DeRosa passes Giants physical; announcement tomorrow

Henry Schulman
SFGate/The Splash blog/San Francisco Chronicle

UPDATE: A Giants spokesman just told me DeRosa was in San Francisco today for his physical, which he passed. The deal is done and will be announced tomorrow.

Doesn't look like an Uribe announcement is imminent.

If my friends Ken Rosenthal at Foxsports.com and Jayson Stark at ESPN are correct -- and they usually are -- the Giants have reached agreement with free-agent infielder Mark DeRosa on a two-year deal worth $12 million, which would be the team's biggest move this winter to bolster the offense.

DeRosa, who turns 35 in February, is an interesting case. He can play any infield position except short and the outfield. He seems to be the type of complementary offensive player the Giants used to acquire to fill out a lineup for Barry Bonds.

In truth, that is the only kind of player available in free agency now aside from Matt Holliday and Jason Bay, who can be considered offensive "difference-makers." If you believe the reports, one (Holliday) is demanding too much money and the other (Bay) doesn't want to play in San Francisco.

Trading for that kind of hitter would require the Giants to weaken its biggest asset, its pitching, so the strategy appears to be adding what GM Brian Sabean likes to call "professional hitters" to the lineup in hopes they and perhaps a burgeoning prospect such as Buster Posey will help score enough runs to support the pitching.

I'm sure the Giants would have loved to get Nick Johnson and his .400 on-base percentage. DeRosa is not that kind of hitter. But he does have a career .343 OBP, which is not bad by current Giants standards, and hit 23 home runs with 78 RBIs for Cleveland and St. Louis last season.

He hurt his wrist shortly after he was traded to the Cardinals in July and had surgery after the season. That makes the Giants' physical, which reportedly occurred today, more than a formality.

I'm not sure what a DeRosa signing would mean for talks with Juan Uribe. Conceivably, the Giants could sign both. DeRosa could play some games in left field with Uribe at third and Pablo Sandoval at first. Or DeRosa could play third or first with Sandoval at the other corner, Uribe at short and Edgar Renteria on the bench.

In any case, the dual signings would give manager Bruce Bochy more flexibility.

Still on the docket for the Giants: a catcher, a fifth starter and some relief help. And who knows? Maybe Bay has balked himself out of consideration in Boston and New York and might decide San Francisco and the Giants' money -- if they're willing to spend it -- don't look so bad after all.

Source: Mark DeRosa ungergoes Physical for Giants

Jayson Stark
ESPN.com

Mark DeRosa took his physical for the San Francisco Giants on Monday, according to a source familiar with the club's negotiations. So only that physical stands in the way of DeRosa agreeing to a two-year deal with the Giants.

As ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney reported last week, DeRosa has been on the verge of accepting a two-year contract offer from the Giants since before Christmas. That offer, according to si.com, is for a total of $12 million over the two seasons.

The 34-year-old free agent has been pursued by a number of teams this winter, including the Yankees, Mets, Cubs, Cardinals, Braves and Phillies, but hasn't been able to find a club willing to give him the three-year deal he was originally seeking.

The Giants would use DeRosa primarily at third base, but he is also expected to see action at several other positions. He has played more than 20 games at every position except catcher and pitcher in his 12-year career.

DeRosa had wrist surgery in late October to repair a torn tendon sheath. So the physical, in his case, is more than a formality. However, he's expected to be ready for spring training.

San Francisco also is working to finalize a contract to bring back infielder Juan Uribe.

Jayson Stark is a senior baseball writer for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Uribe close to deal with Giants

Ken Rosenthal
FoxSports.com

Free-agent infielder Juan Uribe is close to returning to the Giants on a one-year contract with a club option for 2011, according to a major-league source.

The Giants are still looking for a regular first or third baseman. The addition of one or the other likely would mean that Uribe would remain in a super-utility role.

The team’s other targets include free-agent third baseman Adrian Beltre and free-agent infielder/outfielder Mark DeRosa. A trade for Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla also is possible.

Uribe, 30, batted .289 with 16 home runs, 55 RBIs and an .824 OPS in
398 plate appearances last season. He appeared at second base, shortstop at third.

Giants shortstop Edgar Renteria, 34, played in only 124 games last season and second baseman Freddy Sanchez had shoulder trouble, increasing Uribe’s value to the team.

In nine major-league seasons with the Rockies, White Sox and Giants, Uribe has a career batting line of .257/.298/.430.

San Francisco Giants look to add a hitter

Andrew Baggarly
Mercury News

There shouldn't be any question what Giants general manager Brian Sabean needs to find when the checkered flag falls on the winter meetings at the end of this week.

A hitter. Probably two. Or at least a few solid leads.

It could be a slugging trade target like Florida Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla. It could be a free agent with on-base abilities like first baseman Nick Johnson.

But the action is on Sabean to find someone. He might have just received a two-year extension from managing partner Bill Neukom, but fans are restless. The Giants have played two seasons in the post-Barry Bonds era, and Sabean is no closer to building a respectable lineup.

Their dynamic pitching staff, fronted by Tim Lincecum's once-in-a-generation arm, led the Giants to an 88-win year — snapping a streak of four losing seasons — but nobody felt good about depriving that talented staff a shot at the playoffs.

When the Giants scored at least three runs, they were 76-25, the best winning percentage in the majors. When they didn't? Try 12-49.

Even a league-average offense would have been good enough. But the Giants ranked last with a .309 on-base percentage, making them the most prodigious collection of out-makers in the major leagues.

So Sabean isn't discriminating. He will take a productive stick wherever he can find one. He would like to keep Pablo Sandoval at third base and Freddy Sanchez at second base, but both players can slide to other infield positions, giving the Giants flexibility to maintain a longer list.

Uggla, a sorely needed right-handed pull hitter, is widely believed to top that list. With the Marlins perennially fighting to keep their payroll at modest levels, they are expected to actively shop the arbitration-eligible second baseman. But Sabean said he won't give up any prime assets for a player getting close to free agency, and the Marlins are asking for players like left-hander Madison Bumgarner. Expensive veterans such as Randy Winn, Randy Johnson and Dave Roberts are off the books, and the Giants will save a chunk by letting Bengie Molina, their ill-fitting cleanup hitter the past two seasons, sign with another club.

But there's no windfall to spend without a serious payroll spike, which isn't in the plans. Lincecum is expected to receive a record-setting raise in salary arbitration; left-hander Jonathan Sanchez and closer Brian Wilson are due raises, too. Sabean already has said the Giants won't have the money to pursue outfielders Jason Bay and Matt Holliday, the top two offensive free agents on the market.

The Giants will go shopping on the second tier. Along with Nick Johnson, that market includes first baseman Adam LaRoche, outfielder Jermaine Dye, third baseman Adrian Beltre, outfielder Xavier Nady, outfielder Johnny Damon and infielder Miguel Tejada.

Dye, an Oakland native who grew up in Vacaville, might be the most affordable hitter with demonstrated power potential. He fits the Sabean mold of a battle-tested veteran with postseason success and a proven track record. He also hit .179 in the second half of last season, though, and advanced metrics grade him as one of the poorest defensive left fielders in baseball.

The Giants already made perhaps their most important decision this winter, determining that prospect Buster Posey isn't ready to be an everyday catcher in the big leagues. Ivan Rodriguez, Yorvit Torrealba and Brad Ausmus have been linked to the Giants, but players such as Miguel Olivo, Rod Barajas and Jason Kendall might be more likely targets.

Ideally, the Giants also would sign a No. 5 starter so their other top prospect, Bumgarner, can begin the season at Triple-A Fresno. Brad Penny rejected a one-year offer, and if he doesn't circle back, Sabean will look to sign another starter to an affordable one-year deal.

If the market leaves him with few choices, Sabean said he would look to re-sign Bob Howry or another veteran reliever to fortify the staff that way. Regardless, it doesn't appear the Giants have the starting-pitching depth to trade an arm for a bat.

Neukom's timeline calls for the Giants to contend in 2010 and beyond. They took a 16-game step up in the standings last season, but it will take a lot more roster refurbishing to continue their upward trajectory.

Sabean might have won Neukom's approval, but for many of the team's paying customers, he still has a lot to prove.

Giants do not offer arbitration to Molina or any of their other free agents

Andrew Baggarly
Extra Baggs Blog/Mercury News

The Giants did not offer arbitration to any of their free agents, including Type A catcher Bengie Molina. While this doesn’t mean the organization is cutting ties with Molina, it’s clear that GM Brian Sabean didn’t want his cleanup hitter back on a one-year contract. Molina would’ve earned more than his $6 million salary last season.

Randy Winn and Bob Howry were Type B free agents. The Giants won’t get any draft-pick compensation if those players sign with other clubs.