Rumors Are More Fun

As you can probably tell from the lack of posts over the last few days, I'd rather not talk about the players that are actually on the Giants' roster. Instead, I thought I would take this opportunity to discuss some of the latest rumors surrounding the club.

Joe Crede trade rumors have started to die down in the last week or so. One reason is Crede's .080 Spring batting average in 25 at-bats. Another is that White Sox GM Kenny Williams seems to be insisting on getting something of value for Crede, who he still sees as the club's potential opening-day third baseman. Now, as anyone who's talked to me knows, I've advocated a Crede trade since before the rumors even began. But at this point I'm kind of happy Brian Sabean hasn't pulled the trigger yet. Scouts have reportedly been looking at Tigers' third baseman Brandon Inge, who has been out of a job since the Miguel Cabrera deal and has publicly asked to be traded. While Inge doesn't have the upside of Crede, a trade for him may be a better logistical move for the Giants. Inge still has three years and $19.1 million left on his contract. That's pretty bad, but perhaps the Giants could swap a similarly bad contract, say, that of Dave Roberts. Roberts could have some value to Detroit as a late-inning pinch-runner and defensive replacement. Dumping Roberts would give Fred Lewis an everyday job, and Nate Schierholtz a roster spot. A 1-for-1 swap seems fair to me. Who knows, maybe Inge could return to the 27-homer, 83-RBI player he was for the AL champs two years ago.

One of the worst signs of a horrendous Spring has been the performance of Dan Ortmeier. In 37 at-bats, the projected opening-day first baseman has hit .189 with two extra base hits (both doubles). While Spring Training numbers may not mean anything, Ortmeier's performance seems to play into many Giants' fans doubts about whether he is deserving of an everyday spot. One name that has been thrown out as a potential trade target is Oakland's Dan Johnson. The A's plan to start rookie Daric Barton at first, and Mike Sweeney has had a good spring, seemingly making Johnson expendable. Johnson has never quite been able to put it together at the major league level, but he's shown some power and on-base potential, and could give the Giants something resembling a legitimate cleanup hitter. Jonathan Sanchez is too much to give up. Brad Hennessey?

In summary, if the Giants make these deals, the everyday lineup, once Omar Vizquel comes back, could look something like this. We're probably still a last-place team, but at least we dump some dead weight and give our young outfielders a shot. I've penciled in Durham and Inge, but Kevin Frandsen would likely still see plenty of at-bats at second and third.

Fred Lewis/Rajai Davis, lf
Randy Winn, rf
Aaron Rowand, cf
Dan Johnson, 1b
Bengie Molina, c
Ray Durham, 2b
Brandon Inge, 3b
Omar Vizquel, ss