Puh-lease, no Feliz Multi-Year Contract

According to the Chronicle, Pedro Feliz is looking to get a multi-year contract. Just say no, Giants, to this idiotic offer.

Feliz had his chance this year to show that he can hit better, and while he has greatly improved his strikeout rate, in fact to around elite status for a while, about 90% contact rate - or 10% strikeout rate - for May, June, July, though he started regressing in August and is back to his hacktastic best in September, his batting average hasn't improved at all, in fact, his hitting line is no better than it was last year when he struck out so many more times (.249/.287/.421/.708 in 2007 vs. .248/.281/.428/.709 in 2006).

Plus, his RBI production has dropped greatly despite striking out less and therefore putting more balls into play. Apparently all those extra balls he hit into play were all turned into non-productive outs - essentially - relative to last year, since his hitting line is unchanged despite turning 40 strikeouts into balls put into play and his RBIs are down greatly.

I'm OK with giving him another one year contract, because that leaves the door open to upgrade 3B after 2008 and we don't really have any good options coming up the minors until Villalona reaches AA and is successful there or above, and the rules of baseball says that we need to field a 3B. But, I'm sorry, he could be the next Brooks Robinson at 3B, but with offense that much worse than the average 3B, let alone the better hitters, his defense couldn't be that good to make up the difference because his OPS is about that of an average shortstop, which is bad for a 3B.

I would rather give sign someone cheap to man 3B, whether vet or failed prospect free agent, and go with that guy. Or maybe trade for a 3B using our pitching as trade bait. But I cannot take a multi-year contract to Feliz, I can't believe that another team would do that, but if so, god bless them and him, but I would want the Giants to pass.

The free agent class is nothing to cheer about either, other than probably A-Rod. I would sign Russell Branyan to a one year plus option, and see what he can do. If he can hit his career batting lines vs. LHP and RHP, though he would have a low BA and OBP, his SLG is so high that his OPS is right there for the average 3B hitter. I don't know what his defense is (probably very horrible given how good his batting line is), but I would rather give him a shot (with Aurilia as backup; I see Aurilia as our backup in 2008 if anyone should falter anywhere, getting a lot of time at a position because the guy who started first failed to perform) than to see Feliz get a multi-year contract hitting that poorly the past two years.

Or if there is a good defensive 3B free agent willing to sign for a one year contract, then get himself instead of Feliz. There is no player out there on free agency worth giving a multi-year contract other than A-Rod, given the Giants being so far behind the other teams in the NL West in 2008 most probably, we need to be looking ahead to 2009. Signing Feliz to a multi-year contract just doesn't make sense unless he's getting the same amount of money as he is in 2007 and spreading it over the multi-years.