Melky Cabrera and his Melk Maids

With the year ending, it is time to review the top ten Giants stories of 2012. Over the next two weeks, I will work my way from ten to one to remind us all about the things we loved most from this past season. If you have any others or comments on what I have included, please let me know. With that said, here is my number ten Giants story of 2012-Melky Cabrera and his Melk Maids.

It didn't end well for Melky in San Francisco but you can't deny that he almost instantly became a fan favorite with his tremendous hitting and hustle. It didn't take long for fans to adopt him as one of our own and we started seeing stadiums everywhere the Giants went with a contingent of Melk Men and Melk Maids. His hustle and stellar hitting were a hit with fans and Melky was one of the most popular players on the team. The vote for Melky initiative got him a starting spot in the all star game, where he went on to win the games MVP award.

Now, with Melky, you do have to remember why it didn't last beyond a year. While he was a highlight of this season, his PED suspension left a dark cloud over the team and the way that he handled that entire situation is the reason that he won't be back. It is a shame that the Melkman ended it the way he did, he could have been a Giant for years and it certainly was nice to see a star in left field again. However, some things can't and shouldn't be forgiven. Melky is in Toronto now and it will be interesting to see how he re-builds his character there. I hope he has success because I don't want to see a man buried by one case of horrible decision making.

What Could Have Been?

Although Sabean never confirmed this, many reported that just before the Giants acquired Hunter Pence from the Phillies there was a deal in place to acquire veteran slugger Alfonso Soriano from the Cubs instead. The deal, according to reports, was agreed upon but vetoed by Soriano's no trade clause. So, essentially, he didn't want to be a Giant. Instead, the deal was struck with the Phillies and, although his batting average was not impressive, Pence made a nice impact in San Francisco.

At the time, I was happy that the Giants didn't acquire Soriano. While his power is impressive, his hitting is extremely streaky and there have long been those who have said that he is not a good clubhouse presence. The biggest impact that Pence had with the Giants was in the clubhouse. While it is not fun to hear that a star doesn't want to come to your favorite club, I really feel that this turned out to be a real blessing.

Barry Bonds-Hall of Fame

This is the first year that the major league's leader in career homeruns will be eligible for the hall of fame. It is very unlikely that Barry Bonds will get the 75% needed to be elected on his first ballot. Some never want to see him in the hall of fame and have painted him as the face of baseball's "steroid era." While I have little doubt that he will get in at some point, it is shame that he will not get in the first time. I am a Barry Bonds fan because he is still the greatest offensive player that I have ever seen. Despite the likelihood that he played on PHD's, I think he is still a legend worth honoring.

The baseball hall of fame is the greatest hall of fame in sports. It is truly an exclusive club that only accepts the very best of the best players. Barry Bonds deserves to be there. He deserved it before 1999 and despite what he did with advantages that not everyone else had, he was the best player of his era. The travesty in all of this is that many of the voters have a very open and personal agenda against Bonds because of how he treated them as sports writers. It really feels like an abuse of power to hold that against him. However good or bad of a person he is, Barry Bonds was a great player and that is what he should be measured by. While steroids and other PHD's will be the reported reason behind him not getting in this time, the truth is that he gave them all an excuse to punish him.

When he gets in, Barry will join the best of the best that this great game has ever seen. Let us just realize that he is not exactly joining the best people the game has ever seen. Babe Ruth was a legendary drinker and heavy smoker, hardly the definition of a role model. Ty Cobb, much like Barry, was legendary for treating reporters and fans like shit. George Brett once nearly assaulted an umpire after being ejected. Roberto Alomar spit in an umpire's face. As much as we would love for our stars of the game to be role models and heroes, that is not their place. Let's really analyze what they do on the field and in the game when we evaluate the very best. Once you analyze Barry's career their is no doubt where he belongs. He will get there one day.

Brian Wilson Update

Since a few people have asked, I thought I would update the latest that I know about Brian Wilson's free agent status. The Giants remain hopeful that they will be able to bring back the former closer but they are looking at Sergio Romo as their closer come opening day. Wilson still feels slighted for being non-tendered by the Giants. He has given a lot to the franchise and feels disrespected by how this all came about. All reports suggest that he will explore his options elsewhere but that does not close the door on him returning. The Angels, Red Sox and Tigers seem to be the biggest competition for his services and the Tigers and Red Sox appear to be the better fits for him.

There is a connection between Wilson, the Giants team and the Giants fans that can't really be measured. He is a bigger part of what has happened here than many people realize. From a personnel stand point, the Giants can afford the loss. However, chemistry is a big part of how the Giants got where they are and to think that losing Wilson would not impact team chemistry is naive. Casual fans really may not get this but Brian Wilson, even though he didn't contribute on the field, was still a factor in this year's run. The relationship between Wilson and Romo appears to be special and that is not something to take lightly. While it appears the relationship between Wilson and the Giants is strained a bit, I am still holding out hope that it can be saved.

Giants Sign Veteran Andres Torres Back

In another sharp move, Brian Sabean is bringing Andres Torres back to San Francisco for next year. Terms have yet to be disclosed but I would expect that it didn't cost much to sign the 2010 star, after two sub-par seasons split between the Giants and Mets. At this point, his role is certainly to be determined. If the Giants don't sign anybody else, there are still a number of solid outfielders on the market, then I would assume that Torres would get a shot to compete with Gregor Blanco for the starting job in left field. However, I fully expect Torres to serve an important role as a 4th outfielder that backs up the starters.

Giant fans are kind of split on Gregor Blanco as the every day player in left but I am all for it. He is young enough to develop more as a hitter, has really good speed, steals bases and plays outstanding in the field. If we are patient enough with him, and he gets the opportunity, I believe that Blanco could develop into a very similar player to Angel Pagan. He will probably never be a superstar but not everyone has to be. In the playoffs he had great at bats and played tremendous defense, while he may not have had a lot of huge hits, he was a very big part of the championship.

I am excited by the fact that the Giants now have three very similar players in Pagan, Torres and Blanco. Depth is a very important part of a championship team and a big part of depth is interchangeable parts. All three have been quite streaky hitters throughout their careers and it is nice to have a similar player to turn to if Pagan or Blanco hit a pro-longed slump. It keeps consistency in the lineup, even with different names. While other GMs are making big splashes and grabbing headlines, Sabean continues to put the pieces together to deliver another strong season of Giants baseball.

Angels Land Hamilton

At this point in free agency, it takes a lot to shock me when a big name signs. With that said, I am somewhat surprised by the Angels landing Josh Hamilton today with a five year 125 million dollar contract. After last offseason's spending spree bringing in C.J. Wilson and Albert Pujols, plus the emergence of Mike Trout, I expected the Angels to focus on some arms to fill out their rotation but avoid making a big splash in free agency. That obviously was not the case, with this signing, and once again it looks like fantasy baseball in Los Angeles.

Hamilton's contract is not nearly as bad as the one the Angels gave to Pujols a year ago but it is just a case of committing to long to a player that does nothing for your biggest need. The Angels really needed to land a couple of solid starters this offseason. With Greinke going across town to the Dodgers, they were left with two starters with solid big league backgrounds on their roster. Not only did they sign Hamilton today but they also saw the Tigers keep the next best arm on the market, Anibal Sanchez. Now they will be left to throw too much money at Kyle Lohse and gamble on another starter or two.

There is no doubt that signing Hamilton gives the Angels a formidable lineup that is probably scarier than any other in baseball but I just feel like this will turn out to be a bad fit. Preventing runs is just as, if not more, important as scoring them. With Pujols and Trout, last season, the Angels didn't even get into the playoffs. Now, with two starters and three superstar bats, it will be surprising to see the Angels put together the type of rotation that you need to compete every day. If I was an Angel fan, I would be excited as hell to land Hamilton but once that high goes away there would certainly be a number of concerns.

Next Year's Free Agent Class

 Now that this year's key free agents are re-signed, it is a good time to look forward to next year's likely free agent class for the Giants. This year, it was all about role players that fit well into the team that just won a world series. Next year won't be nearly the same, next year's class will include some key contributors that will likely get a lot of interest from many teams outside of the bay area. Next year will be a key test of Brian Sabean's loyalty and decision making capabilities because towards the top of next year's free agent class will be Tim Lincecum and Hunter Pence. Barry Zito will also, almost certainly, see his team option declined and enter free agency as well.

To say that next year will be a pivotal year for the Giants front office is an understatement. Lincecum is coming off of a terrible year but a great playoff run. If he is able to find a middle ground next year then he will be looking at a long term contract in the neighborhood of 20 million per year. If he doesn't rebound, he becomes an intriguing project that could still land a 3 year 50 million dollar deal. Pence should be able to command a five year commitment worth somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 to 12 million a year. Zito could land one more multiple year deal as well, entering his mid thirties, and could still get something in the range of three years and 25 million dollars. If that isn't enough, Pablo Sandoval will be entering into his final year before free agency as well. Not to mention the need to lock up Buster Posey for years to come.

It was nice to daydream about the Giants courting Josh Hamilton or other key free agent or trade targets this offseason but I think they did the smart thing by re-signing their own free agents and hopefully preparing offers to get other key pieces locked up before they have competition. While the Dodgers and other teams spend money on the big names, the Giants have been known to pick their spots when entering free agency. As they well know, sometimes you hit the jack pot (Barry Bonds) but most times you have to wait year's for an investment to pay off (Barry Zito), if it ever does (Aaron Rowand).

Greinke Set for Record Payday in LA

According to reports, the Dodgers are close to adding the best starting pitcher available this winter. Zack Greinke is set for a record shattering 147 million dollar, six year deal with the L.A. The former Cy Young award winner will be the latest star brought to Hollywood by the Dodgers new ownership group. He is set to join Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett and Hanley Ramirez as players that have been added since the new ownership group moved into place earlier this year.

If this were fantasy baseball, those names would be terrifying. However, as the Giants showed last year, it takes much more than star power to win in the real game. A look at recent history will show that this kind of spending doesn't often payoff for teams the way they would hope. In recent offseasons, we have seen teams like the Red Sox, Phillies, Marlins, Angels and Tigers spend freely for the big names in the offseason. While it does great for hype and hope in the offseason it has not payed off in the regular season or, more importantly, in the playoffs.

Some of the big spenders have even quickly abandoned ship with the bad contracts they have signed, which is how AGone, Crawford and Hanley Ramirez ended up with the Dodgers. While the Tigers did get through a very week American League playoff pool with the addition of Prince Fielder, they were no match for the Giants in the fall classic and Fielder failed to make any impact. While throwing money against the wall looks good in the offseason, it is not often the best way to build a team. Chemistry matters and that can't be bought.

While I came into this offseason daydreaming about Michael Bourn and Josh Hamilton coming to the Giants, Brian Sabean remained savvy and invested in chemistry by bringing back Pagan and showing little interest in Hamilton's desire for a six to seven year commitment. The Giants haven't gotten many winter headlines recently but they have gotten a lot of headlines in the fall. That is what it is all about and I look forward to the national media, once again, burying the Giants hopes of defending their NL West, NL penant and World Series crowns next year. Let's be honest hear, the best fantasy team is the Dodgers and they can fantasize about winning while the Giants go out and execute.

Giants Re-Sign Scutaro

In a deal that took longer than I expected, the Giants have finally agreed to terms to bring back the NLCS MVP, Marco Scutaro. As I reported the other day, the big hold up was the Giants willingness to commit to the 37 year old for three seasons. In the end, a good deal for both sides was reached and Scutaro is set to make 20 million over the next three seasons as the starting second baseman for the Giants.

Re-signing Scutaro was the biggest need this offseason for the Giants and it now ensures that the defending champs could go into opening day with the same lineup that they had most of the playoffs. While Scutaro will almost certainly not perform to the level that we all saw, after he was acquired from the Rockies, he is a steady veteran that will give solid at bats and play good defense. As long as he stays healthy, Scutaro should hit around 280 or 290 and score at least 80 runs. In today's game, that is solid production from a middle infield spot.

Re-Signing Scutaro may Take a Three Year Deal

With Affeldt and Pagan now under contract, the only key contributor from last season's world series title that is not yet signed is Marco Scutaro. A few weeks back, the Giants were close to inking Scutaro to a two year contract but it now appears that Scutaro is holding out for a three year contract. At age 37, a three year commitment is a risk but given the organizations lack of depth at second base and the depth of free agent second basemen it is critical that the Giants do what it takes to bring Scooter back next year. It now sounds like a 3 year 20 million dollar deal is what it will take to get Marco back.

Giants Re-Sign Pagan for Four Years

I will be the first to admit that I was hesitant to endorse the Giants re-signing Pagan because I expected him to get over-payed. However, after BJ Upton signed for five years and 75 million with the Braves, the market was set and Pagan is now set to return to San Francisco at a price tag of 40 million dollars over the next four years. While I feel that is more than he is worth, it is not a bad contract by any means. Pagan is valuable and he became a leader and a presence during last season's world series run.

I actually envisioned Pagan getting both more money and more years but the market did not allow that. The Giants benefited from the deal that Upton got in Atlanta. Even if this turns out to be a bad contract, like Huff and Rowand, it won't last long. At 31, I don't expect Pagan to be a big impact player by the end of this contract but he very well should be able to contribute at a good level for at least two or three more years. He was a huge catalyst for the offense in 2012 and if he even approaches the level of play that he had this past season then it will be a great signing for the Giants.