Reaction to Melky Cabrera

     I had heard the rumors a few weeks ago, but once quelled, I pushed them to the back of my mind. I didn't worry or think about it at all. Until yesterday. The updates came through on my cell phone that Melky Cabrera had been suspended for testing positive for a banned substance. Effective immediately. He'll be out for fifty games. The Giants have forty-five left. The Melkman is done in San Francisco for the 2012 regular season. There are so many ways that this affects the entire organization and the fan base. People will be angry, some will be sad, and some will be defiant and still root for their Melkman. But the many problems are there. I know that I am one of the angry ones, for a few reasons.

I am angry for the fan base, and the betrayal they feel. Unlike Barry Bonds, another steroid-linked Giants left fielder, Melky Cabrera seemed like a very nice guy. He was always friendly to the reporters and the fans. His carefree manner and attitude earned him the love and respect of the fans. He had the Melkmen, who showed up in their old-fashioned milkman uniforms to support him. We all saw him tie the Giants hit record for a single month. Voted for him to be in the All-Star game. Watched the touching moment when he received his All-Star MVP Award with his mom and grandma on the field with him. We went through the joy of all of these moments, only to find that it was all a fraud. As a fan, I felt cheated. I was there when Melky tied the hits record for a single month (I have the ticket stub and newspaper article on display). I cast at least a thousand All-Star votes for him. I made my "Got Melk?" sign to take to the ballpark. And now he's gone, having made a selfish decision to take a substance for personal achievements. A substance that he knew could get him suspended, resulting in a huge loss for the team. But he cheated anyway.

As angry as I am for what Melky did to the fans, what he did to his teammates and the organization makes me even more angry. The Giants have now been counting on Melky. He and Buster were the offensive forces that carried the lineup. They needed production from every one of their players to reach the postseason. They needed to do it as a team and Melky has hurt the team's chances of doing that because he made a decision to use a substance for individual performance. Now the team has to regroup from losing one of their best players, as well as losing an essential clubhouse presence. There are people in that clubhouse that deserve to be playoff contenders. Buster Posey. Matt Cain. Ryan Vogelsong. Brandon Belt. The list goes on. But Melky betrayed them.

Not only has he let down his teammates, but he has caused the organization to regress in its efforts to eliminate the steroids rap it gets. They had several players involved in the BALCO scandal, most notably Barry Bonds. Jose Guillen and Miguel Tejada were linked in the Mitchell Report and they signed reliever Guillermo Mota, who received a fifty game suspension in 2005. After the 2010 Championship, though, the Giants looked ready to move past that. But Mota received another suspension this year and is now joined by Melky Cabrera. This makes the organization look bad, even though the core of their team is not involved in any steroid suspicion.

Perhaps the most infuriating thing about Melky's suspension is something that hasn't been talked about as much.  Most people are primarily upset for the reasons above, as well they should be, but what makes me so irate is how Melky made Andrew Baggarly (reporter and Jeopardy! extraordinaire) look bad. About three weeks before his suspension was officially announced, Baggarly had heard rumors that Melky had tested positive for PEDs, so he went to ask Melky about it. Melky informed Baggarly that he and his agent had heard NOTHING about this. He told Baggarly that he had absolutely no idea where the rumors came from and that Dodgers fans could have even made them up as a distraction. Baggarly is one of the best in the business and said that bringing that question to Melky was poor journalism since he had no basis to the rumors. He felt terrible about it and even went on to write an incredibly long and sincere apology to Melky. Melky's comments seemed perfectly believable at the time, until I found yesterday that the day Baggarly asked Melky the question, Melky was in the middle of his appeals process. It's perfectly acceptable to not tell the reporter what is going on. But to make excuses up as to where the rumor came from? That seemed pretty low to me. Baggarly put his reputation on the line for the fans inquiring and Melky made him look bad. As it turns out, Baggs was asking a very reasonable question, one that Melky could have handled better.

(*Even after Baggarly heard the news of Cabrera's suspension, he stood by his apology, saying it was the right thing to do. He still says that is was poor journalism on his part. I think this incident shows who had the better character...)

Melky Cabrera's suspension will handicap the Giants, both in their on-field production and their morale. Team leader Buster Posey has already spoken up, saying, "We have to approach the rest of the year with a chip on our shoulders. I'm happy with the guys we've got here." (reported by Alex Pavlovic via Twitter). It's important that the Giants focus on that for the rest of the season and not the cloud of doom that has started to cast a shadow on them. They need to use this as a chance to unify the team. It's now going to take production and contributions from everyone if they want a shot to reach the postseason. A postseason berth that is now making itself harder and harder to obtain.

Picture of the Week- 2/26/12



And Molina gets it right in the face...where he deserves it.

I said I would post a picture of this and I don't lie, so here you go. I'm not sure why he decided to use that as his stance. They say if a guy is comfortable with it, just leave him alone. But this stance OBVIOUSLY doesn't work. Unless he's trying to go for the distraction effect. Try and make all of the fielders feel like they have to go to the bathroom...

Random Rants

As we kick off Spring Training, I have several thoughts floating around in my head. Some are baseball relevant. Some are not. But I felt like sharing them, anyway.

-Brian Wilson needs to shave the beard. In 2010, he said that he was going to grow a beard and not shave it until the Giants lost and went home. Well, they lost and went home in 2011. But I still see a beard and I think the thing is cursed now. Walking into Scottsdale Stadium with it still on was a bad, bad, bad idea. Vogelsong strained his back and is out for around 10 days...Charlie Culberson dropped a weight on his finger and broke it...Vogelsong was sent home sick today...I just have a really bad feeling about this.

-Jeremy Affeldt's hand is completly healed from his ridiculous frozen burger patty accident. Why would you ever think it was okay to cut something in your hand? We'll be okay this year. Matt Cain was kind enough to buy Affeldt a Slice-o-Matic.

Timmy has some pretty awesome shades.

-Is it just me, or did Vogelsong lose some hair in the offseason? I was watching the Town Hall Meeting video and Vogey seemed just a little thinner on top.

-For 2012, it would be only fitting for Buster Posey to use Phillip Phillips as his walkup music. Both are from Leesburg, Georgia. It's a very small town, so it's pretty rare that two super talented people can come from there. But if Buster uses him for his walkup music, I want to see Phillip Phillips give Buster some credit, too! Like wearing a Posey jersey one day.

Picture of the Week- 2/19/12

No comment. There's not much you can say to that.

Thank You, Brian Sabean!

Dear Brian Sabean,

      I want to tell you how thankful (and relieved) I am. Worries were creeping over me that you were going to have to battle for Timmy's contract before an arbitrater. And let me tell you, that would be dis-as-trous. Need me to spell that? D-I-S-A-S-T-R-O-U-S. You would have to list the reasons why you feel Timmy doesn't deserve the contract he actually deserves and you would have to say those in front of Mr. Lincecum. And something tells me he wouldn't be too happy to hear that from his team. Which means he would express his displeasure when he hits free agency by leaving.
But, for once, you made a very educated decision with that small brain of yours. You signed Timmy to a two-year contract, eating up his last two arbitration years. For that, I thank you.
Now, you need to use that kind of brain power ALL OF THE TIME! Think of how incredibly dominant we could be if you did that. Stellar on the field and in the front office. So I expect more of this from you in the future, Mr. Sabean.

Until next time,
Mady

Picure of the Week- 1/15/12

It's almost time for Spring Training! It's been too long without baseball and waaaaaayyy too long without Buster. Pitchers and catchers report on Febuary 18th and everybody else arrives on the 23rd.

Classroom Boredom: Falling Stars and Predictions

In a few previous posts I had talked about my version of the Giants' 25-man roster for the upcoming season, as well as how they should manage Barry Zito. I had come up with all of that after my health exam because I was so bored. The last few days of physical science have been pretty brutal. Physics is not the most interesting topic, (although it beats the heck out of cells, which is what we're doing in biology) so while I was taking notes, I also came up with a "Falling Stars Team". My dad inspired me to make the list when we were watching the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars Game. He commented that they should have a Falling Stars Team and that Barry Zito should be the starter. So with my mind wondering from velocity and average speed calculations, I produced this.

 

"Falling Stars Team"

(as of 2011 rosters)

C- Jorge Posada

1B- Todd Helton

2B-Chase Utley

3B- Alex Roderiguez

SS- Miguel Tejada

LF- Pat Burrell

CF- Carlos Beltran

RF- Ichiro

SP- Barry Zito

Manager: Tony LaRussa

General Manager: Brian Sabean

Honorable Mention: Bruce Bochy

There may be some arguments there, mainly with Tony LaRussa and Chase Utley. But I feel that Chase Utley is declining in his production. I also believe very strongly that Tony LaRussa is NOT a good manager. His poorly managed Game 5 in the most recent World Series is a perfect example of this. He makes moves to be "intelligent", but he's really just being dumb. He can't pronounce his own players' names correctly and watching a media session with him is absolutely brutal. Unless, of course, you hate him, like me. Then they're very enjoyable to watch.

So a few days after I created my Falling Stars team, it was lecture day again. And it was super boring. Again. So in the margins (when I wasn't taking notes. I still payed attention to the lesson. Don't worry!) I listed my division standing predictions for 2012, along with the two Wild Card winners (assuming that starts this season) and my picks for the AL, NL, and World Series Champions.

AL East

1. Rays

2. Yankees

3. Blue Jays

4. Red Sox

5. Orioles

AL Central

1. Tigers

2. Royals

3. Indians

4. Twins

5. White Sox

AL West

1. Rangers

2. Angels

3. Mariners

4. A's

Wild Card

1. Yankees

2. Angels

Champions: Angels

NL East

1. Phillies

2. Marlins

3. Braves

4. Nationals

5. Mets

NL Central

1. Reds

2. Brewers

3. Cardinals

4. Pirates

5. Cubs

6. Astros

NL West

1. Giants

2. Dodgers

3. Diamondbacks

4. Rockies

5. Padres

Wild Card

1. Marlins

2. Dodgers

Champions: Giants

World Series Champions: Giants

*I, as the creator and the writer of this blog, reserve to right to edit the standings of the NL East if Prince Fielder goes to the Nationals.

Picture of the Week: 1-1-12



UPDATED







Aaron Rowand even said that he's probably the only baseball player to ever break his face twice.

I was also reading an article on Bleacher Report (MLB Power Rankings: 23 Quirkiest Batting Stances in Baseball). Rowand's stance was ranked number two, for obvious reasons. The reporter had this to say about his stance:

"Every time I see Rowand come to the plate, I find myself checking to see if he brought the newspaper and some toilet paper along with him.
He definitely appears to be unloading something—and it sure as heck isn't the baseball."

Couldn't have said it better myself.

New Year's Resolutions

The holidays are over and it's time for the Giants to get down to business. They still have a bit more work to do before they all head out to Arizona in a month and a half. However, just because Christmas and New Year's Day have come and gone doesn't mean it's too late for them to make some resolutions!

Brian Sabean, Larry Baer, and Bobby Evan's Resolutions for 2012

1. Get Cain locked up before he goes to Arizona

Cain is the unheralded ace of the Giants' staff and it would be disastrous if he were ever allowed to reach free agency. He would be a number one starter almost anywhere else and teams can lure him in with promises of big bucks and big bats. The Giants cannot let that happen. When Albert Pujols went to the Angels, we all saw what happens if you don't lock up your stars.

2. Do Not Panic About Linceum

At some point, the Giants are going to need to lock up Lincecum, as well. They have time to do this, though, as Lincecum does not reach free agency until after the 2013 season. People are starting to panic because there are reports that Lincecum contract talks aren't getting anywhere right now. They say that the Giants don't have the money Lincecum wants and aren't willing to give the years that Lincecum wants. Some reporters are even saying that trading Lincecum now, while he's at top value, is the way to go. Everybody just needs to stop and take a DEEEEEEEEEP breath. The money will be there by the time Linceum reaches free agency. Rowand comes off after 2012 and Zito can be bought out after 2013. Trading is a bad, bad idea, too. I can just see Brian Sabean's mouth watering at the thought of how many AARP-eligible players he can get for Lincecum. The contract will come eventually and people should be encouraged that talks are already starting.

3. Do Not Stomp on Poor Brandon Belt's Morale Anymore!

Poor Brandon Belt. After the 2011 season, he could probably make the drive from Fresno to San Francisco with his eyes closed. He was sent up and down and up and down and up and down some more. He must have been confused as heck, too. He got sent down on his birthday and was told that he'd have a spot next time he came up. So when Buster gets hurt, he comes back up. Then he gets hurt, so they send him down to Fresno for a rehab assignment and just decide to keep him there. When they finally bring him back up again, he plays in a game against the Dodgers and hits a monster home run over the right field wall (not easy to do in AT&T).  Later, with the game on the line, he hits the game-winning, go-ahead double and knocks in two runs. So, naturally, the next day he started. WRONG! He got to sit on the bench for the next few weeks, relieved Aubrey Huff for two days at the end of July, sat the bench some more, and then was sent back down to Fresno. What a nice reward. He was finally called back up just before roster expansion and did a nice job. He had a very impressive two-homer game against the Marlins which showed that he has promising power. The only way he'll become consistent, though, is if he's allowed to stay in the lineup. Permanently.

4. Do Not Sign/Trade for Any 35+ Year-Old Dinosaurs

Just don't do it. It's that easy.

Gary Brown: What He Could Bring to the Giants

Gary Brown was the Giants' first round pick in the 2010 Amateur Player Draft, coming out of Cal State Fullerton. He's a very good defensive center fielder, and hits for average as well. He was named Class A Advanced Best Hitter in 2011, hitting .336 with an OPB of .407. His speed is what seperates him from the other prospects, though. He stole 53 bases and had 13 triples. He also has a knack for stretching singles into doubles. He projects to be the Giants' leadoff hitter and the future, and will help them tremendously with his hitting ability and speed, which the Giants currently lack.

He was selected to participate in the 2011 Futures Game, and was the starting center fielder. He hit ninth in the order and got a base hit, a stolen base, and scored a run.

Here is the link to Gary Brown's pregame interview with Mychael Urban and Oakland prospect (as well as one of Gary's friends) Grant Green.

Along with his talent, Gary Brown will add to the clubhouse chemistry. He has tons of energy and loves to have fun with what he's doing. While having fun, though, he takes his work seriously. He comes from a humble background and appreciates every opportunity he gets, knowing that he's fortunate to be in the situation that he's in. During the All-Star break, he was interviewed by MLB and he also filmed his All-Star experience for them. The video shows his serious, hard-working side as well as his fun-loving, playful demeanor. The video also includes footage from the MLB All-Star festivites, as well.

Giants' All-Star Video

Brown will most certaintly recieve an invitation to Spring Training in Scottsdale, Arizona, as he recieved one last year. If the Giants struggle during the season, Brown may be the answer to their woes. Until then, he waits patiently down on the farm. But watch out, Major League Baseball, because his day will come. And this kid has a lot to offer.

Dream Team of Young Men

My brother decided to have the two of us put together a "dream team" of sorts. The players have to have five or less years of service in the major leagues. We also have to include at least two minor league players. We're putting our teams together in confidentiality, and then comparing. Sabean may want to take a look at this to get an idea of what the word "young" means.

Catcher- Buster Posey

Age: 24

Team: San Francisco Giants

First Base- Eric Hosmer

Age: 22

Team: Kansas City Royals

Second Base- Danny Espinosa

Age: 24

Team: Washington Nationals

Third Base- Brett Lawrie

Age: 21

Team: Toronto Blue Jays

Shortstop- Starlin Castro

Age: 21

Team: Chicago Cubs

Left Field- Ryan Braun

Age: 27

Team: Milwaukee Brewers

Center Field- Gary Brown

Age: 23

Team: San Francisco Giants

Right Field: Mike Trout

Age: 20

Team: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Starting Rotation

1. Tim Lincecum

Age: 27

Team: San Francisco Giants

2. Clayton Kershaw

Age: 23

Team: Los Angeles Dodgers

3. Madison Bumgarner

Age: 22

Team: San Francisco Giants

4. Stephen Strasburg

Age: 23

Team: Washington Nationals

5. David Price

Age: 26

Team: Tampa Bay Rays

Bullpen

Closer- Craig Kimbrel

Age: 23

Team: Atlanta Braves

Setup- Sergio Romo

Age: 28

Team: San Francisco Giants

Others-

Tyler Clippard

Age: 26

Team: Washington Nationals

Chris Perez

Age: 26

Team: Cleavland Indians

Heath Hembree

Age: 22

Team: San Francisco Giants

It's getting kind of late and I'm really tired. Sorry if Chris Perez seems a little weird, but he was an All-Star. I was just pulling pitchers a relievers off the top off my head. I'd say it's a pretty decent bullpen. The rotation is exceptional, with the best pitcher in baseball heading the staff and the 2011 NL Cy Young following him. You can't get much better than that, even if I had to put a Dodger on here. It is a Cardinal-free zone, though! (Yes, Perez was drafted by the Cardinals, but he's not with them anymore!)

2012 25-Man Roster- My Version

As talked about in the previous post, I was extremely bored after my heath exam so I came up with the procedure on how to handle Zito when he starts. I also composed what I thought the Giants' 25-Man roster should look like next year. The picture was just a rough draft, so I'll fix everything up below.

*                   = Free Agent

Starting Lineup

1. Angel Pagan- CF- S

2. Freddy Sanchez- 2B- R

3. Pablo Sandoval- 3B- S

4. Buster Posey- C- R

5. Melky Cabrera- LF- S

6. Brandon Belt- 1B- L

7. Nate Schierholtz- RF- L

8. Brandon Crawford- SS- L

Starting Rotation

1. Tim Lincecum- R

2. Matt Cain- R

3. Madison Bumgarner-L

4. Ryan Vogelsong-R

5. Paul Maholm- L

Bullpen

Brian Wilson- R

Sergio Romo- R

Javier Lopez- L

Jeremy Affeldt- L

Guillermo Mota- R

Barry Zito- L

Santiago Casilla- R

Bench

Aubrey Huff- 1B/OF- L

Mike Fontenot- INF- L

Emmanuel Burriss- UTL- S

Chris Stewart- C- R

Options for the 25th Man

There's only one spot left on the roster. The bullpen is pretty full, but if they wanted to add to the depth they could bring lefty Dan Runzler or righty Steve Edlefsen up. Or they could add one more bench player. And there is only one person that I feel could fit the role that Bochy and Sabean want. They want a veteran righty to be a part-time platoon with Crawford. Now I know this is Sabean and Bochy, but there is one guy that could fill this role perfectly. He wouldn't play that much but he would be a good mentor for Crawford, and I personally think it would be cool to see him back in a Giants uniform.

Edgar Renteria.

He'd be really cheap, so he wouldn't be a budget buster. And if Sabean still wants to add another reliever, there's ways to do that. They can put Zito on the "DL" like they did at the end of the season in 2011. It keeps Zito away from the rubber and frees up a spot. That's a win-win situation for everybody!

Picture of the Week- 12-18-11

Knowing CPR will be very beneficial to Whiteside. He has to be ready when half the team starts to kick the bucket. Maybe then Sabean will learn what happens when you try to get a bunch of old men to play baseball. This also shows that he really can't do anything right. You're not supposed to lace your fingers together!!!! The lady is even trying to show him that. I guess you really can't fix stupid.

Anger Management Time: Eli Whiteside Contract?!?!?

He kind of looks like an alien... Maybe he should go back to his planet.

I cannot explain how tired I got of seeing this face in 2011.

He can't catch the ball.

I had some trouble finding pictures of him hitting. Because he doesn't.

He can't hit.

He can't slide. He gave himself a concussion trying to slide. It finally kept him out of the lineup.

Wait a minute. "Why would this man be in the lineup?" you ask. He can't hit, catch, slide, throw runners out, or keep an ounce of color in his hair. So why would Bochy play him?

Because Bruce Bochy just loves washed up, untalented old farts. Sure, Whiteside is only 32 years old. But his hair and athletic ability just reek of that old-manish aura that Bochy loves. So Whiteside got playing time after Buster went down. Even though Chris Stewart's catching abilities were far superior to Whiteside's, Whiteside got the majority of the time behind the plate. Even though Chris Stewart was used to the grind of catching every day while Whiteside was used to keeping his buns warm on the bench, Whiteside got the majority of the playing time. Whiteside was so terrible, that after a while, he wasn't even allowed to catch Lincecum anymore. Whenever Lincecum would throw one of his trademark change-ups, the pitch would be beautiful. It would come in right where hitters like it, only to die at the last second as they swung helplessly for it. Then the ball would go careening to the backstop. If there were runners on base, they would advance while Whiteside ran around trying to figure out where the heck the ball went. So Whiteside was kept very far away from Timmy. There was only one time after that where Whiteside was slated to catch on the same day Linceum was starting. It was July 26th. The Giant's first game against the Philles since they clinched to go to the World Series. I was super excited about that game. I wanted to see the Giants give the Phillies what they deserved. The fact that Lincecum was starting also meant that I would get to see him and Bumgarner pitch when I would watch them in Cincinnati.

And then Andrew Baggarly posted the lineup on his blog.

Lincecum was starting, and Whiteside was catching.

Not an hour later, MLB Network was reporting that Lincecum was scratched for that night due to flu-like symptoms. And I totally believed that he was sick. Thinking about having to pitch to Whiteside would make one nauseous. I also have speculations that Obama ruined him too, but that's another story.

Back to the present now. Just last week was the non-tender deadline, and to my great relief, the Giants non-tendered Whiteside. I was so happy. I had a Whiteside-free summer stretching out before me. No more runners stealing second with the throw getting there as they're dusting their pants off. No more dropped third strikes that lead to extra innings because he decides to turn around and argue with the umpire instead of throwing the ball down to first to get the runner out.

And somehow, he gets a NEW CONTRACT?!?!?!? This makes absolutely no sense. Buster will be starting again next year with Stewart as backup. Catching prospect Hector Sanchez will be waiting in AAA if they decide they want to use him if Buster needs frequent catching breaks. So why do they sign back a fourth catcher? They say that Whiteside will be "competing for a job" in spring training. But if he doesn't get a job (which he hopefully won't) that's just money they wasted on a fourth catcher that they are just going to let go.

I've said this a million times, but sometimes I wonder about Brian Sabean. Maybe I should just change that to, "Brian Sabean, you're an idiot."

The one good thing Whiteside did

Picture of the Week: 12-11-11

I've decided to start a picture of the week post, which will be dated by the Sunday of the week that it was posted.

Romo's either super excited about getting his ring or he really likes Neukom's bow tie.

Venturing Out Into the Real World: Christmas is Coming!

Christmas is almost here. People are shopping like crazy, Christmas trees are being put up, and students are studying for semesters. Baseball has been incredibly busy this offseason, as well. Let's take a look at what's been going on.

"Angels We Have Heard on High"

The Angels made a huge splash at the winter meetings by signing slugger Albert Pujols and the 2011 American League Champion's ace, C.J. Wilson, on the same day.

"Theo Is Coming to Town"

Theo Epstein moving to Chicago was what kicked off the offseason. Epstein is making his list of targets this offseason, and you better believe he'll check it twice before making a move. He knows what the Cubs' fans are waiting for.

"All I Want for Christmas Is Yu"

The most recent headlines in baseball are about Yu Darvish, and which team won the negotianting rights to him. The rumors say that there were at least four bidders, those being the Cubs, the Yankees, the Rangers, and the Blue Jays.

Now it's time for some Giants specials. This is, after all, a blog about the Giants.

"Home for the Holidays"

The Giants are working on getting Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum wrapped up before they have a chance to the unpredictable waters of free agency. Both of them are irreplaceable assets to the team, and are considered the Giants' pair of aces. Brian Sabean, Larry Baer, Bobby Evans, and the rest of the crew need to do everything in their power and more to keep these two right here at home.

"Baby, It's Cold Outside"

Those that know me know that my personal little name for Andres Torres is Baby. Most likely he will never wear a Giants' uniform again, and when I watch my DVDs of the World Series games, seeing him hit his home run in Game 3 and make stellar defensive plays and run in from the outfield pumping his fist after the last out and hoisting the trophy with Buster and... I could go on and on. But everytime I watch those special moments I get a little chill up my spine because he was such a special player, and the Giants will never be able to replace him. Not his talent, but what he meant to this organization and its fan base. Also, New York winters can be pretty cold. So bundle up, Andres!

Happy Holidays!!!!!!!

Sabean Says the Giants Are, "Tapped Out": How They Can Still Get That Premium Bat (that's not Buster or Pablo)

Fear the Beard.

It was the Giant's rally cry through the magical season that was 2010. It won them a division on the last day of the season. It lead to a fierce battle for the pennet, where they had to face what was largely considered the best team in the Nation League. And finally, as everybody remembers, it took them to the World Series, where their cry was introduced to the rest of the world as they played on the biggest stage in baseball and took it by storm. Or by beard.

And every single one of those games described above ended with this.

Brian Wilson was undeniably one of the most important contributors to the Giants World Series title in 2010. In the entire postseason, Brian Wilson had 6 saves, and was on the mound for all four of the clinching games (division, NLDS, NLCS, World Series). He had an ERA of 0.00 and a WHIP of 0.771 with a SO/BB (strikeout-to-walk ratio) of 4. Even though Edgar Renteria won the World Series MVP (and deserved it) Wilson could just have easily won it, too.

He was a huge contributor during the season as well, with 48 saves (the most in baseball that year) and a save percentage of 91%, the best in his entire Major League career. He had an ERA of 1.81, and a SO/BB of 3.58. He was an All-Star, and was 7th on the Cy Young Ballot and 13th on the MVP ballot.

Brian Wilson raises the 2010 World Series Champions flag on their home opener against the Cardinals. Kind of ironic...

And then this happened.

Wilson started the 2011 season on the DL, and almost ended it on the DL.

He blew five saves, the same as in 2010, but he only saved 36 games. His ERA rose to 3.11 and his SO/BB dipped to 1.74. Towards the end of the season, he started having health problems. He went on the DL again with elbow problems, and even had to go Florida to have it examined by Dr. James Andrews to evaluate the seriousness of the situation. He came off the DL right at the end of the season, but didn't look 100%.  He was being criticized because he was appearing in more and more commercials, but wasn't producing like he did in 2010.

Enter Sergio Romo.

Romo was a good reliever in 2010, with an ERA of 2.18,a WHIP of 0.968, and a very, very good SO/BB of 5. He really busted out in 2011, though. He brought his ERA down to 1.50 with a WHIP of 0.708. His SO/BB? It was an absolutely ridiculous 14/1. To show you how ridiculous that is, let's take a look at all-time saves leader, Mariano Rivera. The highest Rivera's SO/BB ever got was in 2008, when it was 12.83. And Romo's was 14. This is how amazing this guy can can be. Romo also had a streak of 21.2 scoreless innings going. He only walked five batters the entire season. And one of those was an intentional walk.

So why couldn't Romo take over the closers role? The market for closers is overrated at the moment, and teams are paying way too much money for a position that has plenty of players that can handle the role. This is a perfect time for the Giants to capitalize. They do have slightly better outfield than last year, but they still are missing the other power bat that they want to compliment Sandoval and Posey. By trading Wilson, they are just getting rid of a position that they are strong in and in return, they can receive a very good player that they need. Would a Brian Wilson for Marlon Byrd be so bad? Or, if the Giants aren't comfortable leaving a spot open in the bullpen, they could trade Brian Wilson and a mediocre prospect for Darwin Barney and Sean Marshall? Would it be so bad for Brian Wilson not to be a Giant? Romo is a great candidate for the closers role, and is putting up better numbers and showing better stuff than Brian Wilson has or is.

Sabean says the Giants are done spending, but trading Wilson could be a way to obtain the extra bat they want without increasing payroll.

To read more on Romo's historic season, click here.