Last month, the Giants made three little moves, for differing price tags, that I actually like. On November 1, they signed right-handed pitcher Justin Miller to a minor league contract with a spring training non-roster invitation (NRI). I like Miller for more than his status as baseball’s answer to Dennis Rodman. The game’s great illustrated man has his uses as a righty specialist, so if he earns his keep in camp and gets a shot at situational stardom, I don’t see the harm. Who knows, San Francisco may be exactly the place for a man with as much ink as Miller to get props and a fan club.
First baseman Josh Phelps, signed on November 3 to a minor league contract with a spring training NRI, has been a massive disappointment, a rival with Andy Marte for the title of most-wasted-draft-choice of more than a few of my fantasy teams, but if he makes it as a platoon partner for Travis Ishikawa, that’s not so terrible. If that doesn’t work, he’s going to make some kids in Fresno very happy by launching a few souvenirs, and nothing’s wrong with keeping an affiliate happy, is there?
But it’s Jeremy Affeldt who is the big deal, because he’s here for the big bucks. ($8 million over two years.) It’s not really complicated. It’s a good deal and a reasonable price, a pickup of a lefty reliever with heat who can pitch against anybody, not just in some matchup-minded Tony LaRussa wet dream, and now that he’s liberated from the GAP in Cincinnati, his strong ground-ball tendencies should choke the life out of opposing offenses with that much less concern that a mistake up in the zone becomes instant runs on the scoreboard. Away from the Rhineland, Affeldt held major-league hitters to .203/.271/.305 and a 1.77 ERA, against .302/.362/.488 (and seven of his nine homers allowed). His 2007 stint with the Rockies aside, he’s had to spend most of his career playing for lousy teams in bad venues, and while the Giants aren’t a good team, he’ll at least have a beautiful place to play, and he’s making a pretty penny or two. I really anticipate that these next two years could set him up for a really big score on the market after 2010, when somebody’s going to have the good sense to make him the new Dave Righetti. As is, if you had me picking between Affeldt and Brian Wilson to nail down close ballgames, I’d prefer Affeldt, but if this means that Affeldt makes sure those leads still exist after the seventh and eighth innings, and Wilson gets the glory stats until arbitration or good sense puts him someplace else, that works.
