Trade Barry Zito? Date Mila Kunis? The Answer is the Same. Not in Your Wildest Dreams...

 
Earlier today, Aaron Gleeman hit the nail on the head in a post about whether Brian Sabean would be willing to trade away Barry Zito. 

"Despite making $18.5 million this season as part of a seven-year, $126 million contract Barry Zito was left off the Giants’ playoff roster for all three rounds, but general manager Brian Sabean said yesterday that he has no plans to trade Zito this offseason.

You know why? Because he can’t.  In related news, I have no plans to date Mila Kunis.

Zito is still owed $18.5 million in 2011, $19 million in 2012, and $20 million in 2013, with an $18 million option or $7 million buyout in 2014. Which team is willing to assume what’s essentially a three-year, $64.5 million contract for a 33-year-old pitcher who went 1-10 with a 5.19 ERA in his final 15 starts?

Feel free to take your time thinking of answer. There isn’t one."

 Sometimes things just can't be said any better.

Baseball Musings

Just a few random thoughts as we head into the baseball offseason:

1. There are 3 months and 12 days left until pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training.  (Yes, I'm starting the countdown now.)  
2. As I texted to a friend earlier today, we are now living in a world where Brian Sabean is a World Series winning General Manager.  Hardball Talk's Matthew Pouliot, gives an in depth analysis about how Brian Sabean's incompetency led to the Giants being in position to draft some key players in the amateur draft.
3. Kevin Blackistone called Joe Morgan and Bill Plaschke two of baseball's "great minds."  I think I just threw up in my mouth.

Before Things Get Too Out of Control...

If the Giants end up winning their first World Series since 1954 tonight, I want to point out one thing.  Brian Sabean negotiated two of the top ten worst active contracts:  Barry Zito and Aaron Rowand.  Zito is owed another $62.5M over the next three seasons (including a $7M option buyout for 2014), and is not on the postseason roster.  Rowand is owned $27.2M over the next two seasons, and prior to tonight's game has accumulated eight plate appearances this postseason.  That's right eight. 

Sabean deserves a lot of credit for putting together a tremendous starting rotation.  (The four man playoff rotation happens to be one of only two World Series rotations that was entirely home grown.  The other was the 1986 Boston Red Sox.)  He also deserves a lot of credit for picking the likes of Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell off of the scrap heap.  I just want to make sure no one loses sight of the fact that Sabean has made several bad decisions that nearly crippled the franchise's ability to be competitive.  If they win tonight (or in Game 6 or 7), the credit belongs more to the players and field management, than it does to Sabean.