From: west@esd.dl.nec.com (Mike West)
Subject: "Discarded" Giants (Re: Jeff Brantley sucks!!!)
Organization: NEC America, Engineering & Support
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 16:18:09 GMT

From article <1992Aug17.071556.23362@menudo.uh.edu>, by st1ge@Rosie.UH.EDU (Edward Hui):
> In article <4200330@hpcc01.corp.hp.com>, boell@hpcc01.corp.hp.com (Donald P Boell) writes:
> Just look at what some
>>other 'washed up' Giants are doing:
>>
>>o Lefferts in SD is an allstar with a nice record
>>o After giving up on M. Davis he won a Cy Young for SD
>>o Mulholland is a good pitcher for Phi and has no-hit the Giants.
>>o Dennis Cook has a respectable ERA in Cleveland
>>
>    Jim Gott, despite walking home the winning run for the Giants Friday
>    night, is having a pretty good year.  
>    Russ Swan is not that bad for Seattle.  He never showed that he can
>    pitch in the majors when he's with the Giants.

Before anyone castigates the Giants for "giving up on" or "discarding"
these players, remember the circumstances:

Lefferts - He was a free agent who did not want to stay in SF.  He
           wanted to be a closer, but the Giants did not want to use
           him in that role.  They *did* want him, however.
           And please note that the Giants were right:  he failed at
           being a closer for SD and had to be converted to a starter
           to save his career.

M.Davis  - He was the principle in the trade that got the Giants
           Dravecky and Lefferts.  He was doing nothing for the Giants
           and the other two helped the Giants win the West that year.
           (Yes, Mitchell was also in that trade, but I don't count
           him since he was considered a throw in by both sides.  If
           you do count him, the trade was even better.)

Mulholland
D.Cook   - They were traded for Bedrosian.  Long term it was not
           that great (I didn't like the Giants giving up two promising
           lefties either), but they desperately needed a closer
           and Bedrosian was the best they could find.  And the trade
           worked:  he helped them win the West and make it to the WS.

Gott     - He was going nowhere with SF, but by trading him to the
           Pirates, the Giants got Don Robinson.  (Yes I know that
           he was technically claimed off waivers, but the waiver
           money was provided by the Giants in the DR deal;  so for
           all practical purposes he was a part of the trade.)
           Again, the trade did work, and Robinson helped the Giants
           win the West twice.

Swan     - OK, you may have a point here, but he is floundering with
           Seattle.  He had a good start, but he is now in about the
           same situation with Seattle as he was with the Giants.
           I do admit the guy he was traded for (Gary Eave, I think)
           has disappeared off the face of the earth, though.

So, with the given examples, all of them except Lefferts were given
up in trades, and only the Swan trade (which, even at the time, was
fairly inconsequential) didn't work the way it was intended.  And
Lefferts left because he wanted to, not because the Giants didn't
want him.

If you are going to accuse the Giants of giving up on players and
making bad personnel decisions, please pick appropriate examples.
These are not.

Mike West
west@esd.dl.nec.com