You won’t have Dave Roberts to kick around…
Posted By Jeff Fletcher on March 5, 2009 12:35 pm
The Giants released himtoday. If you read the linked story, from Andy Baggarly’s blog, you’ll see that the Giants basically wanted to release him now so he had more time to find another team. That’s awfully nice of them. In all honesty, I think the Giants probably could use Roberts now, because of the injury to Nate Schierholtz and Fred Lewis’ rehab from foot surgery. However, I think it’s classy of the Giants to cut Roberts loose so he can have a chance to go somewhere else, instead of hanging on to him just in case Schierholtz and Lewis aren’t ready for opening day.
Will someone pick him up? Considering that he’s going to cost the major league minimum, there is probably a team out there that could use him as an extra outfielder. If not, he’ll go into retirement having enjoyed a pretty solid, 10-year career. Not bad for a 28th-round pick who didn’t reach the majors till he was 27.
Roberts is one of the all-time best players I’ve dealt with in the clubhouse. It’s too bad that the Giants put him in a position he didn’t belong when they gave him all that money and asked him to be the everyday center fielder. I’ve always said that Roberts is — or was, when he was younger — the perfect fourth outfielder on a good team. Nothing more. For proof, just look at the defining moment of his career.
He was a pinch-runner.
He was a class act. Does this mean Velez and Guzman stick? Do Velez and Bowker both have options left?
A guy made a great comment about Roberts in Henry Schulman’s blog today – if you were to put Dave’s heart and head in Manny Ramirez’ body, he would have 1000 HRs and 10 Gold Gloves. Vaya con Dios, Dave.
It probably means Velez sticks. A guy that has utility ability in both the infield and outfield is usually going to find a way to make a club.
This was a move the Giants had to make. As nice a guy as Roberts has always shown himself to be, he was holding a roster spot for one of the young guys that this team is looking to build themselves around. You’ve already got Winn to fill the outfield vet role for the young guys and you have Renteria and Molina and several guys on the pitching staff.
Unfortunately for him if he plays its probably going to be on a pretty bad team.
It was a matter of time before Roberts went.
Now the drama will center on debunking some of the fantasies about some of our prospects. Is Sandoval seriously our 3B? I say no, so let’s move him to first already. Ishikawa–nice kid—is a role player at best, kind of like Roberts in his prime.