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Vintage formula still works in San Fran: the Giants are so old, trainer Stan Conte might turn out be team MVP. But decrepit or not, the Cane Gang still rates as the favorite in the N.L. West

Sporting News, The, Jan 28, 2005 by Ken Rosenthal

The Giants' first pick in last year's amateur draft wasn't until No. 70. Their first pick this year will be no higher than No. 112. If ever a franchise were justified in forfeiting draft picks for free agents, it would be one that is trying to win a World Series before Barry Bonds retires. If ever a franchise deserved the benefit of the doubt when its future appeared tenuous, it would be one that has averaged 92 victories over the past eight seasons.

The Giants do it their way, and this offseason has been no different. General manager Brian Sabean has taken an old team and made it even older. But believe owner Peter Magowan when he says, "This is as good a team as we've had in the 12 years I've been here." Never mind that several Giants might qualify for Social Security checks in addition to postseason shares. The future can wait.

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Say hello to the newest members of the Cane Gang: Right fielder Moises Alou, 38, is a career .312 lifetime hitter with runners in scoring position; Omar Vizquel, 37, might be the Giants' best shortstop since Chris Speier, an All-Star in the early 1970s; closer Armando Benitez, 32, had a 1.29 ERA last season, nearly a full run per game lower than Eric Gagne's; and Mike Matheny, 34, is a three-time Gold Glove catcher who made the most positive first impression that Giants assistant general manager Ned Colletti could remember upon meeting a player.

Sabermetricians point to Matheny's career .293 on-base percentage and scoff at his three-year, $10.5 million contract, but Matheny's likely impact on the Giants' young pitchers can't be measured. Others cringe at a Giants lineup with an average age of 36, but Alou appeared in 155 games last season and Vizquel in 148. Bonds led the Giants with 147.

The bench includes outfielder Michael Tucker, shortstop Deivi Cruz and infielder/outfielder Pedro Feliz, each of whom started at least 95 games last season for a Giants team that contended until the final weekend. The rotation, seventh in the N.L. in ERA last year, returns intact. The bullpen is deep on both sides, and the Giants still might add another reliever.

The cast largely will be the same in 2006, only--gasp, wheeze, cough--a year older; the Giants already have approximately $66 million committed to 20 players, and their payroll likely will be in the same $80 million range. In '07, the team's obligations dwindle to approximately $14 million for three players--Vizquel, Benitez and Matheny. At some point, the Giants will need an influx of young talent, or they might crash and burn.

Magowan points out that the Giants can sign a free agent for the price of a first-round pick. The team, because of its success, routinely drafts late in the first round, anyway. However, five of the Giants' best young pitchers--Brad Hennessey, Noah Lowry, Matt Cain, David Aardsma and Jerome Williams--were selected between picks Nos. 21 and 39. Good players are available later, hut the best ones usually come early. Steve Waiters, a professor of economics at Loyola (Md.) College, says the money invested in draft bonuses, although high risk, offers a higher return than the investment in virtually every other form of player acquisition.

Yet, what are the Giants supposed to do, play for tomorrow when they have Bonds, the game's greatest offensive force, for perhaps only two more seasons? Such an approach would be unduly cautious for a franchise that never has won a World Series in San Francisco. And though the future is daunting--the team needs to keep drawing so Magowan can pay the debt on privately financed SBC Park--the Giants always figure out a way to compete.

Care to bet against 'em? See the past eight seasons.

speed reads

Carlos Beltran will face the wrath of New York if he continues his career pattern of slow starts. Beltran's .263 average in April is his lowest for any month, and his .274 average in Hay is second. Signing Carlos Delgado, although not without risk, would give Beltran lineup protection and deflect media attention.

Even if the Astros are justified in complaining about Scott Boras' handling of the Beltran negotiations, they have no one to blame but themselves for yielding control of their offseason to the agent. The Astros should have set a mid-December deadline for signing Beltran, then moved on.

The Orioles ought to be embarrassed for blaming their listless offseason on their lack of an agreement with HLB over the Nationals' relocation to Washington, D.C. One, they know the approximate payoff for an eventual agreement. Two, they made substantial offers to several free agents. Three. nothing prevented their front office from pursuing creative solutions.

INSIDE DISH

Vintage formula still works in San Fran: the Giants are so old, trainer Stan Conte might turn out be team MVP. But decrepit or not, the Cane Gang still rates as the favorite in the N.L. West

Sporting News, The, Jan 28, 2005 by Ken Rosenthal

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