stats (.231/.286/.369) have dropped even lower since June. Kotsay's been hitting well, only problem, as always, has been his health. There haven't been any rumblings about a trade since then, but it's best to leave open possibilities.

- White Sox: Again, Winn would be an upgrade of Swisher, who's batting to the tune of .235/.357/.411. Swisher has more pop, but Winn is more consistent and plays a better CF.

Taschner/Walker, RP
- He wouldn't net much, if anyone, by himself, but the Giants could package him with another vet. Now that we have a cluster of minor league relief pitchers, I'm a bit hesitant about trading Walker and Taschner. They're the oldest guys in the bullpen now that Yabu is on the DL, and it would be better for the Giants to keep them both for "mentoring" purposes until they receive more value in return when T/W are packaged in a bigger deal.

Open Matt Cain Admiration Thread

What a brilliantly pitched game.

Happy Birthday, Barry

It's amazing how much goes down in the space of only a year.

A Win!

What do the Giants-Nationals games and Halley's Comet have in common? They both make for rare and exciting displays at night. For one of the few times this season at Mays Field, the Giants put together a complete game--Zito pitched decently, Lewis and Molina filled the home run quota with one and two, respectively, and the defense, namely Bowker and Burriss, picked a clean game.

With the trade deadline approaching, the Giants are in full clearance sale mode. Bochy plans to start Dave Roberts in left tonight, though his lengthy stint on the DL most likely depressed his trade value. Unless a contender wants a game-winning base-stealer handy for the World Series, Roberts will remain with the Giants. The upside is that he can mentor Velez, Burriss, and Lewis on base-stealing and come off the bench late in the game as a speedy pinch hitter, but his contract somewhat sours the value he brings.

Omar, Taschner, and other vets are also being showcased. Bochy told Omar that once the trade deadline passes, he will no longer be the starter at SS (haven't we heard this before?). Taschner now gets an inning of relief a game--unless he walks two consecutive batters--instead of his usual role as lefty specialist.

In related news, Alfonzo is being sent down to Fresno in favor of Steve Holm. Baggarly speculates that the Giants could also call up Pablo Sandoval, who is mashing at AA, once they move Rich Aurilia. I'm not entirely in favor of the move if it happens, because the last thing I want to see is Sandoval sitting on the bench five days a week.

Some Headdesking and Good News

First off, apologies for not writing over the past weekend. I've been run off my feet and couldn't get the time to sit down.

Headdesk

Anyways, Gameday decided to take Sunday off, meaning I have no slider numbers to draw out. Bochy's brain apparently decided to take Sunday off, too. What the heck was he thinking, especially with the comments he made about "backing off" Lincecum's workload? It was clear that Lincecum was struggling through 6 innings and wasn't fully recovered from the flu, but Bochy pushed him to 121 pitches while, get this, Hinshaw was already warmed up in the bullpen.

Tim now has 135 innings under his belt and about 9-10 starts left. If Bochy's not being a thickhead, he would limit Tim's starts to 5 innings max to prevent any potential arm injuries. Or shut him down 3 weeks early.

Good News

Now for the good news. The Giants sent Ray Durham to Milwaukee in exchange for two minor league players. Steve Hammond is a 26 year old lefty who excelled at AA ball(7-4, 3.45 ERA), but imploded once the Brewers promoted him to AAA (0-4, 7.41 ERA). At his age, he doesn't have much upside, but he projects as a long reliever or an emergency 5th starter a la Pat Misch.

Darren Ford is yet another centerfielder with no home run power. Baseball America ranked him as the fastest player in the Brewers' organization and a plus defender. The only thing standing between him and a starting role is his bat. He batted only .230/.322/.303 in High-A Brevard County and has a strikeout rate of 26% throughout his minor league career. His speed could make him a valuable leadoff hitter, but right now, he just blends into the scrap heap of light-hitting CFs in the Giants' organization.

Overall, Hammond and Ford for Durham is a good deal for the Giants. It frees up $1.5 million in the books and forces Bochy to start playing Burriss, Velez, Ochoa, and Denker, though the latter is currently playing in Fresno. If I were Bochy, I would give the nod to Denker at second base because his bat has more pop--more doubles power than home run power, but still--than the other three's.

If you want more info on the Giants' two new players, Chris at BCB has an in-depth post about their minor league stats and the implications.

And now for the second whammy of good news. With the August 15 signing deadline approaching, many Giants fans, including myself, are worried about the draftees who are still unsigned, among them top picks Buster Posey and Conor Gillaspie. According to Rivals, they should be signed come the deadline.

When Posey was drafted by the Orioles (Ed. note: Ahem, Giants) in June, he made several statements to me alluding to the fact that he might return to school for his senior season. That, of course, was immediately after the College World Series. With much having changed since that point, Posey has gone from having an open mind about returning to school to being quoted in newspaper articles as if he's already with the Giants. Though Posey hasn't signed the dotted line, every indication has him signing with the Giants. Posey's stock will never be higher and he's already proven to be the nation's best college player. Now it's time to take that label to professional baseball.

Gillaspie had a sensational junior campaign for the Shockers, and was drafted by the Giants in the supplemental first round. As with first-round pick Buster Posey, Gillaspie has yet to sign with the Giants. Still, that might not mean much. According to a source we spoke with at Wichita State, it would come as a huge surprise if Gillaspie decides to return to school for his senior season. After an outstanding season at the plate, Gillaspie's stock is at an all-time high and probably can't improve much. As a result, I'd expect to see Gillaspie sign before the August deadline.

Crazy Crab Bobblehead Night

Per SFGate:

75 percent of fans polled in 1984 said they'd boo any mascot.