Hot Stove Update: Giants

The Giants have been quiet so far in the "Hot Stove League." They moved early to parlay their 1 year option on Freddy Sanchez into a 2 year/$12 M extension. Since then, nada! There were some stirrings yesterday with two items on mlbtraderumors.com, one of them also posted on the Giants website, sfgiants.com.

1. Juan Uribe is "close" to re-signing with the Giants. The rumored deal would be for 1 year at approximately $4 M with a team option and buyout for 2011.

2. Mark DeRosa is "leaning" toward accepting a 2 year/$12 M offer from the Giants.

If both signings actually come to pass, it would be somewhat of a puzzle in that both play multiple positions and could be seen as utility players. One would make sense, but both might be going overboard with the flexibility thing. On the other hand, such a deal could make a lot of sense, especially for a team with a lot of young players and prospects who might break out and demand more playing time. The flexibility would enable the team to both play the veterans and make room for the young players.

Juan Uribe: Last year at this time Uribe was coming off 3 terrible seasons in a row for the White Sox. He was signed by the Giants to a longshot minor league deal. He produced a .289/.329/.495 line with 16 HR's in 398 AB's. He was consistent all year, but really turned on the power in September with a .614 SLG%. Uribe can play all 4 IF positions. If he an keep his 2009 production going, he should be a starter somewhere. The most likely position being 3B with Pablo Sandoval sliding over to 1B, and Travis Ishikawa the odd man out. Another possibility is shortstop if Renteria continues to struggle. One has to wonder if last year was a fluke for Uribe coming off those 3 terrible seasons in a row, and if a major regression is more likely. With the commitment limited to 1 season, I think that is a risk worth taking. At age 31, he should still be in the prime of his career.

Mark DeRosa: DeRosa had a down year in 2009, batting just .250, but still hit 23 HR's, something the power-starved Giants could certainly use. In the 3 years prior, DeRosa produced OPS's of .812, .792 and .857 while playing a variety of positions, mostly 2B. DeRosa can also play all IF positions except maybe SS, and can also play LF. If both he and Uribe sign with the Giants, it would be logical to pencil him in as the starting LF. His versatility would still enable other scenarios if, for instance, Uribe tanked again, or if Uribe had to move over to SS for Renteria. At 35, DeRosa could still bounce back to an OPS of around .800, or he could be at the beginning of the downward part of his career trajectory. A 2 year commitment is probably a reasonable risk.

With arbitration still awaiting Tim Lincecum, Jonathan Sanchez Brandon Medders and Brian Wilson, it would seem that these two signings would preclude any further major moves barring a significant upgrade in payroll. This would mean that Buster Posey could be the opening day catcher and Madison Bumgarner could be the #5 starter, unless those positions are filled by low-cost "dumpster dives" like Uribe was last year. Here is one possible projected lineup:

CF Aaron Rowand
2B Freddy Sanchez
LF Mark DeRosa
1B Pablo Sandoval
3B Juan Uribe
RF Nate Schierholtz
C Buster Posey
SS Edgar Renteria

Bench: Eli Whiteside, Travis Ishikawa, Eugenio Velez, Andres Torres, Fred Lewis? John Bowker? Kevin Frandsen?

Rotation: Lincecum, Cain, Zito, Sanchez, Bumgarner(would probably split up the two RHP's even though they are #1 and #2 on talent.

Bullpen: Wilson, Affeldt, Medders, Runzler, Joaquin, Valdez, Johnson(rule 5 pickup who has to be on the 25 man roster for the Giants to keep him).

Fantasy Impact: 1. If Uribe wins a starting job, he should be followed closely. If he produces like last year, he's definitely worth rostering in most league, particularly if he carries over SS and 2B eligibility. 2. DeRosa will likely start somewhere, so his fantasy value should not be affected, especially if his multiple position eligibility carries over from last season. 3. If this means the Giants are done for the offseason, it moves the timetable up for Bumgarner and Posey who are both future stars, but might have an adjustment period. Again, the situations would require close monitoring. 3. Travis Ishikawa, Nate Schierholtz and Eugenio Velez could all be negatively impacted by these signings.