Giants sign Aurilia, Roberts

[MuffinMcFluffin]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl.../25/GIANTS.TMP


They're also looking at David Weathers and Mark Loretta.

Good news for us! Aurilia is a guy some fans just come to see and appreciate, and hopefully Roberts gives us a consistent speed demon at the top. The way Winn played last year makes me want him down in the order, as he still does pretty well in clutch opportunities.

I hope that, assuming Bonds stays, they revert to the ol' "two-three" punch they had in 2001 with Aurilia and Bonds, rather than batting Bonds fourth.

[Prime Time]

I love the Dave Roberts pickup, as you said he gives up speed on the base paths, he is also a consistent leadoff man. I can’t get real excited until we fill other needs though. I hope Shea Hillenbrand and Ray Durham will stay… but what about right field, catcher, starting pitching, and bullpen help?

[MuffinMcFluffin]

Originally Posted by Prime Time

I love the Dave Roberts pickup, as you said he gives up speed on the base paths, he is also a consistent leadoff man. I can’t get real excited until we fill other needs though. I hope Shea Hillenbrand and Ray Durham will stay… but what about right field, catcher, starting pitching, and bullpen help?

I don't see Roberts replacing Randy Winn, so Winn will more than likely be in right field.

I hear that we're releasing Durham (look at the bottom thread). If that's the case, I can't say that I'll miss him too much. I mean, he came around at times and I liked to watch him play... but he lost his speed since he left Chicago, and he's had shaky defense. I also haven't ever seen anybody either A) take as many curveballs that end up right down the middle for a strike, or B) argue a pitch, disrupting the flow of his at-bat as much as he does. I wouldn't mind us getting Loretta, though I'd hope for somebody perhaps a little more special (does Aurilia play 2B also?).

I hope Shea Hillenbrand stays too. My family didn't care for him too much (because they don't know baseball or baseball's players outside of the Giants), but I know what he's capable of. I think the biggest adjustment for him is to anticipate earlier, since he's in a fastball league. It seems like he can get around a 91 MPH fastball inside, but he looks terrible on a 95+ MPH fastball inside. Like I said, again (in the other thread)... use Feliz as trade bait, as he probably is rather valuable on the market. Somebody would love to pick him up I'm sure, and that could be aid in our bullpen for the future.


Again, the other thread... I note about the catching position. You could check that out, but I too am concerned about how to manage our catchers this year, and who to potentially get rid of.

Starting pitching is a non-issue for me. As long as they can stay in games past the sixth inning, our bullpen shouldn't be as tired this year, thus we should be able to produce a little bit better (assuming we can do that). I love Dave Righetti, but I have my doubts sometimes.

[Prime Time]

(does Aurilia play 2B also?).

He’s played most of his career at shortstop; I know he has played around 100 at third, and somewhere around 80 a second. I don’t know if he can play the position well and with ease though.

[Paul]

Aurilia should be a good replacement for Feliz, and Loretta would be fine for 2B if it comes true. I think $6 mil is a bit too much for Roberts, but it's not my money. We do still need a ton of bullpen help, a first baseman (I too wouldn't mind Hillenbrand back), and ideally a starting pitcher (if both Sanchez and Hennessey are in the rotation it's going to be a long year). I don't hold much hope of the team contending in '07 but hopefully they'll be respectable.

Originally Posted by MuffinMcFluffin

Like I said, again (in the other thread)... use Feliz as trade bait, as he probably is rather valuable on the market. Somebody would love to pick him up I'm sure, and that could be aid in our bullpen for the future.

Feliz is worthless, but if somebody did want him they'd sign him since he's a free agent. If we outbid everyone else for him they're certainly not going to trade for him.

[MuffinMcFluffin]

Oh, I didn't actually know that Feliz was a free agent.

[Prime Time]

Are the Giants still looking at Jeff Suppan? If so what are the chances that we can get him? I’m not a Suppan fan but he’s a fine number five starter.

Also what are the chances that Jason Schmidt comes back to the Giants? I know he wants to go to Seattle (hometown) and I know the Dodgers are going after him. I think to have a chance to contend we need him or another pitcher close to his skill (Zito, maybe). The only problems with Schmidt and Zito are that they want big contracts, and I don’t know if they’ll be worth the money in the long term.

I would love to see this rotation next year:
1. Jason Schmidt
2. Matt Cain
3. Noah Lowry
4. Matt Morris. Jonathan Sanchez/Brad Hennessey
5. Jeff Suppan