2009: A Giant dynasty

[Sparrow]

I am new to ootp9 and have really enjoyed the game so far. I am eagerly anticipating the 2009 MLB roster created by cubbyfan23. When that gets set up I will start a league as the manager for the San Francisco Giants. I intend to provide updates and news, from the perspective of a Giants beat writer. Some league wide news will be relevant and included, but it will primarily be revolving around the Giants.
I don't have the opportunity to play as much as I would like, so the league may move a bit slowly. I don't anticipate anyone reading this, therefore, no one will be impatiently awaiting future updates, but it sounds fun to both manage the Giants as I see fit, and provide commentary on the moves and games as well. I'm guessing the commentary won't be too critical.

Here are the specifications of the league. If anyone has any input before I start the league as to settings, or self-imposed rules, I would appreciate it.

College and High-school feeder leagues will be included, though autonomous.

I will manage the rosters of all the minor leagues, and control all promotions/demotions.

Trade difficulty will be on the hard setting. I will get the best trades I can and impose no restrictions.

Bonuses and incentives will try to remain realistic. MVP bonuses will not be included in contracts for players without a chance at winning awards. PA and IP bonuses will be reasonable as well.

The scouting budget will be no more than 3X league average when rebuilding, or 2 X league avereage when neutral or win now.

Waivers will be shut off for the first three days (rosters adjust), and I will be actively claiming players after that.

I'm really looking forward to doing this, and can't wait for the rosters to be released (thanks a ton cubbyfan23). My posts from now on will attempt to be in a different voice, one from a reporter. I just wanted to give an introduction to this thread, let everyone know my intentions, and solicit any advice for settings and self-imposed restrictions before I start. Thanks to anyone who offers help and welcome in case anyone sticks with this Giant dynasty.

[CRTsports.com]

Best of luck with your dynasty!!

[glenn]

Good luck with the Giants and with your dynasty writing.

[Sparrow]

Exclusive: Shortlist for SF Giants GM
San Francisco Chronicle
12-24-2008

I'd like to briefly introduce myself. My name is Dick Fieldman, and I am the new beat write for the San Francisco Giants. About me (quickly as I'm sure you care more about the team). I grew up a Baltimore Orioles fan, and have always loved baseball. I have covered the Bakersfield Blaze for the last three years. The San Francisco Chronicle and the San Francisco Giants liked my work, and now here I am. I don't have a rich knowledge of the Giants history, and by no means am a homer, and I will do my best to provide you inside, unbiased information on the Giants throughout my tenure here. I love San Francisco, and am oh so happy to be out of Bakersfield, but if the Orioles call...

As you all know, Bill Neukom recently fired Brian Sabean, as he wanted a fresh start as he took over the reign of the sometimes great, sometimes controversial, and more recently floundering Giants franchise. Rumors swirling out of the Giants Front Office is that a decision has been made on a replacement and that it will be announced on January 1st. Who is the replacement you ask? Well, I'm not that good of a reporter but I was able to get a list of the candidates, and I have been assured that the future GM will come from this group.

Pat Gillick: I was surprised to see his name on this list, as he seemed to retire on top and on his own terms. There is no disputing his success and I'm sure he would be embraced by the fans. "I loved Philadelphia and I love being a GM. I didn't retire because I was ready to move on from baseball, I just couldn't handle working with Ryan Howard anymore. " Pat Gillick

Brian Sabean: Another surprise here. Even though he was just fired, he is apparently on the short list. I can only speculate that Neukom wanted to build his team, and this way, it is his hire. "I don't feel my job here is done. I have more tires to kick, and I really want to see how some of the young guys we scouted and brought into the organization develop." Brian Sabean. I mentioned he could still follow the players development even if not a part of the organization. He told me that he finds the internet intimating, and that he hasn't yet figured out how to use his universal remote.

El Lefty Malo: My favorite Giants blogger is on the list. He has the experience in electronic print, but no accountability. He seems like a long shot to me. "In some ways it would be a dream job. But I kind of like the lack of accountability that comes with being a blogger, and I've got other stuff to do." El Lefty Malo. I don't anticipate the job goes to him but to all Giants and baseball fans I highly recommend his blog. Entertaining and insightful.

Reed Stevenson: A scout from within the Brewers organization. In some ways he is similar to Sabean, in that he is an on the field guy, and excels at evaluating talent. However, he is younger (30) and in a short interview mentioned he would be looking to rebuild the Giants without compromising the short term. This sounds like it aligns well with Neukom, and quotes he has made over the last few months. "I kind of can't believe my name is on this list. My fingers are crossed, I grew up a Giants fan and this would be a dream come true." Reed Stevenson

Sally Storms: She is unique on this list. She has been in the underground basement for the last 8 years working for the Tampa Bay Rays. She has no on the field experience, and is not going to be able to evaluate talent physically. However, she has absolutely excelled at using sabermetrics to identify players who are consistently undervalued . She is a real wild card, but considering Neukom's analytical background, watch out. She just might make the leap. "I don't think Andrew Friedman even knew my name, and now I've interviewed for a GM position? Weird. Exciting, but weird." Sally Storms


This is a strange mix of candidates. I expected Ng to be on this list, and people with more business experience who didn't just leave a team last year. So, will it be experience, or a fresh face? I'm pretty excited to find out. One thing that can be certain, Neukom wants the GM to live by and build the team according to the "Giant's Way." Does this mean no Manny?

I will be at the press conference and report to you as soon as I know.

Dick Fieldman

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by CRTsports.com

Best of luck with your dynasty!!

Originally Posted by glenn

Good luck with the Giants and with your dynasty writing.

Thanks. I can't wait for the rosters to be released so we can see who will be the GM, and what his vision for the team is.

[Sparrow]

Upcoming Interview With the New GM
A Giant Blog
12-29-2008

I have not been able to find out who the new GM is going to be. I have, however arranged the first interview with him, just after the Giants make the hire. I have a list of questions I am going to ask but I thought I see if the blogosphere community had any questions they would like asked of the new GM. I realize, without knowing who the GM will be, these questions will have to be generic to the team. You can pose questions by responding to this post, or sending me a pm. I realize I am new to the Giants beat writing community, and may not have established much of a readership so pm gives me a way to pretend like I got questions even if I didn't. Nothing like old fashioned journalistic integrity. So send me those burning questions, and we'll have them answered before the GM even has a thorough look over his roster.

Dick Fieldman

[Sparrow]

*A note from the creator of this thread*

I downloaded the new rosters this morning and was able to mess with them for a short while before going to work. To cubbyfan23, thanks again. I may poke fun at the rosters a bit in this thread, but it is in fun, and an excuse to bash on Brian Sabean, or members within the organization, not in any way a criticism of the work you have done. Additionally, apparently there is still another update planned by cubbyfan23, with refined pitcher ratings and minor leagues. I will not be running that one as I'm excited and anxious to start, and will simply accept that there may end up being a better roster out there.

I reverted the player progression to a modifier of 1 and the random changes to 100. I'm not familiar enough with the game to know whether I prefer them standard or not, so I thought I would start there and change them when I form my own opinion. I tried to add fictional players to fill the minors but I was on MLB level when I did it. I don't think any players were added, but there is the chance a few MLB teams got some fictional players. So it goes. I dedcided to use ghost settings. After a few drafts, the rosters should be pretty filled up at that point. I left trade settings on hard.

Work and family will limit the time I get to spend on this, but I will keep it moving as best I can. Advice on settings is always welcome, if anyone has any. Thanks

Oh, one other thing. I am using scouting, and the setting is on very high. Bumgarner was poorly rated by my scout so out of concern, I briefly turned scouting off to look at Bumgarner. He turned out to be highly rated. Not a good sign for my scout. This is the only player I looked at, and it is no surprise as he is highly rated by the baseball community, I figured it was safe that he would be well rated here as well. I will not be looking at any other players with scouting turned off. This struck me as odd though and I had to check.

[Sparrow]

Reed Stevenson Hired as GM for the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Chronicle
1-1-2009

Reed Stevenson has been announced as the new General Manager of the San Francisco Giants. This did seem like the right choice to me though I thought Sally Storms had a decent chance, with her expertise in all things statistical and quantitative. I didn't have much time to prepare this before it went off to morning print as I interviewed the new GM at 12:01 in the morning. Here are some excerpts from the interview.

Dick Fieldman "Congratulations. You must be pretty excited."

Reed Stevenson "You can't even believe. This is a dream come true. A stressful dream, that may not include much sleep, but a dream nonetheless."

DF "I have some questions I prepared. I also encouraged fans to contact me with any questions, but none have yet to..."

RS "Well, your inability to collect questions reflects on you, not the interest in me or the fan base."

DF "...OK. Well, it's late, or early, and I'm sure you want to get to work. Very little information was released as to why Brian Sabean was terminated. Do you have any more information on that?"

RS "I do. Neukom was not happy with Sabean driving the budget past the approved amount. That's pretty much the bottom line. It is tough as I now inherit a team that is over budget, and Neukom has been very clear that I am to go no where near the free agent market."

DF "So, it is safe to say Manny Ramirez won't be on the teams radar?"

RS "He is on our radar. We are going to be forced to watch him sign with the Dodgers. But not only no Manny no anybody. Unless we move some contracts, the only new acquisitions will be trades or minor league free agents. I wish I had the information in front of me as to how much over we are, but it is 11 or 12M I believe."

DF "So, how do you see the club moving forward?"

RS "Like many in parallel universes, the trend is to get younger and cheaper. Brian Sabean took a long time to recognize that. Teams that are successful have large contributions from home grown talent. We are a big market team, and if we can lower our salary we can be players in the free agent market again. But this needs to complement our home grown talent, not be the source of our talent. Theo Epstein has been model for how to accomplish this balance.

I should add that Sabean and the Giants have done a good job over the last couple years for getting talent in to the organization. We hope to keep a strong push in the international market, and get more guys like Villalona. Another nice signing was Rafael Rodriguez, but unfortunately he was caught using a banned substance, and as MLB becomes more strict on amateurs, he has been banned from the sport. A bit harsh for a 16 year old, but I understand trying to set an example. I just wish the example came from another organization.

Connecting this idea of international players, and being over budget. I convinced Neukom that we should shift to rebuilding. It is tricky because we don't have great trade chips as our core is a mix of young talent I don't anticipate trading, or older, overpriced talent that I don't anticipate being able to trade. I tried to convince Neukom that we need to invest heavily into scouting, well over the 2.3M league average. His reply was no more than 1.5M until you get us at or under budget. I'm just not sure if this is possible. So scouting may have to be on the back burner until we can get the budget under control."

DF "So I'm assuming your first moves will be cost cutting moves"

RS "Not necessarily, and my first move in fact is going to cost us money. I have already notified Bochy that we are moving in another direction. He was signed through 2009, so that cost us 2M. I am hoping to find a cheaper replacement, who will be better suited working with our young players as they continue to come up through the organization."

DF "Can you provide an insight on who you hope to move, or how you envision your starting lineup?

RS "I'm not prepared to discuss personnel at this point. I have not talked to the coaches or looked over reports as thoroughly as I would like at this point. We can talk about this during our next interview January 12th I believe. I will also be on KNBR with Ralph and Tom every Thursday starting January 15th, so that will be another source of information.

Thanks for taking the time, and again, I am very excited to be leading the Giants. Now if you'll excuse me I have some work to do."


There you have it. The new GM. A team without a manager. I had no idea the Giants were already over budget. I will try to get the exact number for you. Sounds like it is gong to be an exciting ride, but with a fair amount of challenges. It seems like the contracts of Zito and Rowand are posing real financial problems, and handicapping the Giants. Oh, and is Roberts still getting overpaid? I think so. Hopefully they will be able to increase the scouting budget before the season starts. The editor is breathing down my neck. That's all for today.

Dick Fieldman

[Sparrow]

Bochy Canned; Rodriguez Banned
San Francisco Chronicle
1-2-2009

Nothing new to report today. The league put a temporary moratorium on all roster moves until January 4th to allow for players to clear waivers. There was some sort of computer glitch that necessitated teams restructure their rosters.

Reed Stevenson took no time firing Bruce Bochy. Bochy was notorious for playing and favoring veterans, and apparently this didn't jive with the 30 year old GM's master plans. Sources tell me that Tony Madrid has been offered a contract reportedly a 3-year deal for $1M per year. He wasn't available for comment, but I anticipate he will accept the offer. Good with young players, and an excellent hitting instructor, he sounds like a perfect match.

Rafael Rodriguez was caught using HGH late last year. I was wondering why he was not on the Giants roster. MLB kicked him out of the league. I wonder what this means for Jordan Schafer, or if this new strict line only applies to amateurs.

Dick Fieldman

[Sparrow]

The New manager: Tony Madrid
San Francisco Chronicle
1-3-2009

Tony Madrid accepted the Giants offer and is the new skipper. The contract was a 5-year deal, $800,000. I wonder how Neukom feels about this increase in salary. Early reports around the league applaud this as a good first move for the new GM, Reed Stevenson.

Dick Fieldman

[Sparrow]

Manny to the Dodgers? Epstein Off to a Poor Start
San Francisco Chronicle
1-5-2009

The waivers have cleared and teams are allowed to begin making roster moves. A radio station in LA is reporting that Manny Ramirez is close to signing a $51M deal. Years were not reported though it sounds like a 2-year deal to me. We'll see if he accepts or holds out for more years. I know all Giants fans are hoping he ends up anywhere but in the NL West, especially not with the Dodgers.

The first trade of the years has been processed. The Red Sox and Indians took no time swapping players. Victor Martinez goes to the Red Sox for Youkilis, Yamaico Navarro, and $1.2M in cash. Personally I would rather have Youkilis and Navarro is a nice prospect so this move doesn't make much sense to me. Then again, the Red Sox have been perennial contenders, so maybe I shouldn't be questioning their moves. The Sox also receive a 22 year old LF R. Pena.

The Giants have asked teams about finding Dave Roberts a new home. The only GM who even listened was Walt Jocketty, and I think that was just so he could laugh at the rookie GM's offers. I'm sure other players have been discussed, but the Front Office is not leaking any names.

The A's signed Benson and Chuck James to minor league deals. Low risk moves that may pay off across the bay.

Dick Fieldman

[Sparrow]

Hafner
A Giant Blog
1-5-2009

In this mornings paper I forgot to include that Travis Hafner was sent down to A ball. This shocked me. I know he has struggled. This makes me think he has not yet recovered from his injuries. I wonder if this signals the end of his career.

Dick Fieldman

[Sparrow]

Around The League
San Francisco Chronicle
1-7-2009

There is talk of a trade brewing with Jon Daniels of the Texas Rangers. All Stevenson would say is that there is an ongoing discussion that includes "a lot of players." No more information was provided. There has been previous talk of bringing over Chris Davis. he would be a nice fit being able to play 1st or 3rd.

There was another trade completed today. The Padres and Tigers got together. The Friars receive Gerald Laird and 2.4M in exchange for Edgar Gonzalez and L. Durango. I hope Laird didn't unpack. I don't see this trade having much impact.

Dick Fieldman

[Sparrow]

11-Player Trade!
San Francisco Chronicle
1-9-2009

Reed Stevenson completed his first trade today,and it was with the Texas Rangers. It only cleared up $800,000 which essentially makes the hiring of Tony Madrid free. But you want to read about the trade.

The San Francisco Giants trade CL Justin Miller, RP Keichi Yabu, 1B Josh Phelps, 3B Scott McClain and CL Osiris Matos to the Texas Rangers, for C Max Ramirez, SS Elvis Andrus, RF Engel Beltre, CF Julio Borbon, SP Matt Harrison SP, and Neftali Feliz.

Wow. What a steal for the Giants. "We are starting to undo the mess created by Sabean. I mean, after Brian Wilson's season last year, why would you send him back to middle relief and put Justin Miller as the closer." Stevenson barks. "Ridiculous. So we move some peripheral guys who weren't going to help us much in the long term. Matos is a tough loss, as he might develop into a nice pitcher, and it's tough to lose Phelps potential power, and Yabu and McClain are both great stories and great guys. I really wish them the best. We were able to get a backup catcher in Ramirez, and some high upside guys, both pitching and on offense. This may not be a great short-term move but I don't anticipate it will hurt much, and it's a great long term move."

I have to agree that this is a great trade for the Giants. Taschner was called up and should fill in the bullpen nicely to replace Yabu. Phelps was no lock to make the team, and Ishikawa was called up and, in my opinion, would form a nice platoon at first with Aurilia who still handles lefties well. Ramirez is a nice, major league ready prospect (does this clear the way to move Molina?). Although it's hard to figure out where he fits once Posey gets the call. Feliz is a monster prospect. Harrison is getting rave reviews from the Giants scouts, though I'm not sold. Beltre, Borbon, and Andrus are all potential regulars, and there just might be a future star in the mix. This should have Giant fans excited as a move that helps the future without really harming the present.

I don't really get it from the Rangers perspective. They must really want relief pitching.

No other notes from around the league today. Remember January 12th will be another interview with GM Reed Stevenson. Send any questions you want answered this way although this off season may go by fast. I bet it will still feel like tonight when we get to January 12th.

Dick Fieldman

[Jamee999]

Nice start

EDIT: Wow, monster trade in the X-post

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by Jamee999

Nice start

EDIT: Wow, monster trade in the X-post

Thanks. I was surprised that trade went through. I have trade settings at hard and have not had much success since that blockbuster. Must have just hooked up with the right team.

[Sparrow]

Numbers and Frustration
A Giant Blog
1-9-2009

I just got off the phone with Reed Stevenson and he provided some details I wanted to pass along. He also provided some updates. He was pretty upset, and asked that I not quote him, but I will pass on the gist.

The projected budget room is at -$12,216,950. The scouting budget is at $1,159,450 while league average is $2,318,900. Reed wants to raise this number but the ownership has refused.

There has been no success on lowering the salary. He told me he has tried without success. Apparently the economy is impacting everyone, and teams just aren't willing to take on salary. If he can't move salary before the season starts, the scouting budget can't be increased, and he is feeling really handicapped.

One final note. Upcoming interviews are going to be postponed as the off season is shaping up to go by quickly and potentially uneventful. We will get an interview at the start of Spring Training, and perhaps throughout, or maybe the weekly ones will happen once the season starts.

Dick Fieldman

[Sparrow]

Budget Cuts, Spring Training Stats, Active Roster
San Francisco Chronicle
3-31-2009

Major budget cuts around here. I was unable to cover the Giants though Spring Training, and have been asked to cover the Giants regular season, without discussing notes from around the league. Hopefully this trend will change but for now, I'm limited in what I can report. This also means no GM or player interviews for a while. That said, here it is, the end of March and it is time for baseball. Interestingly the schedule is the same as in 2008 as the MLB office refused to hire someone to make a new one. The Giants first game is in a week in LA.

I have attached the active roster accompanied with the spring training stats. I attached it instead of imbedding it because it was the only way I could figure out how to do it. Any help would be appreciated. I have been told that Aurilia and Ishikawa will platoon at first, and Burriss won the job at second, primarily because of this defense, but Frandsen has more pop and will get plenty of playing time. The bullpen and Zito looked terrible this Spring. Hopefully they can turn it around.

The Giants made no additional trades, had no injuries that will impact the regular season, and offered minor league contracts to Mark Prior and Dillon Gee. Gee has signed elsewhere. Prior sounded insulted, but is yet to sign elsewhere so is still a possibility.

Let's play ball!

Dick Fieldman

[bschr682]

nice start. I look forward to hearing more about this. It can be a real monster unloading bad contracts.

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by bschr682

nice start. I look forward to hearing more about this. It can be a real monster unloading bad contracts.

*A note from the creator of this thread*

Thanks. I had one deal where I could move Winn, and cut about $4M off of salary but I was getting an old worthless player back, and I like Winn too much to do that. I also could have traded Rowand and his multi-year deal for Cameron and his one year deal. It would have had zero effect this year, but I would have been clear next year but...who would play CF in 2010? So that didn't happen either. I get laughed at anytime I offer Roberts.

Now I just need some time to play.