The Giants’ 2011 season ended at the end of September with a whimper, not a bang. All the injuries that we feared would catch up to us finally did. The losses of both Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez for the season were just too much to overcome. Also, the extended stays on the DL of Pablo Sandoval, Cody Ross, Pat Burrell, Brian Wilson and others did not help. And then, when you add in the down years of Aubrey Huff, Andres Torres and Ross it is a wonder that the 2011 Giants’ were a contender for as long as they were. They ended up just 4 games worse in 2011 than in 2010 in the regular season. Watching all the playoffs, including the World Series, just brings home the feeling that with the Giants’ pitching staff intact and healthy we should be able to return to the playoffs next year. This pre-supposes that we will get back a healthy Posey and Sanchez. If that doesn’t happen, we could be in trouble again! As Brian Sabean has said, the number one priority in the offseason is bringing back the pitching staff intact and dealing with some deserved raises. We are pretty much stuck with Barry Zito’s big contract and he is probably not going to be much better than in the mix for the 5th starter job along with Jonathan Sanchez. I would like to see the whole pitching staff return and I am hoping that Sabean can pull that off. He has made a start in the right direction by re-signing both Jeremy Affeldt and Javier Lopez. That basically takes care of the need for strong left-handed relief in the bullpen. Here is what I would like to see the pitching staff look like with probable salaries:
Zito – $19 million
Cain – $15 m
Lincecum – $15 m
Bumgarner – $.5 m
Vogelsong – $2 m
Sanchez – $4 m
Wilson – $8.5 m
Affeldt – $5 m
Lopez – $4.25 m
Romo – $2 m
Casilla – $2 m
Ramirez – $2 m
Mota – $1 m
Total – $88.25 million
I am making educated guesses on the arbitration salaries of a lot of these pitchers, so this number could be different after the arbitration process plays out. But, I think my guesses are pretty close to what will actually happen. As far as the everyday lineup goes, I would like to see the Giants’ continue to get younger and play some of their standout younger players: Posey, Sandoval, Schierholtz, Belt and Crawford. There is one key free agent, however, that needs to be added to the mix: Coco Crisp. The Giants’ need a much better option at both leadoff and center field than career minor leaguer Andres Torres. I think that Crisp is that guy, at least until Gary Brown is ready to be promoted to the majors. Crisp can probably be had for 2 years at $7 million per year. So, with that in mind, here is my everday lineup:
Crisp CF – $7 million
Sanchez 2B – $6 m
Sandoval 3B – $1 m
Posey C – $1 m
Huff 1B – $11 m
Schierholtz RF – $.75 m
Belt LF – $.5 m
Crawford SS – $.5 m
Total – $27.75 million
Yes, Brandon Crawford is my shortstop and I don’t care is he only hits .200. He will win at least a dozen games with his glove and our pitching staff deserves to have the best defense possible behind them. And, yes, I am giving Aubrey Huff one more chance to live up to his big contract. If he falters early again, then I am perfectly happy to let Brett Pill take a run at 1B. My backups to fill out the roster are:
Stewart C – $.5 million
Burriss IF/OF – $.5 m
Torres OF – $2 m
Keppinger IF – $2.5 m
Pill 1B – $.5 m
Total – $6 million
My roster for 2012 is now at just over $120 million, which is very slightly higher that 2011. As a season ticketholder, I think that I can speak for a lot of the fans at AT&T Park and say that we would welcome a younger version of the team than we had this past year. The above scenario will build a younger and more competitive lineup and give the Giants’ a better chance of keeping this great rotation together for the next few years.
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