Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News reports that the Giants are going to take all of the time available to them -- all the way to the midnight deadline tomorrow night -- to decide what to do with Edgar Renteria’s option. It’s a $10 million option with a $500,000 buyout. I was of the impression that Renteria had already all but decided to retire, but apparently not. Or, apparently not without first collecting half a million in free money after the Giants decline the buyout.
Which they will do, right? Because World Series heroics aside, they don’t honestly think that Renteria is an everyday shortstop anymore, do they? Let alone one worth $10 million? If they do, maybe I don’t have to trash my “Brian Sabean doesn’t know what he’s doing” template after all. It’s Ctrl-X-7 on my keyboard if you’re curious, and it’s worn the hell out.
In other Giants news, they’d love to bring Juan Uribe back, but they figure he’s going to get multi-year deals elsewhere and may not compete. They’re also thinking hard about what to do about Pat Burrell. They like him, Baggarly reports, but they saw his limitations -- and likely future -- in brilliant technicolor during the World Series. If a reasonable deal could be done great, but he’s past the point of giving big money to. Baggarly is also told by anonymous Giants sources that they’d “entertain the idea” of going after Carl Crawford for left field, but I don’t think that’s exactly shocking. I entertain all kinds of unlikely scenarios during the day, but they rarely come to fruition. And, unlike the Giants, I don’t even have Barry Zito’s salary obligations preventing me from doing what I really want to do.
Whatever happens, this is going to be an interesting winter for the World Champs. Will they realize that, in a lot of ways, they were a lightning-in-a-bottle team and try to continue to build on that great core of pitching and that stud catcher? Or will they believe that Burrell, Renteria and guys like that know how to win and go back to their old vet-heavy days?