Rebuilding a Club/You are the GM

They only have two good players -- Bonds and Schmidt.

The rest of their club is so non-descriptly average or below, I cannot figure how they pull it off. What is funny is that they keep winning and jettisoning decent/good players like Kent, Russ Ortiz, Reggie Sanders, Nen (lost to injury).

Their GM is either a genius or the luckiest man in baseball. Felippe Alou might be able to take a AA team to the playoffs, oh wait...he did manage the Expos.

Montreal is in a holding pattern about their future, Selig kinda fucked them anyway.

Seattle seems to be giving up. They probably need to shake things up there from the top down.

The Giants are a team of DESTINY, a TRUE UNDERDOG, a TEAM THAT COULD...

Arizona got the shaft by having 3 of their key players (Unit, Gonzo, Finley) tip the age scales on the bad end of 30. Lots of infield depth, though (w/ Kata & Hairston & Tracy & Cintron). The rotation sans Unit is a scary thing. Assuming Sexson comes back healthy next year, their lineup might do OK (though getting the production they're currently getting from the Gonzo Finley duo out of other folks might be sketchy) (esp. w/ Colangelo's money woes). B-Webb needs to right his ship, and Fossum needs to step it up. Duh.

If they gots any brains, Zona should trade one of their OFs (maybe both) to a contendah for some organizational depth. Don't trade RJ. If they can get something for Alomar besides a lot of lip, they definitely should, and I'd release his whiny ass regardless. Sign some mid-level free agents to bolster the pitching staff in the offseason, send out NRI feelers all over the place, scour the waiver wire for worthy castoffs. Essentially, I'd GM more like a Moneyballer than a Garagiola, which is not gonna happen down there anytime soon (obviously).

As consistent a player as Finley has been for the D-Backs, he probably has the most trade value. I'd try to get something for him and Danny Bautista, if anyone was buying. Gonzalez is damaged goods and I doubt any contenders would want him, besides that HE is the guy that got the big hit in their World Series win, so maybe they keep him around for the final days of his career, which should be within the next year or so.

Alou might have won a championship in Mtl if it wasn't for the strike in 94. They were the hottest team when the strike happened and had a killer lineup, the best starter (Martinez) and closer (Wetteland) in the NL.

deivi cruz is batting .333, .377 OBP, .477 SLG

there is only one guy on the giants with higher BA and OBP!

However:
Career high walks in a season - 22 (in 514 ABs)
This year - 8 (in 111 ABs)

Meaning: ????

*Do good drafts.

*Acquire undervalued players, jettison expensive vets who are about to decline.

Sound like a book we've read?

Re the Giants, Gary Huckabay on BP chat today: "They always seem to get lightning in a bottle from somewhere. But tempting the fates with the likes Neifi, Deivi, and Meiki is asking an awful lot from a bottle."

Guys performing at or near their expected level: Blalock, Soriano, Mench, Fullmer (after a wee hot streak), Texeira, Rogers.

Guys reaching over their heads or skipping grades: Nix, Michael Young, Barajas & Laird, Eric Young, Drese, most of the Rangers bullpen (outside of Cordero?)

You know, I hear some chat about the Rangers' lackluster offense, yet with their starting pitching seeming quite Rangeresque (outside of Drese & The Gambler), they're in first place w/ the 2nd best record in the AL. Doi?

Meiki Phiffer?

I don't know if you can say Michael Young is skipping a grade - it's his third full season, he's in his prime, and a big chunk of his OPS increase is cutting down the K/BB ratio from 3:1 to 2:1. Maybe a little above last year will be his level/grade.

yes, i still listen to and love the descendents.