Possible Trade Plan (Brian Sabean Read)

I post often at Pro Sports Daily, which has a lot of dedicated and knowledgeable Giants fans, who are always willing to share ideas for the team. The following plan was suggested by one poster on the board, and I have to say I think it is a solid plan for the Giants: it appears doable and, most importantly, it is a plan that could get us into the playoffs.

First, we would sign the following players:

Eric Byrnes (OF) - 2 years/7 mil
Brian Schneider (C) - 1 year/2 mil
Juan Uribe (Utility) - 2 years/9 mil
Brad Penny (SP) - 3 years/12 mil
Rich Harden (SP) - 2 years/10 mil
Freddy Sanchez 3 year (2B) - 16 mil

Second, we would make the following trades:

Aaron Rowand for Milton Bradley (OF)
Sanchez/Bowker/Kieschnick/Garko/Valdez for BJ Upton (OF) and Pena (1B) from Tampa Bay.

With those acquisitions we could have the following lineup:

1. Sanchez (2B)
2. Upton (CF)
3. Sandoval (3B)
4. Pena (1B)
5. Bradley (LF)
6. Uribe (SS)
7. Posey (C)
8. Schierholtz (RF)

On the bench we would have Velez, Ishikawa, Renteria, Byrnes, and Schneider.

Our rotation would be solid:

1. Lincecum
2. Zito
3. Cain
4. Penny
5. Harden

The bullpen would have Wilson, Romo, Affeldt, Runzler, Medders, Bumgarner, and Joaquin.

Why do I like this plan? First, it adds some much needed offense to our lineup. Bradley, Upton, and Pena are welcome additions. Sanchez, Schierholz, Panda, and Uribe are good or great bats we already have. Put that group together and, ladies and gentlemen, I present you a playoff team.

Second, our defense remains strong. Schierholtz has a great arm, and I really like him in right field. Upton is known for his speed and strength in center field. We would not need to worry about him there. Bradley is not the best defensive player, but I will take him out there in left field. Pena will play some good defense at first, Sanchez is an excellent second baseman, Uribe has been better at short than Renteria has all year, and Panda doesn't need any justifications. Some say Posey is not ready for the majors yet, and there is some indication that he might spend some time down in the minors next year. I really hope this is not the case. Sabean should bring him up. If he doesn't, Schneider can hold the fort down. At the very least, they could share the catcher's role for a while, until Posey is ready to take it on full-time.

Third, the pitching remains solid, if not better than it was last year. As I noted in older posts, I am a huge Brad Penny fan. I am very happy to have him on the team, and I hope we sign him again. Lincecum, Cain, and Zito are all great pitchers, and three of them are the core of our franchise right now. I liked watching Harden pitch when he played for the A's. I would love to have him on the Giants. His ERA is not phenomenal, although we are spoiled in San Francisco. He would be great in the number five spot.

Now, what is lacking? I really want Norichika Aoki to play for us. Really, really bad. The Giants need an offensive, every day superstar again. All franchises need their face. Right now we have Tim Lincecum, and he is great. Every Giants fan loves Tim Lincecum (yours truly is no exception). However, he is not an every-day player. With a city known for its Asian-American community, signing a big name player from the Asian market would be a very smart move. I am sure he would bring people to the stadium.
Aside from a marketing standpoint, Aoki is just a wonderful baseball player. He is great with the bat and quick around the base pads. Bring Aoki t
o SF! If he could fit into our plans somehow, I implore Brian Sabean to pick up this wonderful player!