Dan Uggla Trade Rumors

Over the past few weeks the Giants have been linked to multiple trade rumors with Dan Uggla of the Florida Marlins. While Dan Uggla is a fantastic baseball player, the Giants do not need to trade Jonathon Sanchez for him.

Jonathon is a young, talented pitcher that the Giants do not want to part ways with. He has ability to strike out the best hitters in the National League on a regular basis, the only thing he lacks is consistency. Also the Giants are short on Starting Pitching. With Brad Penny leaving through Free Agency, Madison Bumgarner is penciled in as the #5 starter. If a injury, or poor start by any starting pitcher occurs then the Giants have only 1 or 2 pitchers in the Minors that could step in and have a decent chance of throwing a good game.

Dan Uggla's strength is power. Over the past 3 seasons, Uggla has batted .249, averaging 31 home runs per year. Moving to AT&T park, those home run totals are sure to decrease. The Giants have an mindset based on small ball, and defense. Uggla is not a small ball type player. Defensively is he not that great either.

Another problem the Giants would have is that Dan Uggla is a second baseman. A trade for Uggla would mean Freddy Sanchez would have to move to third, and Pablo Sandoval would move to first. Pablo is a better defensively as a third baseman, than a first baseman. Also Sanchez would move to third base, where he hasn't played in years, and would be forced to adjust to a unnatural position.

Financially this wouldn't be a great deal either. Dan Uggla is in an arbitration year, and his salary is expected to sky rocket. If the deal turns out to be only a one year contract, then a trade could be a one year rent-a-player situation. Brian Sabean has said he does not want to be in that type of situation.

Still, Uggla is an offensive force that could put thump into the Giants lineup. He is an all-star, and is a top offensive producer from the second base position. He also finished 9th in the NL in walks, a stat the Giants desperately need to improve. However, the Giants do not the pitching depth to trade Jonathon Sanchez for Uggla. If a trade could be worked out involving multiple, non elite prospects for Uggla then the Giants would have a bat in the lineup that can produce runs.

Garko Could Catch

Ryan Garko's (who the Giants traded for last July) stay in San Francisco may be coming to an end. After batting .285 and 11 home runs through July 28th for the Cleveland Indians, the Giants traded for Garko believing he could be a run producer for the Giants offense. That did not work out as Garko hit .235, 2 home runs, and 12 RBI's for the Giants. With that being said, Ryan Garko is still young, and should recieve another oppurtunity in San Francisco.

Right now the Giants are in need of a catcher to platoon with Buster Posey, as he continues to delevop. Ryan Garko is a catcher, and should be able to platoon with Posey. Ryan Garko was a catcher at Stanford University, where in 2003 he won the Johnny Bench Award(given to the nation's top catcher). He was a catcher in the Indian's farm system, until he switched to first base to recieve more playing time because at that time the Indians had a surplus of catching prospects.

Any of the veteran catchers that have been linked to receiving interest from the Giants are all would-be back-up catchers on any other ball club. Having spent the second half of last season in the National League, and given more time to get comfortable in the Bay Area, Ryan Garko should be able to improve the offensive game he showed as a Giant last season. Even a minimal improvement over what he did last season will be better than what some of the veteran catchers will contribute.

Watching Garko last season, it was easy to tell he hustled on every play. I think a switch back to his natural catcher position will be an easy transition for him. There is no doubt this will be an experiment if tried out by the Giants. But the way I see it, it is a low-risk and high reward scenario that needs to be explored. If Garko hits like many people believe he can, he will be a great offensive producing catcher. Ryan Garko is eligible for arbitration and after a decline in almost every statistical category last year, his pay of $420,000 should not increase very much. Letting Garko transition back into the catcher role will give Buster Posey his fair share of playing time and allowing him to grow into an everyday player.

Penny Signs With Cardinals

On the first day of the winter meetings, the Giants were in on a surprise. Brad Penny has reached a 1 year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals for 7.5 million dollars.

Early this week Brian Sabean had said he planned on trying to re-sign Penny this offseason. I'm pretty sure the money from both clubs were competitive, so I think Penny would rather be a Cardinal. However, the loss of Penny may be a good thing.

With Brad Penny out of the picture, it leaves Madison Bumgarner an opportunity to be the #5 pitcher in the rotation. He is one of the best prospects in the major leagues and this his chance to show what he has. Last season Bumgarner pitched well in limited action. In 10 innings pitched, he only allowed two earned runs (1.80 ERA) and he also struck out 10 batters.

The Giants should now shift their focus on getting a long reliever who could start in case injury or problems with the rotation. Two seasons ago Barry Zito struggled and was moved to the bullpen, the same thing happened to Jonathon Sanchez this past season. In case one of these pitchers, or Bumgarner struggle and are sent to the bullpen, or minors in the case of Bumgarner, the Giants will need a pitcher who can keep them in the game.

49ers Playoff Chances

After a stellar start, the 49ers reached hit a road block. That road block has put them in their current scenario where at 5-6 they are 2 games behind the Cardinals in the NFC West division.

With 5 games left in the season, the 49ers have a decent shot at making the playoffs. Of their remaining games they play two teams with winning records. Those games are against Arizona and Philidelphia, however both these games take place away from Candlestick Park. The other three games are against Seattle, St.Louis, and Detroit.

On the other hand Arizona also plays two teams with winning records. They will play Minnesota, and Green Bay, both of which beat the 49ers in close games. Also on their schedule are the 49ers, Seahawks, and Detroit Lions.

The 49ers are currently on a winning streak, although only 1 game, this streak will have to continue for any chance of them to win the division. All eyes are looking at the big showdown against Arizona that takes place on Monday Night Football next week. However, the 49ers can not be caught sleeping this week against Seattle because a loss will put them in a huge hole that would seem insurmountable to come out of.