The deal that I was hoping for, fearing, excited about and apprehensive about has finally become official.
Due to my very professional blogger integrity I decided to put off any such commentary til the deal was done, but now it is finished. Carlos Beltran is a Giant and will play right field today and bat in the 3rd spot in the lineup.
The most interesting part of this deal, is how it affects this team. When looking at what we gave up, Zach Wheeler was our latest top pitching prospect, in the line of Sanchez, Cain, Lincecum and Bumgarner. However our previous success with top pitching prospects does not necessarily mean that Zach Wheeler is destined for greatness. In fact his 3.99 ERA in A+ San Jose is more an indicator of a prospect that may have been overvalued.
In addition to Wheeler, the Mets agreed to pay $4 million of Beltran's salary. So the Giants got a proven perenial hitter for a top pitching prospect that wouldn't help us for at least 2 years and 2.5 million dollars.
The other interesting thing that happened here is Brian Sabean's change of pace. Gone was the attitude of holding on to all our young arms for the future. The Giants have made a statement here that we want to win NOW. Sabean has referred to this as a "pitching window" which makes a lot of sense when you see the impending free agencies of Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum.
With the already humongous contract to Zito, how much more will Cain and Lincecum ask for? If we are to sign both pitchers, we may have to give up a few others. With the Giants winning games, and with our pitchers all in their prime, the time is now to make a move and try for another world series.
Injuries to Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez were a huge blow to this team, and yet the pitching staff has kept this team winning. Just like last year, if you can give the team just enough offense, maybe it will be enough to propel us through the playoffs once again.
The problem is that even with Beltran, I don't see this lineup producing enough unless we also get upgrades at shortstop and catcher. Sabean doesn't seem like he's done yet, and there may still be some hope of acquiring a catcher or shortstop with some power. The secret to the 2010 Giants lineup was power up and down the lineup. They may not have been the best hitters, but each and every one had the ability to go deep. This year not so much.
Tonight we get to see what the new offense can do against Kyle Kendrick. In our corner, is the long haired freak... Lets see if Timmy still has enough in the tank after battling the flu.
Laws of the Day
Carlos Beltran is now your offensive leader in every offensive category including home runs, doubles, RBI's and hitting the baseball out of the reach of the 2nd baseman... (hear that Aubrey?)
Giants are in win-mode.
ReplyDeleteLove that. Been waiting a while to hear that again!