Dickey: Giants would be better off without Sabean
By: Glenn Dickey
Special to The Examiner
September 18, 2009
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| Giants general manager Brian Sabean, right, and his trades — such as acquiring the injury-prone Freddy Sanchez — usually hurt the team in the long run. (ASSOCIATED PRESS) |
SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants’ wild-card run will probably save general manager Brian Sabean’s job, but he should be fired because he’s put together an unbalanced team that won’t make the playoffs this year or next.
Everybody knows the Giants need a big stick, but Sabean hasn’t been able to get one, either in free agency or his panicky trades in midseason, because he’s overpaid for veterans.
Four of the Giants’ position players are mistakes. In center field, Aaron Rowand got a five-year contract for $60 million before last season, apparently on the basis of his 2007 year in Philadelphia, where he hit .309 with 27 home runs while playing in a powerful lineup and with half a season in the Phillies’ bandbox park. In almost two full seasons in San Francisco, he’s hit the same number of home runs combined. Last year, he hit .271. This year, he’s hitting .265. And the Giants are stuck with him for another three seasons.
In 2005, Randy Winn came to the Giants from the Mariners and had the best half-season of his career, probably because he had switched leagues and the pitchers didn’t know him. Sabean signed him to a contract extension that was high enough to make him untradeable. Winn has been a solid outfielder and good hitter without the power you expect from a corner outfielder. He’s regressed seriously this year, so the Giants can finally lose that contract.
The middle of the infield is another problem. Sabean jumped at Edgar Renteria and signed him to a two-year contract at $18.5 million. A scouting report in midseason noted that Renteria was the worst starting shortstop in the league at going to his left, and he isn’t any better going to his right. He’s lost bat speed, too. A lifetime .290 hitter who hit .332 as recently as two years ago, he’s hitting just .250. He’s probably a year from retirement but he’ll take advantage of Sabean’s generosity next season.
Giants fans gave Freddy Sanchez a standing ovation when he finally took the field at AT&T Park. Perhaps they thought they were getting the player who hit .344 in 2006. Nope. They were getting a player whose all-out style is causing more frequent injuries. He missed 17 games last season and has played only 107 games this season, with 16 to go. He had a club option with Pittsburgh that would be triggered only if he exceeded 600 plate appearances, which he won’t, but you can expect Sabean to exercise that anyway.
It’s Sabean’s way. And then, we can watch the further deterioration of Sanchez, along with Renteria.
And let’s not forget the other great Sabean midseason trade — Ryan Garko.
Next year won’t be any better for the Giants. Bengie Molina, one veteran who isn’t overpaid, is on the last year of his contract, but he’s clearly nearing the end of his career. He’ll want a two-year contract to stay, but if he gets that, what happens to Buster Posey? He can’t be moved to first because Pablo Sandoval should stay there so he has a better chance of staying healthy. But bringing back veterans who are on their last legs has been Sabean’s pattern.
Not pretty, but Sabean has a way of ingratiating himself with the men running the club, so, he’ll probably be back. For Brian Sabean, nothing succeeds like failure.
Glenn Dickey has been covering Bay Area sports since 1963 and also writes on www.GlennDickey.com. E-mail him at glenndickey@hotmail.com.
