Giants GM Brian Sabean told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that there's "mutual interest" between the team and Edgar Renteria, even after signing Miguel Tejada and tendering Mike Fontenot a contract (Twitter link). Renteria says he's open to playing second base, which provides the team with some flexibility.
Still, it's hard to imagine a great fit for Renteria on a roster that includes Freddy Sanchez, Pablo Sandoval, Fontenot, Tejada and Mark DeRosa. The Giants don't appear to have a clearly defined role to offer their World Series MVP in 2011.
Renteria batted .276/.332/.374 in 267 plate appearances, missing time with elbow, groin, hamstring and shoulder injuries before returning to form and winning the World Series MVP. Renteria has also expressed interest in re-joining the Cardinals or Marlins.
Doesn’t make sense after signing Fontenot. We still have Burriss for backup.
I don’t see it happening. Just a rumor at this point. I’d still like to see the Giants pick up a solid outfield bat. Someone with pop. That and I really hope Panda turns it around. Divorce behind him, put some glasses (or goggles) on him and let’s get back to hitting .300+. As has been mentioned on KNBR numerous times, would we even be talking or hearing about Pablo’s weight if he hit .300+ last season? The answer is most likely no.
I don’t think we have room for anyone else…
Burrell
Torres
Ross
Rowand
Schierholtz
DeRosa
Huff
Huff will be at 1st. DeRosa has numerous question marks. Will be come back from his injury and perform at the level he has in the past. That and he will be 36 when the season starts. Schierholtz is a solid backup. Rowand is done and they need to find a way to unload him (wishful thinking). I’d like to see more than 14 HR’s and 69 RBI’s out of RF and Ross. Will Torress perform as he did last season? Or was it just a fluke having the best season of his career at 32 and entering the season at 33. Burrell was released and we basically found lightning in a bottle the way he turned it around after picking him up off waivers. Can he contribute solidly throughout the season or is he in the twilight of his career. We have quite a few question marks in the OF.
Huff may get some OF time this year if Brandon Belt is ready. I think we’ll have to see how he does in Fresno the first half of the season. But if he’s killing it at the All-Star break.
I hope they try to unload Rowand at the Winter Meetings. It would be worth eating majority of the contract to get rid of him.
Actually, I think we would have. The fact they were talking weight before last season and especially once his defense went south (hopefully that was also a result of his personal issues). As long as he works at it, I don’t have a real problem with him being overweight at 3rd (just don’t want him to keep gaining). Seems like a good guy so I’m hoping he can get all this behind him.
Im sure the Panda’s weight would still be a topic of discussion, but in the past it was more about his longevity and ability to stay at 3B. Following his mediocre 2010, his weight seems to be what some people are blaming his poor performance on. Defensive metrics don’t show Pablo to be horrible at 3B and most of his issues seem to stem from mental miscues rather than a lack of range because of his weight. If Pablo had hit 300+ last season, I highly doubt people would be all over him and his weight to the extent they are now.
I think we need a back up SS who can play some serious innings
I would like someone with less health concerns than Renteria – he would be an ideal back up infielder if Tejada wasn’t a 37 yr old SS
DeRosa, Fontenot and Burriss can all play SS…in fact, they can all play 2B as well…
I wouldn’t count on seeing DeRosa at SS. Fontenot hasn’t played much there either, has he? He was used mostly as a 2B/3B for the Cubs.
None of them play SS as well as Renteria
“Omar Visquel”…multi-gold glover, mentor, etc, 4a lot less $$$ too!!!
The good news about Tejada is that he’s always in great shape and never seems to get hurt (knocking on wood). So, in this case, for the right money, rent-w-wreck may work out.
Renteria’s listed age is 34. Is that something anyone believes or is it more like “34.” (wink wink)
Huff re-signed, Tejada signed, Reneteria next… all they need now is Troy Glaus for 3B and a time machine to take them back to 2003 and the Giants’ infield will be AWESOME.
…or back to 2010.
I don’t know if you guys noticed but in clinching our first two playoff spots (Division and Divisional Series) we got the Rally monkey off our backs: beating David Eckstein from the Pads and then Troy Glaus from the Braves.
I really don’t see this as being a good fit for Renteria anymore. If he does re-sign, it better be less than what Pat is getting.
The demand for even slightly substandard middle infielders who can play everyday is much higher than the demand for lead-footed sluggers who play poor defense at non-premium positions. Apples and oranges. Plus, Burrell’s deal was a sweetheart deal. Doesn’t make sense to start expecting those left and right.
Agreed but how often will we see Renteria out there. He was on the DL 3x last year and if the Giants re-sign him, it will just be a waste of a roster spot, just like our bench warmer Rowand
Hey! Rowland does a damn good job at warming that bench. Just ask Cain or Lincecum when they come back from the mound and Rowland has a seat all warmed up for them to sit down on. He’s vital to the team’s success. LOL
I have to admit that made me laugh.
rowland?
I bet they only use Renteria a couple times a week and everyday if they get to the post season again..
I think Pablo Sandoval is in the doghouse..Burriss Im not sure if the Giants are ready for him to be the starting SS..
They all might get playing time..especially if Edgar were to break down and if Sandoval slumps…
This might be reaching but they might trade Sandoval ( ? ) – it is a stretch but still…
Pablo Sandoval has lost 15 lbs this offseason already, so perhaps he’s finally taking his weight seriously.
Do you have a link for the last 5 lbs? I have seen 10 lbs before Thanksgiving but nothing since.
It was on Rotoworld today.
Thanks.
Last year they told him he needed “Plate Discipline” but they didn’t specify which plate!
A simple “like” would not suffice.. LOVED this!! ROTFLMAO!!
YAH, BUT HE CAN EASILY “PUT IT BACK ON & SOME” IN 10-15 MINS W/A VISIT OR 2 TP BUCA DE’ PEPO OR FARRELLS/CHEESECAKE FACTORY, WE’VE SEEN IT HAPPEN!
I wouldn’t mind Edgar coming back. You can never have enough experienced, battle tested middle infielders. Sandoval has weight issues, Sanchez has had injuries, same with DeRosa. This would give Bochy the depth and flexibility he thrives on, and he likes to go with the hot hand. It would also tax the veteran infield less and provide a good replacement when they are rested or hurt.
And, let’s not forget the influence Edgar had in the clubhouse chemistry. I don’t think you need a set lineup to be good; depth is more important than just having pinch hitters, especially with a set rotation and bullpen. Burriss could be a late inning guy but he doesn’t hit enough. This will also give the two young prospects more time to develop.
I do not understand bringing Fontenot back. He can’t play SS, despite what people think. He’s an average at best defensive 2b who proved he can’t hit well enough to hold an everyday job, and they have Freddy Sanchez. $1 million+ for a true bench guy who is a singles hitter makes no sense. They could have filled that role with a AAAA guy for the league minimum.
Fontenot is actually above average defensively at 2B. He’s not good at SS, but he’s a left handed bat that hits right handed pitching extremely well. When your starting 2B is often injured and hits lefties much better than righties it makes perfect sense to bring back a guy who is a very nice complement. There aren’t that many backup middle infielders still in their prime years available for roughly 1 mil and have a career OPS around .750.
Renteria makes sense for two reasons. One, the Giants are not confident Sandoval will return to form and want other options as they can option Pablo to the minors if he does not return to form. Two, the Giants are not confident that DeRosa will recover from his serguries to be an effective MLB player again. If both Sandoval and DeRosa do prove they belong on the MLB roster then look for the Giants to trade or release two of Rowand, Schierholtz, Fontenot, or Ishikawa. Renteria is correctly prefered over Fontenot as the backup SS because he can actually plan MLB quality defense at SS. The Giants also correctly recognize that neither Burriss nor Rohlinger are good options for a team trying to get back to the World Series.
By the way, Fontenot does still have options left as does Sandoval.
Come on…
What’s next, the Giants going to get Molina back?
It really goes to show how “perfect” the Giant’s 2010 season was. Everything that had to go right, did. Even the biggest Giants fan didn’t see it coming this soon. …I know I didn’t.
It’s like the pitching staff is The Hope Diamond and they are wrapping it up in last week’s newspaper.
John
“It’s like the pitching staff is The Hope Diamond and they are wrapping it up in last week’s newspaper.”
Good image. Fortunately it’s the sports page from one month ago and we all know what that looks like.
The most important element of the 2010 run was the complete absence of injuries from the main cogs in the pitching staff. Obviously they did just fine with Affeldt sidelined.
i wish the giants would have not signed fontenot. and instead tried to get Russell martin. he could back up posey while playing some third and second. then you get renteria to play 40-50 games a short. i think martin will be better if he played in about 100 games a year.
he has only limited play in 3rd and 2nd and even that small sample size is not impressive enough and also its hard to tell how the hip injury will impact his play why throw away money when you can kick the tires first before committing
The Giants don’t need a stinking bum like Martin.
Getting Fontenot doesn’t mean Martin’s out; we could still get him as a backup catcher, and give Posey either days off or starts at 1B against tough LHP (and give Huff a rest.) Huff did great against LHP last season, but in only 3 of his 10 seasons has his lefty-righty splits been within 30 points in OPS; for his career his OPS against RHP is .847 and against LHP is .757. And we certainly can’t keep running Buster out there at catcher as much as we did, or we’ll risk wearing him down like the Dodgers broke Martin.
It all depends on how much it’ll cost. If he’d take the same amount as Fontenot? No brainer.
Sandavol has lost 15 lbs and is a year removed from a good 2009 season. DeRosa may come back. You have Crawford coming up. You are filling the #8 position in the lineup with a 3b. You don’t need a superstar batting 8th. I think the Giants have enough options for the infield.
I like Rent on a 1-yr deal, for sure. He’s a good pinch-hitter that completes the R/L split with Fontenot on the bench. Sure, I’d like another above-average fielding/hitting MIF better than Edgar, but that player doesn’t exist outside of expensive trades. Izturis? Betancourt? Reyes? C’mon. Better to leave that to inseason tinkering anyways.
Anyone thinking the roster has a legit back-up SS on it as of now is fooling themselves. What with Brandon Crawford’s injury lat year, he should be back in AA, leaving Burriss in Fresno to hone his own injury-plagued rustiness (foot injuries take forever).
Losing Uribe is a big blow to the clubhouse too; bringing Rent in to bolster Miggy will complete that latin leadership, something the gringo element already has locked in with Thong & The Machine.
If Renteria comes back, then the 2010 World Champion Giants will have put their core team back together, with only one exception. Here’s looking at you, Uribe – enjoy life with the Blue Balls!
If Renteria comes back, then the 2010 World Champion Giants will have put their core team back together, with only one exception. Here’s looking at you, Uribe – enjoy life with the Blue Balls!
They are probably signing all these geezer infielders to put more pressure on Pablo to work hard. They should have just left him on an island and made him eat the same diet as the stick figure known as Eugenio Velez.
This is a little out there, but what would it take for the Giants to get Carlos Quinten? They could give up Derosa and prospects to make room for him.
You’re dreaming right? Or are you thinking Neal Huntington of the Pirates is now the ChiSox GM and he’s out giving away players to shed salary?
You misunderstood me. I just meant that if they acquired another outfielder that they would have to get rid of Derosa because they have so many outfielders right now. I was wondering what it would take to trade for Quinten because I think he would be a great addition
Hey, Gonzo is gone from the Pads. That means the 2011 Pads=no offense (worse than last year’s scratch for 2-3 runs/game)=waste of good pitching=no garland or young=high chance of no contention in the NL West. Go Giants! I hope we clinch playoffs in front of Uribe’s face swinging and missing from BWeezy.
Easy on Uribe. Do you really blame him for leaving? The Giants have always only given Uribe the minimum needed to keep him here. That’s not knocking the Giants as being cold, but it’s a business, and I don’t begrudge Uribe for treating it that way as well.We signed Uribe on a minor league deal; i.e. minimum salary. He goes and has a great year (his 2009 was far better than his 2010, in fact his best season since 2004) and we reward him with … a 1 year deal for $3M. This year we go right out and offer Huff $11M/yr for a multiyear contract. Uribe … not even close. Sanchez gets $8M/yr, Renteria got $8M/yr … but we won’t even go anywhere near until the Dodgers come calling with a $20M/3yr deal, and then reactively we’ll match that? Uribe asks for more and we tell him good luck, and the Dodgers up to $21M on the condition he accepts it quickly. Done deal.If you work for Wells Fargo making $35K/year, your boss has a stroke and you do his job and you’re doing the work of a guy making $200K/yr, and WF lowballs you cause the market sucks and gives you a raise to $70K/yr, and then after another year of loyalty and hard work WF still isn’t offering you a raise into 6 figures yet, until BofA across the street offers you $150K/yr. Would you even give your boss the chance to match or would you tell them to eff off and just walk across the street? Uribe tells WF he’d like to get $200K/yr but Wells replies that they’ll only match BofA’s $150K. BofA comes back and says we’ll give $160K and a company car, but you have to accept before Monday …I don’t blame Uribe. It’s business. Thanks for helping bring a championship to SF – something Barry, Will the Thrill, Matt Williams, Kent, Schmidt, Woody, Nenn, Lofton etc weren’t quite able to do. Good luck in the future — so long as the Giants remain on top of the division.