The Lunatic Fringe

It’s the small moves that make a season and a team.

I admit, when the Giants picked up Ryan Vogelsong, I thought it was to sell tickets in Fresno.  I was wrong.

When the Giants found Pat Burrell on the scrap heap, I expected it to be a non-factor in anything.  Nope.

Cody Ross?  It seemed like sacrificing a roster spot to stop a rival.  Well, not just.

Marco Scutaro?  A fine veteran bench player.  Yea, well, much more than that.

It’s amazing how many of these guys the Giants have picked up and found a way to get good, and even great, things out of.  I admit, I thought Huff still had something left (and got some credibility with people for seeing that).  But I was in the minority.  Almost every other move has been the kind of thing that surprised me.  From the big busts like Burrell and Vogelsong, to the never-weres like Andres Torres, Gregor Blanco and Joaquin Arias.  They all have had such big contributions…

So, why not Jason Bay?

Bay has a Burrell feel about him, except for the lack of ridiculous amounts of groupies.  He was never really an elite hitter, but he was a guy who’d hit above-average, and had the potential to lay out 20+ doubles and 20+ home runs.  But with the Mets, he couldn’t do both in the same season even once.

Now, he’s cheap.  And on the market.  And the Giants need a left fielder.

Could the Giants coax one last year of a talent outburst out of him?

I have to imagine that Bay, having seen what the Giants have done with scrap heaps like him, is having major internal debates about this.

30-HR Bay: There’s power for a right-handed batter pulling the ball, and doubles if I go the other way.

.165-BA Bay: And we haven’t hit a home run there since 2006.

30-HR Bay: The Giants have gotten guys who have struggled for years to win again!

.165-BA Bay: Yea, for just one year, then they’re off towards retirement.  They’re like talent-vampires.

30-HR Bay: But they won a world championship, without a closer, their star pitcher sucking, and a career minor-leaguer in left field during the playoffs!  Imagine what they could do with me, even not at my best!

.165-HR Bay: That career minor leaguer still outhit us last year.

30-HR Bay: But the name!  The name is perfect!

.165-HR Bay: It’d be perfect in Tampa as well, and a hell of a lot warmer.

That last note is of no small consequence.  I can’t find the stories saying it, but I seem to remember Jason Bay saying he didn’t like the cold weather here.  But, hell, things change.

I don’t know.  There are some pretty good outfielders on the market, but at high costs.  I suppose the Giants couldn’t do worse than a low-cost option to really improve the offense.  But on the other hand, he’s Jason Bay.  He was the Mets’ version of Barry Zito.

…

Well, now that’d really set him up for a playoff redemption.

It’s the small things, though.  Which means, if it merits a comic strip being written about just the possibility happening, it’s not going to be a small thing, I guess.