Deadline Deals: The Ranter's Take

The Dodgers' series will get the full rant once it's done. First I'd like to take a moment to sound off on the Giants' moves as the non-waiver deadline came and went. They actions taken by the Giants front office said a lot about the team, how it values players, and what we can expect from this organization moving forward.

In short, they don't have the first damn clue.

Several things are evident. First, there is no plan. Second, the Giants are hopelessly enamored with small sample sizes. And third, they think pitching is the beat all end all and are utterly convinced they can keep on pulling 2-1 wins out of their collective backsides.

To be sure, the Giants needed relief help. It stands to reason that the acquisitions of Javier Lopez from Pittsburgh and Ramon Martinez from the BoSox help the pen, if for no other reason than two of the clowns now on the roster should be forced to pack their bags -- although if Sabean could field a team with 25 pitchers he'd most certainly do so. But let's be honest, the Giants just dumped arguably their best minor league stick and two hurlers for a pair of situational guys with VERY average career stats. This was a "we gotta do something" move and not a "these are the difference makers" type of trade.

Which brings me to sample size. In two of the three games leading up to the deadline, the Giants scored runs but saw the bullpen implode. So, in true Saban fashion, the decision was made that the offense was just fine, thank you very much, but we need pitchers. Typical. Again we see a glaring weakness ignored.

Clearly the Giants are unable to get anything of real value in trade. That being said, you have to ask: is it because Sabean is inept or because no one thinks much of what he has to offer? Proably a bit of both, but the actions taken certainly ask one to question the value of Giants "prospects."  Follow the bouncing ball.

The Giants deal John Bowker, who beat out Nate Scheirholtz for the opening day right field job when Nate had the audacity to go three consecutive ABs in spring training without driving something from Scottsdale to Tucson on the fly. That was enough for the Giants to bench one guy and pronounce another the cure. Of course, when Bowker struggled  he suddenly wasn't the popular blonde and got shipped back to Fresno in favor of Andres Torres. When Rowand struggled, Torres moved to center and Rowand esssentially lost his job to the combo of waiver wire parolee Pat Burrell and Buster Posey, with Huff moving to the outfield.

With me so far?

Now Bengie Molina, who never should have been signed, gets mercifully dealt. Posey goes behind the dish, the Giants start playing five-man roulette with the outfield, and first base ends up a combination of Huff, Posey, Ishikawa and Sandoval. Finally, less than four months after the Giants pronounced Bowker to be "the guy," he gets traded for a rosin bag, and to sweeten the deal the Giants had to give up a hurler that they had pronounced the next big thing in 2009.

You can't make this stuff up. They gotta be crafting decsions based on a combination of Ouja Boards, Tarot cards, a voodoo preistess' reading of chicken entrails, and something of an herbal nature borrowed from Tommy Chong. Trying to connect the dots is like trying to make sense of a Rorschak test as interpreted by Picasso.

The Padres and Dodgers both made upgrades at the deadline. Why not the Giants? Perhaps because opposing GMs don't place any value on what the Giants have to offer -- a stunning indictment of both the farm system and the collective efforts of the Giants' player evaluation department.

Apparently the Giants are the only organization who believe these guys are worth more than day-old bread. Others look at the cupboard and find very few attractive morsels. As the Giants continue to talk out of both sides of their mouths -- telling fans how good Player X is going to be only to later dump him as low grade dog food -- they destroy any credibility they might have had.

Ford spent a lot of time telling people how wonderful the Pinto was, but shoppers quit buying when they started blowing up. Same with Giants prospects. Someone might take one in trade for a used Maverick with an exhaust leak, but if you're looking for value towards a quality purchase you will be disappointed. You might get enough to buy one of those pine tree air fresheners.

Did the Giants need to bolster the pen? Yes, but that was one of many needs. Last I looked, the name of the game was to score more runs than the other guy. To do that, you do actually have to score. The Giants don't do so consistently.

This all comes down to the Giants total refusal to deal established pitching. If they're so good at developing arms, why zealously hold onto mediocre talents like Jonathan Sanchez? Across the Bay, Billy Beane has made a career out of buying low and selling high. If dealing Sanchez would fill a hole, that's where his real value lies.

There were winners and losers at the deadline. In a three-team race, two got significantly better. The third wears orange and black.