Your 2010 SF Giants: It's Almost All About the Money, Baby

In the middle of their September 2009 battle for the National League Wild Card title, the San Francisco Giants have little time to ponder next season. But that unsolicited opportunity could come quickly in the next several weeks as the Giants arm wrestle Colorado and the Dodgers three more times with 21/2 games to make up in the Wild Card race. Oddly, San Francisco has a last gasp opportunity the final nine games of the season, when they meet the Arizona Diamondbacks five times, and the Chicago Cubs four times-- two teams expected to be in contention in their respective divisions throughout 2009, but who instead royally soiled themselves.No matter how the 2009 season ends, the San Francisco Giants' front office can look toward 2010 as a major salary savings year. Nine players currently collecting 2009 salaries totaling $38.5 million will be off the books at the close of this season, and that means serious payroll flexibility and positioning for 2010. While there are any number of young Giant players making somewhere around the $400,000 MLB minimum salary who may not be with the big team next year, these nine players made much more than that in their 2009 final salary year:-- Dave Roberts - $6.5 million (retired early this season)-- Randy Winn - $8.25 million-- Randy Johnson - $8 million-- Bengie Molina - $6.0 million-- Noah Lowry - $4.5 million ($6.25 million 2010 club option)-- Bobby Howry - $2.75 million-- Rich Aurilia - $1 million-- Juan Uribe - $1 million-- Dallas McPherson - $.5 millionEven though Molina, Uribe and Howry may be players the team is interested in resigning, that $38.5 million savings cuts a lot of family ties and makes the corner-office-with-a-view ballclub executives as happy as a right wing nutcase at a town hall meeting. But the Giants ownership might stop their collective giggling for a moment when they picture their average fan (plumber's crack showing, bending over to wipe up some spilled Chardonnay on their polished teak living room floor), actually expecting that new found money to be used to sign a legitimate Major League power hitter. Or two.Imagine the nerve of that sports-talk-show-calling riff-raff, I mean it's not like they shell out a lot of money to... well, ah, never mind.For the record, the riff-raff in the lower Field Box sections of AT&T Park were recently given a deadline by the Giants to pony up $2,925.00 per seat for 9 potential playoff tickets (which is reimbursed if the Giants don't make the playoffs, or are eliminated early). That would be on top of the $6,000+ cost for one 2009 Field Box season ticket.Anyway, where were we? Oh yeah, the $38 million in player salaries disappearing in 2010. Keep in mind, during the three years from 2005 to 2007, the San Francisco Giants' payroll averaged over $90 million per year. The 2009 payroll is $82.6 million. Now this is where I say, "So, you do the math", but heck, I'll do the damn math: that's $46 million less spent on player salaries between 2005 and 2010. And that's counting Barry Zito's flesh-eating contract!More importantly, the Giants have a number of very talented young pitchers and hitters in the minor leagues, several of whom may be ready to join the big club full time in 2010. So the bottom line is: the Giants organization has a great opportunity to construct a serious offensive powerhouse around some extremely talented pitching for many years to come.As I bend over to wipe up the rest of my expensive Chardonnay, the very prospect of the San Francisco Giants making the playoffs each of the next five years (just like during the late 1990s and early 2000s), transports me to my favorite happy place--AT&T Park in October.