Looking Ahead to a Giant Offseason

The 2007-08 offseason for the San Francisco Giants was not flashy by any means whatsoever. With Aaron Rowand as their only notable acquisition, the team seemed to be making it clear to the fans that the upcoming season would be a showcase for their prospects.

Spring training was a harrowing experience to follow - Barry Zito struggled heavily, Noah Lowry walked nine in a game and revealed an arm injury, Kevin Frandsen had a season-ending injury as well, and no one seemed to be swinging the bat very well at all. Even though the Giants finished the 2008 season a meek 72-90, many fans were pleasantly surprised with the competitiveness and heart that the team showed.In their first season without slugger Barry Bonds, the Giants actually improved their record (which was a disappointing 71-91 the year before).

Without a doubt, the "rebuilding year" that was 2008 revealed exciting young players such as Fred Lewis, Emmanuel Burriss, John Bowker, and Pablo Sandoval, thus building a sense of excitement for how good the team could potentially be in 2009. With the National League West seeming to be consistently up for grabs year after year, the Giants are entering one of the most important offseasons in over a decade - buckle up and hold on tight!

Brian Sabean has to have a chip on his shoulder by now. The 2003 Executive of the Year, Sabean recently landed an extension through the 2009 season despite the recent criticism he received for overpaying Barry Zito. Could there be a better opportunity for Sabean to shake things up and show that he still deserves his job? Let's take a look at the areas that need to be covered and what areas should be left untouched:

Pitching:

The Giants are primed to have one of the best starting rotations in the league next year. It  depends largely on Noah Lowry's successful return and whether or not Jonathan Sanchez can regain his composure. Picture this rotation: Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito, Matt Cain, Noah Lowry, and Jonathan Sanchez (I throw Zito before Cain only to mix the righties with the lefties). Brian Wilson surpassed expectations as the closer and cemented his role in that position. As for everything in between, Sabean has his work cut out for himself. Sergio Romo, Keiichi Yabu, and Alex Hinshaw were all bright spots, but lefty-specialist Jack Taschner seemed overpitched and Tyler Walker was just plain terrible. Assuming Romo gets the set-up spot he deserves and Hinshaw takes over the role as the number one lefty in the 'pen, Sabean is going to have to find some long-relief arms that will smoothen out the gap between the starter and the closer. Some potential good moves would be bringing in such free agents as Juan Cruz (who was simply dominant for Arizona) and even former Giant Scott Eyre.

Hitting:

Basically, the Giants didn't hit any homeruns at all this year. Don't get me wrong; I love Bengie Molina, but he should never be the biggest threat in your lineup. But what real holes can be filled without trading away current starters?

Ponder it for a moment: the Giants have their outfield locked up (at least for now) with Rowand, Winn, and Lewis. Burriss should platoon either 2B or SS, Sandoval either 3B or 1B, and Molina catching. If Burriss took over as the full-time 2B, the Giants could pursue the likes of Orlando Cabrera, Rafael Furcal, Edgar Renteria, or David Eckstein. Mark Teixeira is out there as well, and if the Giants were to lock him up for a long-term deal (moving Sandoval to 3B), then they would have bought themselves about 3 or 4 years of division titles.

But maybe Sabean will want to look elsewhere for deals. ESPN's Peter Gammons started the swirling rumors about a Matt Cain for Prince Fielder deal that would certainly shake both teams up, but leave the Giants without a future star pitcher. Personally, I would like to see the Giants cut a deal with Colorado for Matt Holliday. I would give up Jonathan Sanchez, Fred Lewis, and minor league prospects for Holliday, who has the potential to win multiple MVPs in his career (he's hit over .320 each of the last three seasons, hitting .340 in 2007). Either that, or Sabean would have to ship Winn somewhere to make room in that packed outfield. Regardless of the decisions made this upcoming offseason, there are so many different paths to take that could instantly boost what was a lack-luster offense this past season.

Hopefully after reading this, more of you will get excited about what could be an amazing offseason for the Giants. I think Sabean has plenty of tricks up his sleeve and 2009 will be the start of a new era in San Francisco Giants baseball.

-MM

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