Uncle Barry (Zito) is a Giant

by Dex on Dec 28, 2006 10:38 AM PST in News

Well, there goes Uncle Barry. You know, Barry's not that common of a name and now the Giants have two of them. I wonder what the head of marketing is thinking. He or she must be salivating.

What does this mean for us? It means that I guess the Giants want to try to win games. It also means that the chances of Randy Johnson coming here have officially dropped almost completely off of the table. It also also also means that David Wells is suddenly looking really good to shore up that rotation of ours.

It's not that I'm really scared of Barry Zito being in the same division. It's just that I actually am really scared of Barry Zito being in the same division.

*le groan*

Other links for you to peruse...

Nice article on Tony the Gwynn. My favorite quote:
Gwynn struck out only 434 times in 20 years; Cincinnati's Adam Dunn struck out 434 times in 2½ seasons.
Haha, Adam Dunn. You suck.
Adam J. Morris, who does not suck and in fact runs the SBNation Texas Rangers blog has some musings on Chris Young. Interesting reading.
And a touching article on Gwynn and his late father. Apparently, the elder Gwynn wasn't as keen on San Diego as Tony The. During the fire sale:
"'You've got to go,'" said Gwynn, quoting his father in a 1999 article printed in the San Diego Union-Tribune. "'They're not trying to win down there. You deserve to win.' I said, 'But Dad, I'm happy here. This is where I was meant to be. San Diego and me, we're a perfect fit.'"

Shortly thereafter, his father died of a massive heart attack.
So the Werner Fire Sale basically killed Tony Gwynn's dad. Just one more reason to hate that particular ownership.

Tweet Comment 31 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Zito..

Honestly Dex, I'm not that concerned. Yeah, they got a marquee name, but how's that bullpen of theirs doing? Wasn't that one of the Giant's shortcomings last season? Who's going to close for them? Not taking anything from Uncle Barry, he's a great starter but even with his addition to their rotation, I still think our Padres have the advantage. I mean come on, $18 mil per season for 7 years??

by Greene Finger on Dec 28, 2006 10:56 AM PST reply actions

Giants promise Boche world

and follow through. They have given him a good team to coach, so let's see if he is as bad a coach as I thought he was.

by planetjeffy on Dec 28, 2006 11:10 AM PST reply actions

Total disagreement....

How are the Giants a "good team to coach"? They added Barry Zito to a roster with an average age of about 63. The contract that they gave Zito makes Soriano's contract look like a bargain. Sabean knew the kind of money the Mets and the Rangers were offering...and then he added about $40 million dollars more to the deal. Stupid, stupid, stupid. The have a 42-year old asshole in RF who can barely walk. They have a 34-year old, injury prone CF that honestly can't play CF. I love Uncle Barry...he's a damn good pitcher...but this contract is ridiculous.

"Boros is not with the team today because he's attending his daughter's funeral. Oh, wait, it's her wedding." - Jerry Coleman

by Drama on Dec 28, 2006 12:07 PM PST up reply actions

hold on there partner

a 34yo CF that is injury prone and can't play CF? Are you referring to our man Dave Roberts? Injury prone? He busted his knee sliding into a fence in Anaheim last summer and spent exactly 15 days on the DL. I'd hardly call him fragile. And he's a great CF, takes perfect routes to the ball, gives up his body, communicates with his fellow fielders. At the end of 2007 it will be very close to judge who was more valuable to his team, Cameron to the Pads or DR to the Giants. Remember, a capable leadoff hitter has value.

And Uncle Barry's contract, definitely not ridiculous. Look at the Market this year, Carlos Lee got $100m! And he turned down more (ironically from the Giants) to go to H'town. Uncle Barry has never been on the DL, makes 35 starts a year, and oh yeah he's a LHP. Have you seen his curveball? I would do anything to stand in and take 10 cuts at 10 UB curveballs. I bet I wouldn't make contact with one of them.

The kid is 28. I am not surprised he got a 6-7 year contract. With Boras as an agent I actually thought he might get a 8-10 year contract and be the 2nd player to break the $200m mark. That the Giants picked him up for $126m/6 and/or $137/7 is a pretty good deal for them. And a bad deal for the Padres. We'll have to face him 3-5 times in 2007 and be lucky to win half of those.

UB in the NL.... I'll bet he picks up a Cy Young in one of the next three seasons...

Relax, all right? Don't try to strike everybody out. Strikeouts are boring! Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic.

by TheRevRun on Dec 28, 2006 12:22 PM PST up reply actions

re: Doc...

RevRun...don't take that the wrong way. I love Doc. Without him we wouldn't have won the division the last two seasons. Here are my concerns with him. He's never played in more than 130 games in a season. In the last five seasons he's averaged 118 games a year. I think he is a damn good LF...but he doesn't have the arm for CF.

Here's why the Uncle Barry deal is ridiculous: the best deal on the table was from the Rangers at six-years, $87 million. Why in the world would Sabean counter at 7-years, $126 million? It's a $40 million dollar difference! AND A FULL NO TRADE CLAUSE?? Yes, he's 28. Yes, he has a sick curveball. Yes, I was praying he'd end up in the AL so we wouldn't have to face him. I desperately wanted to see Zito in a Padre uniform...but I'm glad we're not the ones holding that contract.

"Boros is not with the team today because he's attending his daughter's funeral. Oh, wait, it's her wedding." - Jerry Coleman

by Drama on Dec 28, 2006 12:55 PM PST up reply actions

Contract might be bad

But as far as on the field goes, the Giants definitely got better. It's not about wins per dollar spent in any given season, it's just about wins. Sure, the contract may hurt them in the long run, but for next year, the Giants just added a pretty good pitcher to the mix.

by Dex on Dec 28, 2006 12:58 PM PST up reply actions

Uncle Barry...

I'm not arguing about his talent. He's 28, a lefty and his curve is nasty as hell. BUT...I just don't get what Sabean is thinking. He overpaid for Doc. He got into a bidding war with himself on the Barry Bonds deal. NO ONE was interested in Bonds...and Sabean gave him a $16 million dollar deal PLUS an additonal $4 million in incentives! And now with Zito, he didn't just outbid the Mets and Rangers...he did it by over $40 million dollars...and then threw in a full no-trade clause to boot.

"Boros is not with the team today because he's attending his daughter's funeral. Oh, wait, it's her wedding." - Jerry Coleman

by Drama on Dec 28, 2006 1:06 PM PST up reply actions

re: Uncle Barry

If he starts 35 games a season in each of the next seven seasons...he'll make almost $515,000 PER START.

"Boros is not with the team today because he's attending his daughter's funeral. Oh, wait, it's her wedding." - Jerry Coleman

by Drama on Dec 28, 2006 1:17 PM PST up reply actions

Would it be a stretch to say...

the Uncle upped the Anti!

by ABY on Dec 28, 2006 4:36 PM PST up reply actions

Or...

with an average of 100 pitches a start, he'll earn 5,000 a pitch...

by Mikegedup on Dec 28, 2006 4:52 PM PST up reply actions

how much for one pitch?

Relax, all right? Don't try to strike everybody out. Strikeouts are boring! Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic.

by TheRevRun on Dec 29, 2006 2:44 AM PST up reply actions

Only because TheRevRun asked for this....

Over the last six seasons...UB has averaged around 105 pitches a start. If he starts 35 games in each of the next seven seasons...he'll make just under $4,900 a pitch.

"Boros is not with the team today because he's attending his daughter's funeral. Oh, wait, it's her wedding." - Jerry Coleman

by Drama on Dec 29, 2006 6:26 AM PST up reply actions

was my post...

not good enough? Sniffle...

by Mikegedup on Dec 29, 2006 12:14 PM PST up reply actions

Sorry, man...

In my excitement to figure it out I posted before I read your reply.

"Boros is not with the team today because he's attending his daughter's funeral. Oh, wait, it's her wedding." - Jerry Coleman

by Drama on Dec 29, 2006 8:42 PM PST up reply actions

my feelings...

exactly. Everyone gets so caught up in the economy of these deals. A teams monetary efficiency really doesnt make them good. I understand trying to get the best bang for the buck, but larger market teams arent constricted like that. This made giants better, period.

by Mikegedup on Dec 28, 2006 1:52 PM PST up reply actions

Better?

I'm pretty sure that's what most people were saying the day that the Texas Rangers signed Alex Rodriguez.

"Boros is not with the team today because he's attending his daughter's funeral. Oh, wait, it's her wedding." - Jerry Coleman

by Drama on Dec 28, 2006 1:59 PM PST up reply actions

Well, the A-Rod deal did make them better

but it wasn't better enough. Money like this is basically flushed if it doesn't get you to the postseason, because the marginal benefit of going from 75 to 80 wins is definitely not $18 million. And I would say that's what the Giants just did. And the Giants are definitely not built to win beyond next year. They need a massive rebuilding, and Zito at $18 million is not a good investment for a team that should concede a couple of years to rebuild.

by benrb on Dec 28, 2006 2:04 PM PST up reply actions

Disagree...

The Rangers were 71-91 in 2000. A-Rod was signed before the 2001 season.

73-89
72-90
71-91

And at least A-Rod was on the field every game instead of every fifth game.

"Boros is not with the team today because he's attending his daughter's funeral. Oh, wait, it's her wedding." - Jerry Coleman

by Drama on Dec 28, 2006 2:14 PM PST up reply actions

Cameron v. Roberts

Cameron is the better hitter and fielder. Cameron is also a year younger than Roberts. Roberts is injury prone because, well, he's suffered a lot of injuries over his career.

Zito is a good pitcher, not an ace anymore, who depends on his outfield defense quite a bit. He'll be helped by the park, but killed by his outfield defense. The Giants in general are not a good team. Their offense is horrible, their team defense is going to be decent in the infield but bad in the outfield in a huge park, their starting pitching could be anywhere from good to below average, and their bullpen is going to be pretty bad. This is an 80 win team, max.

by benrb on Dec 28, 2006 1:40 PM PST up reply actions

Doc in CF

Roberts gets a very poor jump on the ball when he is in center. For a fast guy, he has slow reaction to the batted ball. His arm, while accurate, is not strong. He is, though, an above average LF, where he has less ground to cover, his arm strength is not as important, and his consistency pays off.

by Enzo Hernandez on Dec 29, 2006 2:07 PM PST up reply actions

Money

The amount they paid for Zito is irrelevant to whether he makes the team better this year. Though if it affects their ability to sign other players in the future, it will matter then. SF's starting rotation is comparale to San Diego's. Zito and Cain are a great 1-2, better than Peavy and Young.

by Enzo Hernandez on Dec 29, 2006 2:09 PM PST up reply actions

The good news

is that Padres fans can expect to see the Giants really, really, really, REALLY regret this deal in the coming years. 7 years with an option for 8? AND a no trade clause? WTF are they thinking?

As Barry falters, as most every pitcher does...this contract is gonna haunt them.

by thenerdhater on Dec 28, 2006 11:46 AM PST reply actions

whoa... what's with the harsh words for Werner?

Dex,

You know that I am rookie Padres fan in relative terms, so I apologize in advance if I sound out of line. Last summer was our first summer in San Diego and the Padres and I sorta adopted each other.

I am reading an AMAZING book right now, called "Feeding the Monster". It's sorta the Red Sox version of Moneyball in a roundabout way. I gotta say that this book makes John Henry and Tom Werner look like a couple of natural born do-gooders. (and it is filled with interesting references to Lucchino's and Epstein's turn with the Padres).

So my question is:
What happened here in SD that caused you to feel so bitter towards Werner? Did you have a Cosby Show incident? Do tell...

Relax, all right? Don't try to strike everybody out. Strikeouts are boring! Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic.

by TheRevRun on Dec 28, 2006 12:00 PM PST reply actions

Werner...

RevRun,

All you need to know about Tom Werner is this:

1993: 61 wins, 101 losses, 43 games back

In San Diego, Tom Werner was the devil.

"Boros is not with the team today because he's attending his daughter's funeral. Oh, wait, it's her wedding." - Jerry Coleman

by Drama on Dec 28, 2006 12:16 PM PST up reply actions

Werner

Oh I'm sure Werner's a nice guy, but like Drama pointed out, we had the makings of a really good team and suddenly everybody was gone. I've read all the stuff talking about how they were building for the future and all that, but honestly, we ended up with a bad team before we got better.

Also, it's just fun to pick on Werner like everybody else does in San Diego.

by Dex on Dec 28, 2006 12:55 PM PST up reply actions

Werner's influence

This isn't Dex, but Werner nearly destroyed the franchise here. In 1993, he forced GM Randy Smith to trade away most of the team's core, including Darrin Jackson, Gary Sheffield, Fred McGriff, Bruce Hurst, and Greg Harris.

Amazingly, despite dealing from a position of no strength (he had to move these players and everyone knew it), Smith got some pretty strong returns. Jackson turned into Derek Bell, who later was a key piece in the deal that brought Ken Caminiti and Steve Finley to San Diego. Sheffield landed Trevor Hoffman, while Hurst and Harris brought Brad Ausmus and Andy Ashby here.

Being a fan of the Padres during the Werner era was a lot like being a Marlins or Expos fan under Loria's watch. Baseball exists in San Diego today despite Werner, not because of him.

Geoff @ Ducksnorts (and Knuckle Curve)

by Geoff on Dec 28, 2006 3:09 PM PST up reply actions

Well said, Geoff.

Also, the phrase "Quality for Quality" was born from this era.

Juan Nieves, we hardly knew ya.

Live Fast Cy Young!

by The Swingin Punk Friar on Dec 28, 2006 3:31 PM PST up reply actions

Damn Giants!!

Ok, is anyone else sick of them picking up all these guys with San Diego connections? Ugh.

Uncle Barry did well for himself - funny thing since the word on the playground was that he was going to go for the money this time around since this was his big opportunity to get a huge deal. And he did.

Saw the Padres projected lineup in the paper this morning. Um, is that striking any fear into any pitchers? No!

I'm with you Dex. Le sigh

Christina

by Christina on Dec 28, 2006 8:03 PM PST reply actions

NL West in SI

Here's an article from SI. Basically the author states that he does not believe that Zito will be a factor and predicts the Giants to finish 4th.
His #1 pick. The D-Backs??

Also throws in a few cents on M. Giles.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_blogs/mlb/chatter_up/2006/2006/12/barry-barry-zito.html

by jburtrum1 on Dec 28, 2006 10:01 PM PST reply actions

D Backs

I agree with him in that the Diamondbacks probably have the best young core of position players. Their problem has always been pitching.
I'm not sure what he sees in L. Hernandez and D. Davis other than arms who can eat innings. I definately would not be thinking first place with those two as my 2 and 3 starters.

by S4ilorguy on Dec 29, 2006 12:43 AM PST up reply actions