5 Things SF Giants GM Brian Sabean Should NOT Do in 2011
The 2011 San Francisco Giants, like every other club in baseball, have evident flaws. To fix them, G.M. Brian Sabean faces a number of daunting questions:
Should he give up any of his prized minor league prospects to land a position player?
Should he cut his losses and part ways with underperforming free-agent acquisitions?
Can he (and should he) make a serious play for Mets SS Jose Reyes?
Here are five things Sabean should avoid as he positions the '11 Giants for another postseason run.
Don't Deal Wheeler
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Wheeler, selected in the first-round amateur draft by the Giants in 2009 out of high school, is the club's next potential rotation addition. And he's got enormous upside. In his second year in Class A ball, he is 3-1 with a 3.66 ERA, 41 strike outs and only 13 walks in 32 innings.
With Barry Zito's salary coming off the books in two seasons, Wheeler could enter the 2014 season as the fifth leg in an entirely homegrown starting rotation. Imagine: Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez, Bumgarner and Wheeler. All 30 or younger. Reminds you of the mid-60s Orioles rotation of Palmer, Cuellar, McNally and Dobson, each of whom won 20 games.
Brian Sabean has mastered the art of pumping up pitching prospects, then trading them mid-year to suckers—er, other GM's—for valuable roster additions (just ask the Pittsburgh Pirates).
Remember Kurt Ainsworth? Jason Grilli? Neither do I.
Wheeler is too good, with too much upside, to deal.
Don't Trade for Jose Reyes
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The Mets shortstop reminds me of the rich-looking desserts at a dinner buffet. Impressive at first glance—a few even mouth-watering. But once you get there and take a closer look, far less appetizing.
Could Reyes improve the Giants' top-of-the-order offense? You'd think so; he's a career .287 hitter who between 2005 and 2008 led the NL in hits (once), triples and stolen bases (three times apiece) and was a model of durability (playing 153 or more games each year).
But look closer: his career on-base percentage is mediocre (.336); he's impatient (averaging 51 walks a year; Andres Torres had 56 last season); wouldn't be a defensive upgrade (career fielding percentage is .975; Miguel Tejada's is .974)
Since 2009, he's missed more than a full season's worth of games to various injuries. Just what the Giants need: another guy for the training staff to obsess over.
Considering what the Mets would demand in return, Reyes' status as a free agent at season's end, and other, cheaper SS options, Sabean should take a pass here.
Don't Hold Brandon Belt Back in the Minors
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Belt is the Giants' next homegrown star-in-waiting. He has the athleticism to play multiple positions, and a swing that is tailor-made for AT&T Park's wide outfield gaps.
His slow start with the big club in April shouldn't be an excuse for holding him down at AAA, where he is dominating (.387 BA) and can't learn how to handle big-league pitching or the stress of daily life in the majors.
This is a somewhat more difficult call for Sabean than it might seem; manager Bruce Bochy has a clear, long-established preference for playing veterans over youth. The Giants roster is cluttered with veteran outfielders with limited skills or contracts that would be difficult to move.
Don't forget that Buster Posey didn't join the big club last year until late May; he wound up the NL Rookie of the Year. Belt might not win that award, but Sabean needs to bring Belt back, soon, and ensure that he plays regularly.
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Don't Let Sentiment Influence Tough Roster Choices
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The Giants are carrying six outfielders, four with legitimate two-way skills: Cody Ross, Andres Torres, Aaron Rowand (who has rebounded after a dismal 2010 and is also impossible to move contractually) and Nate Schierholtz.
The others are single-dimensional. Darren Ford can run and catch but isn't proven at the plate. Pat Burrell has some power and is a smart outfielder (and solid clubhouse presence), but is a low-average hitter with limited defensive range.
Brandon Belt should be recalled in the near future. He's likely to play LF. That means one current outfielder has to go. Nate Schierholtz is perhaps the club's best trade bait, but deals aren't likely this early in the season.
That leaves the highly popular Burrell. This won't be an easy call for Sabean, who is likely to get push-back from Bochy, but ask yourself: is the team better off over the long haul with Burrell or Darren Ford? To me, it's Ford. Burrell ought to be released. If Schierholtz is traded later, Burrell could be brought back.
Don't Let Your Manager's Preference for Vets Overrule Your Common Sense
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I like and respect Bruce Bochy. I really do. (not that he cares, or should)
The man guided the Giants to their first World Series title in San Francisco history. He has more than demonstrated his chops as a guy who can manage big-league egos, keep his players motivated, deftly manage his bullpen, and navigate conflict.
But his loyalty to veteran players—a beneficial attribute for the Giant clubs he's managed in the past—represents a potential liability as the organization continues to produce homegrown top-flight pitchers and finally is developing promising position players.
Bochy didn't choose to sign Barry Zito five years ago (nor, for that matter, did Brian Sabean; that was an ownership move). But he was stuck with him and has sent him out every fifth day since, mostly because he had no real alternative. It'll be fascinating to see what happens when (if?) Zito returns.
Bochy also didn't sign Pat Burrell or Aaron Rowand or Miguel Tejada or Mark Derosa. But he has played Tejada past the point that it seemed he should have been benched (especially before the Sandoval injury, when he had additional roster flexibility).
And he stuck with Burrell in last year's World Series (0-13, 11 strikeouts, remember?) while Nate Schierholtz (three games, five plate appearances) and Aaron Rowand (two, four) pretty much languished.
Hey, the team won it all. This may sound like carping. But something tells me Bochy will need to be pushed to go younger. And Sabean should do just that.
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