Yardbarker: Aaron Rowand

Can Giant’s GM Brian Sabean Become an Iron Chef?

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:39:43 -0500

Brian Sabean’s off-season shopping list:

First baseman (with power)

Short-stop (who’s name is not an anagram for aged-rental)

Left fielder

Right fielder

Catcher

Oh, and pick up some milk, bread and maybe some of those frosted holiday cookies. And, one more thing. Could you take Aaron Rowand back? I left the receipt on the firdge, maybe you can get a partial refund or at least some sort of store credit? Thanks, Brian, call if you have any questions!

THE GIANTS’ KITCHEN is about as bare as the one you had in your first apartment. They’ve got a lot of Top Ramen (Travis Ishikawa, Fred Lewis, Eli Whiteside), an expensive frozen Ostrich steak their weird uncle sent them as a gift (Aaron Rowand), some old produce that’s turning into liquid before their very eyes in the crisper drawer (Edgar Renteria), and a case of PBR (Eugenio Velez, John Bowker, Kevin Frandsen, Nate Schierholtz). In other words, they’ve got food, but nothing you’d want to eat.

Chef Brian Sabean has stocked his cupboard with a dearth of offense, aside from a nice fillet of Panda.

It’s true, the Giants have a couple bottles of Cristal in their cellar (Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain) and their spice rack (bullpen) has enough to compliment the right plate. But if this were Top Chef , Padma Lakshmi would have the unenviable task of judging the Giants’ dish.

Since the 2002-2003 offseason when Sabean re-tooled the defending National League champs into a team that went on to win 100 games and the NL West, the GM has come up empty while doing his winter shopping.

Yet impressively, despite a menu that’s more Applebee’s than French Laundry , the 2009 Giants were in contention right up until the last two weeks of the season.

Their success was due, unequivocally, to their starting pitching and late relief. But, thanks to their inept offense, so much was asked of the pitching staff in the early going that it finally ran out of steam in September.

Lincecum’s ERA was 3.38 after Sept. 1, while fellow starters Jonathan Sanchez, Matt Cain, and Barry Zito allwed a combined 51 earned runs in 101 innings pitched (4.54 ERA) over the same time span. Not goo enough for a team that averaged just 4.05 runs per game in ‘09. Only Brad Penny had a September ERA under three, but in the single biggest game he started, Sept. 19th in Los Angeles, he coughed up seven earned runs in just 2.2 innings.

If the Giants can improve their lineup — something they’ve failed to do since 2003 — they stand an excellent chance of reaching the post-season.

The problem? Each season there is that elite class of free-agents — Mark Teixeira, Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodiguez, to name a recent few — but the Giants refuse to even attempt to attract this level of talent.

Thursday, during Tim Lincecum’s Cy Young Award press conference, Sabean said he has not contacted agents for Matt Holliday or Jason Bay, and does not expect to either.

To paraphrase Sabean, he said he refuses to be a “stalking horse” for any player who’s only using the Giants to get more money elsewhere, and that he will consider only free agents who have a genuine interest in relocating to China Basin.

The newly extended GM doubts neither Bay or Holliday have a genuine interest because the Yankees, Red Sox and other bigger-market teams will be pursuing them.

Yet, perhaps too optimistically, Sabean believes there is a solid crop of “second-tier” free-agents on the market.

Sabean is going to the grocery store in desperate need of some beef, yet he’s looking for it in the frozen dinner isle.

The possible second-tier free-agents the Giants may be considering are listed below:

Outfielders:

Rick Ankiel, Stl.

Rocco Baldelli, Bos.

Marlon Byrd, Tex.

Mike Cameron, Mil.

Coco Crisp, KC.

Jermaine Dye, CHWS.

Frank Catalanotto, Mil.

Vladimir Guerrero, LAA.

Erik Hinske, NYY.

Andrew Jones, Tex.

Hideki Matsui, NYY.

Xavier Nady, NYY.

Infielders:

Adrian Beltre, Sea.

Ronnie Belliard, LAD.

Russell Branyan, Sea.

Orlando Cabrera, Min.

Joe Crede, Min.

Carlos Delgado, NYM.

Pedro Feliz, Phi.

Mark DeRosa, Stl.

Troy Glaus, Stl.

Orlando Hudson, LAD.

Aubrey Huff, Det.

Nick Johnson, Fla.

Jim Thome, LAD.

Chad Tracy, AZ.

Juan Uribe, SF.

Catchers:

Bengie Molina, SF.

Jason Kendall, Mil.

Greg Zaun, TB

Ivan Rodriguez, Tex.

Yorvit Torrealba, Col.

This is not a complete list of available free-agents, and it doesn’t factor in any players the Giants could acquire via a trade (San Diego’s Adrian Gonzalez, por ejemplo). Also Chone Figgins, for instance, is not listed and though he is a notch below the likes of power-hitting Bay and Holliday, he will still likely command more money than the Giants are willing to pay.

There is no team in baseball with such a drastic disproportionate collection of talent — and this didn’t exactly sneak up on the Giants.

The saying is when you’re given lemons, make lemonade. And while the Giants have some delightful, sweet, organic, ripe lemons in their pitching staff, they seem reluctant to add a simple ingredient like water to make things work.

Help support Baseball Reflections and buy me a coffee with PayPal!

Offseason Fears, Vol. MCMVII

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:18:27 -0500

I'm almost okay with the Giants acquiring another second baseman and moving Freddy Sanchez to third. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to pay a bunch of money for a player whose worth is completely intertwined with his ability to play a good defensive second base, but at least I wouldn't have to wince when 75% of the infield came up to the plate. The idea doesn't make a lick of sense, but I could file it under "acceptable silliness" if the team is improved as ...

What the Hell Were You Thinking? Aaron Rowand Edition

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:00:00 -0500

*Over the next couple of weeks, Jorge Says No! will take an in depth look at some of the worst contracts in baseball. We'll evaluate why the player was signed, what went wrong, and future implications of the contract. Behind every bone head decision, there has to be a reason for it...right?*Why Sign Rowand: After the 2007 season, the Giants were in a state of flux. The team was coming off a terrible 2007 season where the team finished in last place and was one of the worst offensive teams...

Hypothetically Speaking: Would You Trade Kosuke Fukudome for Aaron Rowand?

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 07:05:00 -0500

This continues the series of hypothetical trades involving players with high salaries that would be consummated during the offseason. To view more of these trades, click here and here. Hypothetically speaking, let's say that the Cubs have determined that they need to trade the disappointing Kosuke Fukudome in order to acquire a legit center fielder. One of the Cubs' biggest weaknesses this season was that they had no center fielder. Milton Bradley, Alfonso Soriano, and Fukudome could ...

Today in Philly Sports History: Dykstra Breaks Collarbone for Second Time, 1991

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Before Aaron Rowand and Shane Victorino were running into walls for fly balls, the Phils had a center-fielder by the name of Lenny Dykstra with a propensity for going a little too all-out. Nails had already broken his collarbone once in the 1991 season, after getting into a car crash with Darren Daulton on the way home from John Kruk's bachelor party (a night that has since become firmly ensconced in Phillies lore), but as we all know, real Philly outfielders fail to learn from their mis...

Post-Game Thread: Giants Concede the Season

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:41:36 -0500

Liveblogging the end of the game.... 8:19: Runner on first, no one out, and Aaron Rowand strikes out on three pitches. Do I mail a check for those postseason tickets, or is there a way to use my debit card? 8:28: If Howry blows this -- hey, look, a rookie outfielder is due to hit fourth! -- I'm not even going to blame him. He's pitched well enough this year, and he's been a fine fourth bullpen option. On a normal team with a non-wretched offense, he'd be a quiet, un...

White Sox Interested In Rowand?

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 16:11:00 -0500

The White Sox reportedly have some interest in Giants outfielder Aaron Rowand. Rowand, who his hitting .290 with 2 HR in 31 at-bats this season, is a career .283 hitter. The White Sox are looking to add a center fielder after learning that DeWayne Wise separated his shoulder in the outfield. The Giants would have to take on a serious portion of his 44 million dollar contract to make this trade happen, and at this point the Giants may not be looking to trade their vetera outfielder.
This story was approved by MLB Rumors.

Thanks for that, but screw you.

Sun, 11 May 2008 05:24:58 -0500

I appreciate everything Aaron Rowand did for the Phillies. He brought grit and tenacity to the clubhouse, and put up some decent numbers while here only 2 seasons. "The Catch" is a story I'll be telling my son about in years to come. However, I bleed Phillies red and I could give less than two pinches of poop if he ever collects another hit in his career. All I know is that Gillick tried to re-sign Fence-Face to a shorter contract (believed to be 3 years) with substantial money ...

Aaron Rowand is an idiot...Here's Why

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 21:48:19 -0500

It's not about the money huh? This is a horrible move on Rowand part. Oh well, enjoy the cash.

Aaron Rowand Signs With San Francisco

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 20:58:19 -0500

As of now, he's pretty much the only offensive threat in that lineup.

Yankees Show Interest In Rowand

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 21:00:02 -0500

Lisa Kennelly and Ed Price of the Star-Ledger reports that the Yankees would have interest in signing CF Aaron Rowand if the team finds a suitor for Melky Cabrera.

Rowand to Test Free-Agent Market

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 15:44:37 -0500

Rowand made $4.35 million in 2007 and is reportedly seeking a 4-year deal that could be worth $10 million per season. He is coming off career-highs in just about every offensive category. His biggest impact, however, might be his presence in the clubhouse, where he was one of the most respected leaders on a Phillies team that made the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

Playing Tag Can Be Hazardous To Your Health

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 19:48:06 -0500

Aaron Rowand hurt his left shoulder playing Tag!!! I don't know about you, but if I got hurt like that, I'd be coming up with a different story.