Manny Ramirez and the San Francisco Giants

There's been no reason for other fans to pay attention to the San Francisco Giants the last few years, so here's what I've gathered as a member of the Bay Area media who pays really close attention to what the club says is its plan...and, I know, this isn't anything about what this space is usually devoted to, but I feel like knocking bloggers and "rumors" merits me doing something that's, at least, based in fact...since the big sports news story of New Year's Day resulted from one sentence mention of Ramirez and the Giants in the Denver Post...

The Giants love left fielder Fred Lewis. If they are pursuing Ramirez, it's not about Aaron Roward or Randy Winn, it's about Lewis. And, Lewis is a below-average defender who would have to move to a spacious right field at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Lewis will play everyday for the Giants in 2009, based on what GM Brian Sabean said. If they are pursuing Ramirez...they're saying they believe Lewis is an athlete who can learn to play right field. Sabean said on KNBR radio recently that they love Lewis because he can hit at the top or in the middle of the order.

The Giants signed Aaron Rowand to a big free agent contract...he is their centerfielder. He had an off year with the bat in 2008. There's not the slightest hint from anybody in the organization that they'd trade him or even consider using somebody like Dave Roberts in some sort of platoon. It doesn't matter whether they overpaid to get Rowand...he's the centerfielder. They aren't trying to trade him to make room for Ramirez or anything.

And, Dave Roberts is just a part-time guy with a star player's contract. Even if they don't sign Ramirez, if a couple young players produce in spring training, the Giants would just unload Roberts. They put him on waivers late last year and nobody claimed him. Roberts has nothing to do with signing Ramirez.

Randy Winn's a professional ... he hit over .300 and drove in runs in a really really weak lineup in '08. People who mention him and Roberts in the same breath, as though they're the same type player, haven't followed Winn's career. He was often the only true big leaguer in the lineup in '08. They'd trade him, but...why? It's hitters they need and he's a hitter. His contract is too big to make him very marketable to start with...but, if they're pursuing Ramirez, they're saying they believe they can trade Winn. Winn's in the last year of his contract and...as mentioned, Lewis is going to play every day...he's the first guy to emerge as the Giants committ to their farm system.

The idea of spending Ramirez-type monoey on guys like Adam Dunn and third baseman Joe Crede doesn't make sense. They could get those two for the cost of Ramirez, but...why?

Dunn's a lefthand power hitter who would likely view cavernous AT&T Park as the last place he'd want to play 81 games. I believe his batting average in SF shows he just doesn't hit here. The Giants made an attempt to get Crede last winter when he was coming off the back injury. They passed and, really, they figure that they're OK with Pedro Sandoval at third and some platoon at first base.

Sandoval's a hitter who should be a catcher or at first base, but the Giants have to believe until they see if their second 2008 first-round draft pick Conor Gillespie's going to become a big leaguer. Plus...they have what they feel is an adequate first base platoon in Travis Ishikawa and Rich Aurilia. They have no such thing at third base...so, the young catcher who's the first star-potential prospect to come out of the Giants system in years is the third baseman for now.

Everything the Giants do now to the lineup is done with their belief that Buster Posey's going to make it to the big leagues very quickly. He was their first No. 1 in 2008...he's a catcher...he could, I think, play a corner infield spot as long as Benji Molina's finishing his contract in SF. Molina's a valuable trade piece, though, so when Posey's ready...Molina goes.

Sabean sounds like they could conceivably count on Posey making it to the big leagues this year. So...don't just list the anticipated everyday lineup...put Posey at the top of the lineup with a question mark as his position...then write in Sandoval with "3b-1b-c" after his name...then list a lineup...that's what the Giants are looking at as we wonder if they'd really sign Ramirez.

Sabean says he expects the free agent field to develop late and offer "bargains" like, as the San Francisco Chronicle's Henry Schulman pointed out Wednesday at sfgate.com, they got in right fielder Reggie Sanders and third baseman David Bell in the spring of 2002. They signed them around spring training time for very affordable deals. They were productive for that Giants World Series team. You can bet that, especially after signing Barry Zito on ownership's whim, Sabean will be really patient now.

This market's making it a lot harder for Dunn, Pat Burrell, Bobby Abreu and even Ramirez to get anywhere near the cash or the years they expected. So...sure...the Giants would sign Ramirez if he becomes what they consider a bargain given his overall value.

It's silly to say, "The Giants would NEVER sign Ramirez," because...the NL West's weak and a hitter could put them over the top. And, don't forget, these are tough economic times and folks aren't going to flock to AT&T Park just to soak the ambience by the bay to watch a 75-win team...ownership must realize they need to win games to attract fans in between Lincecum's starts...and Randy Johnson's starts as he chases those five wins to get to No. 300. And, really, they're looking at crowds of under 20,000 with the current lineup on nights those two aren't pitching. And, if Johnson's over the hill...it's a Lincecum sellout, then lots of empty seats.

Ownership didn't use public money to build the SF ball park. They're paying off the stadium. So...maybe..they see a short, expensive contract for Ramirez as spending money to make money.