Have the Giants Done Enough in the Offseason?

Other than a bounce-back season from Pablo Sandoval, things couldn’t have gone much worse for the San Francisco Giants’ offense. Buster Posey missed four months, Freddy Sanchez missed 3.5 months, Pablo Sandoval missed seven weeks, Aubrey Huff, Andres Torres, and Cody Ross were non-factors, and they had Miguel Tejada, Brandon Crawford, and Orlando Cabrera going through the turnstiles at shortstop.

To get an idea of how bad those three actually were offensively, look at their slash lines. Tejada had a slash line of .239/.270/.326. Crawford had a slash line of .204/.288/.296. Cabrera had a line of .222/.241/.270.

Just to summarize, the Giants replaced their Opening Day shortstop who couldn’t hit or field with a guy that couldn’t hit, and then replaced him with another guy who couldn’t hit or field. It shouldn’t come to anybody’s surprise that Orlando Cabrera retired and Miguel Tejada still can’t find a job.

Going into Spring Training this season, there are a few reasons to be optimistic. By all accounts, Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez are progressing nicely in their rehab. Having those two back in the lineup instantly improves the National League’s worst offense (only Seattle scored fewer runs in all of baseball).

The additions of Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan also should improve their offense, considering they’re replacing Cody Ross and Andres Torres. Both couldn’t hit their way out of a wet paper bag last season.

After a roller coaster rookie season, Brandon Belt looks poised to have a productive season after playing well this offseason in the Dominican Republic (.300/.395/.470).

But is that enough to win the division? There is no doubt that Buster Posey dramatically improves the offense. One of the reasons he is valuable offensively is because he is an elite hitter relative to other catchers, but he is not Prince Fielder, he is not Jose Bautista, and he is not a savior for this porous offense.

Speaking of Jose Bautista, there is a worse than even money chance that he hits more home runs than the Giants’ starting outfield combined. The Giants’ two big offseason acquisitions, Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan, now make up two-thirds of a bottom-five outfield in baseball. Can Melky Cabrera have a repeat of 2011? Hell, I think the Giants would take 75% of his 2011. The outfield is improved over last season, but only marginally.

Also, with all three outfield spots essentially locked up, where does Brandon Belt play? If Aubrey Huff is given the first shot at first base to see if he can regain his 2010 form, Belt will be the odd man out. I think the Giants should’ve just offered arbitration to Ramon Ramirez and non-tendered Andres Torres instead of trading for Angel Pagan. They would’ve been able to put Cabrera in center and Belt in left. It would’ve found a way to get the most pop into the lineup as possible, given Belt the stability of an everyday role that he needs, and kept the same bullpen depth as last season.

Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks, who won the NL West in a landslide, have closed the pitching gap with the Giants by acquiring Trevor Cahill, giving them a three-headed monster of Kennedy, Hudson, and Cahill. It isn’t Lincecum, Cain, Bumgarner, and Vogelsong, but with that offense, it might not have to be.

Arizona had the 4^th best offense in the National League last year and they’ve gotten better. Arizona is anticipating the return of Stephen Drew much like the Giants are with Freddy Sanchez. They’ve also added Jason Kubel in left field and have Paul Goldschmidt for a full season.

If you look down the road a bit, Arizona’s farm system is stacked with pitching prospects. Much to the dismay of Giants fans, Trevor Bauer, Archie Bradley, and Tyler Skaggs are coming down the pipes.

With that offense and pitching, and with those prospects in the farm system, it looks like Arizona could be the team with the target on their back in the NL West for the foreseeable future.