The Winning Catch?

On Monday, Brian Sabean continued his flurry of free-agent spending as the Giants signed long time St. Louis Cardinal, Mike Matheny, to a 3-year, $10.5m deal. Matheny, 34, is a three-time gold glover -- including both this year and the last. Coupled with the recent addition of Omar Vizquel, the Giants infield must now be considered one of the best in the land. At least defensively.

Matheny's arrival also signals the death knell for incumbent catcher, A.J.Pierzynski. And not a moment too soon. In 2004, Pierzynski posted career lows in average and on base percentage (9 walks in 512 plate appearances) while grounding into a franchise-record (and MLB leading) 27 double-plays. His defensive skills are average at best, and his arm is among the weakest the game, throwing out just 18.9% of would-be base-stealers in 2004. More significantly, he was at the center of a dispute in July between himself and the pitching staff, after refusing to discuss the opposing Atlanta lineup with Brett Tomko, he was subsequently described as a "cancer on the team." Matheny, by contrast, is a team leader -- not to mention sublime defensively. He has made just one error in the past two seasons, and threw out over 30% of runners in 2004. He will inspire the younger members of the pitching staff with his stellar glovework and broad wisdom of NL hitters.

The short straw is that Matheny is one of the lightest-hitting players around. His career batting average is a .239, while his career OPS (.693) is 42 points lower than that of Neifi Perez. Indeed, he is very much the catcher that Yorvit Torrealba could have been. Unfortunately for Torrealba, he looks destined for a career back-up role.

What is evidently troubling about the signings of Vizquel and Matheny is that they represent upgrades in areas of relative stability. The Giants already have a short-stop, albeit a mediocre one, in Deivi Cruz. And at $800,000, he's terrific value. Similarly, Torrealba will earn less than $750,000 in 2005. Yet the Giants have lashived almost $23m on their two infield acquisitons. San Francisco offered Matheny $6m more than St. Louis; they offered Vizquel $4m more than the White Sox. So what's the deal? Why not spend the money where it remains most desperately needed?

In short, Sabean loves veterans. He loves nipping the competition in the bud. He targets players outside the limelight, or jumps in before the race has even begun (see Armando Benitez). He has avoided the bidding wars that look set to make shortstops Edgar Renteria and Orlando Carbrera (a personal favorite of his) earn upwards of $9m. For now, provided Sabean can find an outfielder and a couple of arms in the bullpen, the Giants are in good shape. Indeed the candidates for these roles might come from within the organization: Dustan Mohr could be a legimate middle of the order hitter and has great instincts in the outfield. The bullpen in 2004 was mediocre, and has now lost Dustin Hermanson. Unless Matt Herges can rebound in 2005, the ballclub needs both a durable right and left-hander in their relief corps. So thin are available options, the ballclub is considering bringing back Jason Christiansen. Unless they can get him for $500,000, it's a terrible mistake. But that's not a priority. The acquisition of Benitez, on the other hand, was a nothing short of a coup, and vital recognition that the bullpen is one. At $7m, Benitez is not cheap -- and he's not fared well in the post-season -- but last year his numbers were better than Eric Gagne.

At this juncture, with the addition of two good and one very good players to the roster, the Giant's GM should at least be praised for his clarity and ambition -- no less his patience. For despite the temptations of uprgrading at the trade deadline in July Sabean, realizing his team was several pieces short of contending, refused to part with his brightest prospects. When the smoke cleared, only Felix Rodriguez had gone. Five months down the line, his bargaining chips intact, Sabean has moved swiftly and with the Giant's manifesto firmly in mind: It's 2005, or bust.