Giants Seeking A Bat

What about Derrek Lee of the Cubs? Lou has said how he wants to give Micah more playing time, and 1b is Micah's natural position. I don't think Lee has much left in his tank, and Micah has shown great strides over the past year. This could benefit both teams actually. The Cubs could target Affeldt or Wilson for some bullpen help.

I know that this might be selling low, but what about Milton Bradley. I mean, as a Cubs fan, I hated it when I heard that he was joining the team and have not liked him at all since. I'm hoping that this is the chance to dump him while people still think hes just in a slump.

cantu and uggla will be available.

Edwin Encarncion for Sanchez. I believe they have similar service time, similar upside, and similar failed attempts at reaching said upside. The Giants could use the bat, the Reds could use the lefty starter. Yes the Reds could really use the RH bat as well but I think EE has gotten very close to wearing out his welcome in Cincinnati.

"The White Sox should trade dye for cain or something like that."

Seriously?

cantu would be good to trade for also. But there is no one to trade for these players!!

kcatlantis writes "The White Sox should trade dye for cain or something like that."

Your kidding, right?

frank thomas... moises alou... barry bonds... could have all three pretty cheap and wouldnt have to give up any prospects.
could work. wont happen. maybe jim edmonds and ray durham?

The only name mentioned that make sense is Nick Johnson.

How about Adam LaRoche?

send them D Lee doesn't he have a home out there so maybe he wouldn't use his no trade to block it

I'm curious as to what Sabean considers a bat.

This is the man that early in the offseason(an offseason that had a surplus of cheap bats) blew all his money on the offensive juggernaut that is Edgar Renteria.

Why are the Giants looking for a hitter that could walk after this year? They should be looking for a pre-arbitration hitter or even a minor league hitter. Winn to the Braves sounds like a potential good move. I just don't see them making the playoffs this year.

D Lee has negative trade value right now. There isn't a huge appetite out there for first baseman, earning $13m, who are 33 and posting a sub 700 OPS.

Same goes for Beltre. The M's should move him now before he proves that he is complete inept. Sub 600 OPS, already has 7 errors and is earning $13.5m. The M's should be thrilled at this point just to clear some payroll.

Nick Johnson is at least affordable. We all know that his durability is absolutely horrid. But, if he can stay reasonably healthy he's a decent bat that can be had for little more than salary relief.

Lincecum and Sandoval for Big Papi, Julio Lugo, Brad Penny, Michael Bowden.

HAHA. Theo Epstein would be arrested for robbery.

Adam Lind, Casey Janssen, David Purcey and a B prospect such as Brad Emaus for Tim Lincecum. Then the Blue Jays can go out and get Nick Johnson/Aubrey Huff.

Signed,

A Blue Jays fan's wet dream.

would san fran give atlanta lewis for redmond straight up

atlanta also throws in diaz to baltimore

Papi's bats only looked done for this year and the start of last year. He actually did fine after April last season. Not one of the best hitters in the game good obviously, but solidly above average even at DH.

He had an ops over 1.000 in may, over 1000 for the week he played in july, 890 in august and just over 900 in september.

My other post was obviously just a joke though. Can't believe i only got two responses :( Normally people jump at the opportunity to bash Sox fans.

As far as the Giants, I agree with Johnson being a good fit. The giants are just getting horrible production out of 1B and as long as he's healthy, Nick Johnson is a plus first baseman both at the plate and in the field. I'm not familiar enough with the Giants farm system (outside of their top names anyways) to give a good trade candidate, but I wouldn't give more than a B/B- prospect for Johnson (maybe packaging in a lower level prospect as well).

Depending on what the Giants are looking to give up, look for Beane to throw Holliday out there as an option. The A's just blew ANOTHER 3+ run lead and are about to lose to the DBacks. A firesale is just around the corner, although i'm not sure how well the A's and Giants match up considering the A's are in need of 3B/SS prospects.

god there are some awful comments here. why would they want uggla or laroche, they both have been horrible. & they are not going to deal cain or lincecum, duh! beltre can't hit & lee has been slumping too badly for that contract. i won't even start on the papi/lugo bs. johnson & cantu make sense at the right price. derosa won't solve their lack of power. if houston were smart they would flip some of their vets... lord knows they won't contend for the next few years. if the pirates were smart they would get rid of mcclouth... they have plenty of outfielders for when their ready to make a run (if ever lol).

But anyway, I don't like Holliday in SF because he is a Coors field only hitter, and I don't see AT&T being any more forgiving than McAfee. Nick Johnson is a good fit, seems more doubles orientated than a basher. You might get him for Matos and/or Pucetas, since the Nats need arms bad.

I'm an A's fan....so me wanting Holliday wouldn't involve dealing him to a cross bay rival. Secondly, Holliday is not, and never has been your prototypical slugger. He's a line drive, gaps hitter who is strong enough to hit many of those line drives over the wall. Lastly, he is FAR from a "Coors only" hitter. He may not put up the same numbers as he did playing half of his games at Coors, but he is still a damn good hitter and probably good for a .300/.380/.500 line no matter where he plays. Don't jump to conclusions this early in the season just because he's not ripping the cover off the ball. The numbers will be there by seasons end, and probably by the all-star break.

Just curious, what do Giants fans think is fair to give up for Johnson?

To be honest, I don't see the Nats trading Johnson. Most teams view him as a salary-dump kind of player (rightfully so, as he's ALWAYS hurt), but he's incredibly valuable to the Nats-great bad and great defense. They really don't have another 1B that's ML ready (and that includes Adam Dunn, a total butcher at 1B).

Bravoboy...

Giants give up Sanchez. Wilson, and Lewis and get only Huff back???

Pass the duchee quick!!!!

“Lastly, he is FAR from a "Coors only" hitter. He may not put up the same numbers as he did playing half of his games at Coors, but he is still a damn good hitter and probably good for a .300/.380/.500 line no matter where he plays. Don't jump to conclusions this early in the season just because he's not ripping the cover off the ball. The numbers will be there by seasons end, and probably by the all-star break.”

Career away from Coors .281/.349/.454/.803
2008 .308/.405/.486/.892
2007 .301/.374/.485/.860
2006 .280/.333/.485/.819

Although that line you gave might be a possibility, honestly his current .270/.353/.439/.792 doesn’t look extremely out of line considering Oakland is such a pitchers park. If he stays in Oakland, you might not get that much better then what you have seen so far. And at best, you are still probably looking at a sub-900 OPS. Pretty good, but far from great.

Giants fans i'm sorry Fred Lewis has about zero trade value. In fact it may be negative. He's going on 29 and he's a corner outfielder with no power. No one would want him, not the O's, Nats, White Sox ect. Also teams like the Nats and O's wouldn't be looking for a guy like Ishikawa either, they will want actual prospects and not AAAA players.

Sabean is killing the Giants! He should step down like Shuerholz because the game has moved beyond him. He's living in the past and can't help himself by offering aging veterans ridiculous contracts... Carlos Delgado come on down and get your 3 year, $40 million contract.

Trade Cain for Fielder now. Gamel and/or Hall can take over at 1st for the brew crew, and Pucetas can hold down the 5th starter role until Bumgarner or Alderson are ready for the big show.

Johnson and maybe Huff seem like the best bets from the names given. Given that Huff can actually stay healthy and the SICK numbers he posted last year (and some solid digits this year so far- remember he's a second half guy), I could see him being a nice fit for the Giants. The sticking points would, of course, be Huff's defense at first, which leaves something to be desired (though, to be fair, Sabean's looking for a bat, not a glove) and the cost.

Huff is making $8M this year and will be a free agent after the season...at age 33. While he's hardly old- even in baseball terms- it seems unlikely he can maintain an elite level of productivity much longer. Of course, none of that matters if the Giants are solely interested in THIS year and competing with the Dodgers for the AL West or at least going after the Wild Card.

Huff's not killing the ball like he did last summer, but a quck look at his splits demonstrates the folly of rush judgments. I've heard Tim and others talk about decline, but the truth is this: at the same time last year, Huff's numbers were actually WORSE than they are this year. In April of '08, Huff hit .258/.349/.484/.833. He went .231/.278/.426/.704 in May. After that...well...you all KNOW what he did. If he were playing for a contender, he'd have likely finished in the top 3 for MVP...AT LEAST.

And this isn't a case of cherry-picking stats. For whatever reason, Huff has consistently SUCKED during the spring over the course of his career. Any seam-head worth his/her salt knows that he produces some of the strangest and most severe splits in the game from the early season to later in the year. With the exception of a couple decent May's early in his career, Huff has been crap EVERY spring. Similarly, even when it looked like he was finished a couple of years ago, his numbers improved EVERY summer, without fail. Am I saying he's going to repeat his '08 magic? Not necessarily, but I certainly wouldn't count it out.

Another consideration- at least from the Orioles' perspective is FA compensation status. At this point, it seems highly likely that Huff will be a Type A, and enough teams need offense to suggest he'll find a home, regardless of that stigma. If the Giants were to trade for him and he rejected arbitration (a whole 'nother matter altogether), they could find themselves in possession of two extra premium picks in '09...a nice bonus, assuming they don't want to keep him around.

So what would that mean with regard to a return package. Obviously the big guns are out: Posey (not that Baltimore has a need there), Bumgarner, Alderson, and Villalona are all off the table. And I don't think I need to say it, but...Lincecum and Cain too. And while the rapid ascent of both Alderson and MadBum have, perhaps, made the thought of dealing Sanchez more palatable to the Giants, it's unlikely either will be ready for the Show this year and it seems this year is what Sabean is thinking about as far as this deal (on top of which, I find it unlikely SF would want to trade a cost-controlled lefty with several years left prior to FA, who has AT LEAST mid-rotation stuff for a one-year rental). What's that leave?

Given Baltimore's needs, I could maybe see something centered around Ehire Adrianza or- depending on the timing of the deal- Brandon Crawford...perhaps as a PTBNL. Both are excellent defensive shortstops with decent offensive potential; something the O's are sorely lacking in their otherwise strong farm system. While another player or two might also be included, they would likely be little more than filler. After all, Huff's a bargain, but unless the O's pick up a big chunk of Huff's remaining contractual obligation, it's still a fair chunk of change to assume. And of course, dude's 32 and PRESENTLY, not crushing the ball at last year's Silver Slugger levels.

I'd love to hear what Giants fans think of this. O's fans too. I know it was a mouthful, but when I get started...

Right? Let's get Sabean on the phone.

I have an idea,

How about a guy by the name of Barry?

Seems pretty obvious to me.

I do believe the Rangers have the best bats, and are looking for pitching. A match made in heaven would have the following happen:

Marlon Byrd and Chris Davis for Matt Cain.

Davis can play 1st and 3rd, and the Rangers still have Saltalamacchia and Smoak to play 1B. The Rangers could then bring up one of Manuel Pina or Max Ramirez to C in tandem with Salty.

The Giants can then call up Bumgarner who is wasting time shitting out the lights in AA, and still have Alderson following his footsteps.

I could see Fred Lewis for Konerko happening. the Sox are dying for someone who can play CF and the fact he bats left handed is even better for them. Konerko, I believe, is in the last yr of his contract. Since the Giants don't want any old dudes blocking their prospects I could see this being discussed. Unfortunately Konerko has 10-5 rights so him moving anywhere is unlikely.

Instead I could see SF going after someone like Ryan Garko. Not great but an upgrade on what they're currently running out there.

I would trade Bobby Howry for Nick Johnson. The Nats need pitching.
What about Hammerin Hank Blalock ? I haven't followed his stats lately but I read hes been hot lately ?
What about Mike Cameron ?
My own opinion is they need a bonafide # 4 hitter - a slugger in the lineup - the white sox have 3 people who would fit nicely there. Huff and Uggla are possibilities. I bet Sabean is on the phone. It would be great to keep the rotation intact and get a hitter. I would call all but Sanchez un-tradable...
Matt Holliday isnt the answer

The only way you trade Matt Cain is for someone of Evan Longoria's status... Cain is a youthful stud so is Longoria, Upton, Crawford. I saw someone say Derek Lee??? Gimme a Break that scrub is going on 34 and probably has a couple of years left in him.

" The only way you trade Matt Cain is for someone of Evan Longoria's status."

Cain isn't on Longoria's level.

He has a career FIP of 3.93, which is good but not great. He just walks too many guys to be considered elite, and his low ERA this season is the function of an unsustainably high 89.2 LOB%, considering the fact that he's posted a 4.33 FIP this season. Plus, Cain is only under control for two more seasons, at which point he's going to want big money.

Meanwhile, Longoria is possibly the best defensive third baseman in the game (19.6 career UZR/150, which is nuts), and while he strikes out a decent amount, he's also a patient hitter with big time power that makes lots of hard contact.

And his contract is so team-friendly that it's crazy. Early last season he signed a nine year, $47.5M contract if the Rays exercise every option, and it's just 6/20.5 if they let him go instead.

At this point, I would honestly say that Evan Longoria is the most valuable asset in baseball. Over Pujols, Lincecum, Hanley, Wright, anyone.

"Scribble, I respectfully disagree that Longoria is more valuable than Pujols. You can probably make the argument, and you might even convince me. But The Best Hitter in Baseball(TM) is still only 29 and has put up HOF numbers with virtually no lineup protection for his entire 9 year career. Just sayin..."

If we're talking about solely production for the next couple seasons, then yeah, I agree that Pujols is probably better. He's the best player in the game right now.

But I wasn't talking about that, I said that Longoria was the most valuable ASSET in the game.

Pujols may be better, but he's older, more expensive and his contract runs up in two years, at which point he's going to land an absolutely monster deal.

In terms of value, I really don't think there's anyone you take over Longoria.

I know it's premature to call a guy a potential HOF when he's 24, but Longoria is that type of player.

Ramirez and Longoria are similarly impressive, but I just seriously doubt that Hanley is capable of being as good defensively at Longoria is, even if defense is more valuable at shortstop.

I think that when you consider that Ramirez is signed for 6/70 including this season, versus Longoria who is signed for 8/47 including this season, that you would have to consider Longoria the most valuable asset.

And I honestly think that Pujols, Hanley and Longoria are arguably the three best position players in the game right now, with Utley, Sizemore, Mauer, Beltran, Wright, Markakis and Pedroia on the fringes as well.

If you think Longoria is up there with Hanley and Pujols, then I could definitely see how you'd think he's the "most valuable asset in the game." Honestly, if i believed he was top 3, I would definitely have to agree with you. Personally, I'd like to see a bit of a larger sample size though. He's just reached a full season worth of at bats.

As far as comparing their defense, according to plus/minus they've both saved four runs on the year. I'd like to believe Hanley really has turned a corner, but we could just be looking at a small sample size. He was greatly improved last year as well though.

If i were the giants i would be dealin before its to late . The NL west is the weakest division in baseball they gotta get a bat in there or they have no shot at winning . They need a rick ankiel or a derek lee or even a chone figgans and Alexi Ramirez . All those guys have great potential and the giants have the team to make the playoffs just not without anybody to hit next to Bengie

"how about peavy and gonzo for lincecum and sandoval

Posted by: blaze31 | May 24, 2009 at 03:17 PM"

take out Peavy and Lincecum
just gonzo for Matt Cain and Villalona
maybe padres give us an above average prospect

"Although that line you gave might be a possibility, honestly his current .270/.353/.439/.792 doesn’t look extremely out of line considering Oakland is such a pitchers park. If he stays in Oakland, you might not get that much better then what you have seen so far. And at best, you are still probably looking at a sub-900 OPS. Pretty good, but far from great."

Holliday's OPSing .900 on the month of May...

Which, when considering how awful the A's park is for hitters, is really, really good.

2 ways to make the Giants better...

1. Trade Jonathan Sanchez, Manny Burriss and Travis Ishikawa for Dan Uggla.
-Florida gets a young, cheaper Left-Handed Starter and a very good defensive 2B with potential to grow into a leadoff hitter with SB potential. Who knows what will ever happen with Ishikawa.

2. Trade Justin Miller and Osiris Matos or Alex Hinshaw for Nick Johnson.
-Washington gets a solid RP that is still fairly young. they also get a up and coming young RP. This is what they need more than anything.

Both trades upgrade the two worst offensive positions on the Giants. They take on salary from teams that are always looking to cut payroll when they deal players. Also, the trades are what other teams are looking for in return. I think the Giants might be over-paying, but thats ok, it is not out of control.

Pisano, stop embarrassing the rest of us Giants fans by suggesting ridiculous trades like "Lewis & Nate Scherholtz for 2 good bats like R. Zimmerman & Nick Johnson or like C. Davis & Hank Blalock" Those are as ridiculous as other teams suggesting they can get Cain for one middle of the road bat like Johnson or Uggla.