Catching up on the Giants’ transactions: a little late to these, but the Giants have made a couple more minor-league signings…
According to Matt Eddy of Baseball America, the Giants signed right-hander Adam Thomas. He didn’t pitch at all from 2008 to 2010, but he posted a 1.73 ERA (4.08 K/BB) in 57 innings of relief in the Atlantic League this year. He’s 32 years old.
According to @beisbolporgotas and noticiaaldia.com, the Giants have also signed right-hander Yusmeiro Petit. Petit, 27, has 36 major-league starts under his belt, though he hasn’t been terribly impressive (82 ERA+, 5.44 FIP). Of particular concern is his home run rate — he’s allowed 50 home runs in 229 career innings at the major-league level. Anyway, he last pitched in the majors with Arizona in 2009. He spent last season in the Mexican League with the Guerreros de Oaxaca, where he posted a 5.60 K/BB in six starts/37 innings.
By my count, the Giants have now signed 13 players to minor-league deals:
- Adam Thomas
- Yusmeiro Petit
- Boof Bonser
- Eric Hacker
- Brian Burres
- Joaquin Arias
- Eli Whiteside (conditional deal)
- Jose Flores
- Craig Whitaker
- Chuck Lofgren
- Gregor Blanco
- Wilmin Rodriguez
- Shane Loux
Giants Nirvana 
Any player signed to a minor league deal is obviously a huge longshot, but I’m somewhat intrigued by what Boof might do coming off TJ surgery.
Petit was a highly ranked prospect in the past. The Giants seem to know how to teach their pitchers to not give up HR’s. Pitching 102 games in AT&T, Petco, Dodger Stadium and Oakland every years helps to tamp them down too.
Wilmin Rodriguez is a big lefty who I’ve seen hit 93 MPH on the radar gun. If he can ever consistently hit the strike zone, he could be a pretty good lefty specialist.
As a long time Giant’s fan, I am sorry to say that I am not at all interested in the Giants this year. Ownership has shown that they really don’t want to spend the money necessary to bring in marquee players. It’s a shame for Giants fans to have such a beautiful stadium and a most probable mediocre team. I have purchased tickets every year since I was a teenager but have no plans to purchase Giants tickets this year. Sorry for the negativity, but that’s how I feel about the 2012 Giants.
Bob is correct. Maangement has taken their one flukey season (Cody Ross hitting insanely in the post season)and decided that’s all they need to keep the seats full. No need to spend any money – they also think the fans will keep coming so long as “Timmie” is appeased and on board. Couple that with Sabean’s inability to put anything logical together…..and we can just look forward to another season of garlic fries. Eli Whiteside??????
The Current SF Giants management are looking for Scrubs instead of signing guys
like Prince Fielder who can hit alot of homers in McCovey Cove. This is another Brian Sabean appeasement of SF Giant Fans.
I’ve been a huge Giants fan since ’61, and of course will continue to be as long as I breathe, but I agree totally with the sentiments previously stated. They (ownership) has made a fortune the last two seasons, with merchandise sales, and a complete season sellout in 2011. Add to that, the serious dough they have made during AT&Ts first ten years in operation, with outrageously overpriced tickets and the other goodies that go along with going to a game, and many seasons of 3 million+ attendance. Other than re-upping Mr. BARROIDS in 2000, to make his after the age of 35 “historic” annihilation of the record book (which put plenty of cash in the owners pockets, why else would they have allowed it?) they (ownership) have done nothing to create and sustain a winning franchise in San Fran. We got lucky in 2010, (Thank God, I’ve waited 50 years for the title that they so very nearly won in ’62, and still get fired up over, every time I think about it!!) it all seemed to be a magical run (once we got by the Padres!), and this past year the magic (and luck) disappeared. They have the resources to make winning on a yearly basis possible, not winning the title every year, I’m talking about being in the hunt!! With three, and now 4 rounds of playoffs, the post-season has become a crap-shoot, unlike it was through ’68, when all you had to do was win the pennant, and you’re in the series! It’s much harder to win it all now, but there’s no reason that they can’t be there every year, with a shot at it, like the Yankees (whom I despise, and am jealous of, because they always go for it!), the Red Sox,the Phillies and others. All this ownership group wants to do is make a profit, not win. I am totally disgusted, if we had this pitching staff in the 60s, we would have been winning every year, and they are just wasting it. These guys will walk, if the owners don’t put a better product on the field, and I wouldn’t blame them!!!! Especially, Timmy, who, if he stays healthy, has a good shot at the HOF, but not in S.F., not with this team, and this mentality!!!!!!!! His 13-14 record would have been well over 20 wins, with a team that could score 4 runs a game, even three!!!!!!
Wow… I can’t believe my fellow SF fans… We waited 50+ years for a title and now people are getting mad because the team isn’t taking the “spend our way” into the playoffs route. What ever happened to the rule about not complaining about your team until 5 years after the last title? You guys are sounding like Boston/Philly/Yanks fans now…
Is this what a little bit of success breeds?
By not adding a legit BIG BAT your wasting the best pitching staff in Baseball. How’d you like to take the mound knowing you have to pitch a shutout to get a win.
I’m not exactly sure, but I believe that at $130M per year the Giants rank fairly high in salary for a MLB franchise. The problem is that they are getting little in return for it. Beating the long dead horse – this is the impact of the Zito contract. I do not anticipate the Giants signing any impact free agents until they are freed from the yoke of BZ. I just try to keep positive and hope they will keep the core of the starters and that the farm can produce some position players. One thing I am hoping is the Nate S. will finally be a starter in the OF on a consistent basis.
As I read these responses, I really have little to add. Hard to believe they seem to have no desire to go after another World Series. It was such a fantastic year for all of us fans, northern California, and the City. But I am convinced Sabean absolutely lucked into that season. Now, that is supposed to suffice for the foreseeable future. With such tremendous pitching, I’m afraid they will waste this talent. Who can blame Timmy and Cain if they decide to go? All it would take is just a decent offense to support our staff. I realize they
would never go after an Albert Pujols, but please, there is plenty of talent out there that would help. The philosophy seems to be to sign a dozen mediocre players and hope two or three have miracle career years, sort of hoping lightning will strike twice. Sadly, if they just opened up the purse strings a little and used a little common sense, they could produce another winner.
Maybe some of these Posters have forgotten the Injuries the Giants had last season with the Loss of Two of the Giants Best Hitters in Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez. Almost everyone on the Team was on the DL at least Once, and the Giants were still in it during the Last Week of the Season. This Year the Giants will have Posey and Freddy back, and the addition of Pagan and Melky not only adds speed to this Team but also make the Giants Younger, and also gives Schierholtz a chance to Start and Play the Whole Season, and with his Speed the Giants have a solid, fast, and Good Arm Outfield. The Lineup looks pretty good to me with 1. Angel Pagan CF 2. Freddy Sanchez 2nd 3.Pablo Sandoval 3rd 4. Buster Posey C 5.Melky Cabrera LF 6. Schierholtz RF 7.Aubrey Huff/Brandon Belt 1st 8.Brandon Crawford SS 9. Tim Lincecum P.
I have to agree with the pessimists. I would probably have been happy
if the giants either signed Rollins for 3 years at 11 million a year, or
Carlos Beltran at 2 years at 13 million a year. Even, happier if they had
signed both. I was also disappointed in the trade of Jonathan Sanchez. They
now seem to be scrambling to find a decent 5th starter, and they are dusting
out the scrap heep of pitchers, and praying that they luck out with another
Vogelsong. Unlikely to get lucky like 2010, unlikely to get another Vogelsong
in 2012. A lineup of Rollins, Sanchez, Posey, Beltran, Sandoval, (Huff/Pill)1b,
Belt, LF, (nate/torres)cf without the trade, would have scored plenty of runs. Now with the 5 million dollar signing of Affeldt, (whom everyone seems to say is a great guy), when he comes in and walks the first guy he faces, I will wonder what could have been if the giants went the Rollins/Beltran route. Of course I will still root for the giants with vigor every game. Just a little less vigor, had they been willing to at least sign one decent hitter this off season. Now we have Pagan, Melky, Sanchez, Posey, Sandoval, Pill/Huff Nate, crawford. This is a window of opportunity while we still have Cain/Lincecum/Bumgarner/and Vogelsong. To not take advantage of that is playing with fan loyalty. I will root for the giants wholeheartedly, but now that their billionarie primary owner will not spend the marginal dollars to make this team a shoe-in into the playoffs, I will not spend my money on 1. tickets 2. paraphenalia for 2012. They wont spend additionally, nor will I. They loosen-up the purse strings, so will I. Come-on fans, put your money where your posts are.
I agree with most of the posts, unfortunately, the Giants didn’t sign the “scary” bat. Without that, the pitching staff has their feet to the fire EVERY game. Management has not shown the willingness to spend some money to get what is needed. The 2010 team was so lucky that we fans seem to be willing to accept almost anything just to remain loyal. Well, I will remain loyal, but I can’t help but feel that purchasing tickets and extra stuff is not going to be in my budget. Think about a lineup with Beltran, Rollins, and Posey? THEN all of our fill in players begin to look like a team that might score more than a run per game. Even Timmy can’t pitch a shut out every time. How long can his frustration remain “un traded”?