Giants won't rely on timing alone

Sporting News, The, Nov 24, 1997 by Jerry Crasnick

No offense to the Giants, but their N.L. West title was more a tribute to character and teamwork than overwhelming talent.

The definitive scene from the Giants' highlight film should be second baseman Jeff Kent brushing dirt off his uniform pants--or picking it out of his teeth.

The Giants were adept at coming up with clutch hits and winning close games. Every time manager Dusty Baker tugged on a wristband or adjusted those trendy wraparound shades, it seemed Brian Johnson or another foot soldier would respond with a home run.

The Giants have the nuscleus to make another serious run in 1998, but first general manager Brian Sabean must address key questions.

Shortly after the Giants lost to Florida in the division series. Sabean did some house keeping. He exercised the '98 contract option on starter Mark Gardner and passed on an option for catcher Damon Berryhill. Those moves left the Giants with 10 free agents--more than any other major league club.

"The age of a player living out his career in one place is over," Sabean says. "That's unfortunate for the fans, but it's the reality we deal with."

Things could be worse. According to Sabean, the Giants finished this season with a payroll of $34.5 million for their core roster and plan to stretch that figure to the high 30s in 1998. Florida G.M. Dave Dombrowski wishes he were so fortunate.

The Giants regard their free agents with varying interest. Glenallen Hill, Jose Vizcaino and Terry Mulholland pretty much arc history, nanny Darwin, at 42, also would seem to fit that category.

Sabean stands a better chance with Stan Javier, Doug Henry and Rich Rodriguez. But his biggest call will be selecting a closer. The Giants can choose from Rod Beck, Roberto Hernandez or Plan C--neither of the above.

"We're trying to juggle two balls to protect our interests," Sabean says. "We'd like to sign one for the right price and a reasonable length of time. If that fails, we might have to go out and take a look at the market. That doesn't scare us."

Sabean acquired infielder Charlie Hayes from the Yankees last week for two minor leaguers. He would like to add a lefthanded-hitting catcher to complement Johnson, another outfield bat, a veteran shortstop and some pitching help. The Giants already have $22 million committed to Barry Bonds and seven others, so they're dabbling in the Tom Candiotti-Willie Blair-Bobby Witt market rather than looking at a Darryl Kile or Andy Benes.

The N.L. West will provide even more of a challenge next year. The Padres should be better, the Rockies are pursuing Pedro Martinez and Kile and the Dodgers--although enigmatic--are as well-stocked as ever.

Baker, 1997 N.L. Manager of the Year and baseball's ambassador of cool, takes heart that the Giants built something significant this summer. They're not exactly starting from square one.

"Once you've had a taste of winning and think you've got a pretty good formula to win, that helps," Baker says. "It's a lot easier to follow a map than it is to create a map."

Center of interest

Now that so many teams have cooled on Kenny Lofton, it has created more of a market for free agent Brady Anderson. But a number of clubs also have approached Padres general manager Kevin Towers about Steve Finley.

Finley hit 28 home runs this year at the expense of his batting average and on-base percentage, which both fell noticeably But he continues to play the best defensive center field this side of Ken Griffey Jr. and Jim Edmonds.

Bonds, Larry Walker and Raul Mondesi won N.L. Gold Glove awards this season. If the managers and coaches had chosen a center fielder, it almost certainly would have been Finley, a Gold Glover in 1995 and 1996.

The Braves, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Mets and Cubs have expressed interest in Finley. Depending on their center field situations, the Orioles and Yankees could become more involved in the trade talks in the coming weeks.

Jerry Crasnick is the national baseball writer for the Bloomberg News Service. E-mail him at crasnick@sportingnews.com and see his responses at www.sportingnews.com and on our AOL site.