Let’s see. A 126 hits, only 25 extra base hits and only 54 runs scored on the season. This is down from 2006, where he collected 171 hits, 36 for extra bases and crossed the plate 88 times. Many will cite defense as the primary reason behind this move. I can buy into that… to a point. The fact of the matter is, the Giants would have no problem going obtaining a no hit, all glove type from another organizations AAA club. The option of grabbing an all glove, over the hill type exists in the free agent market as well.Omar is still top notch with the glove, no question. Player 1 is Omar. Player 2 is our mystery man, low level free agent type (ohhh)

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2.

One aspect of Omar’s game that gets lost in all of the other stats is his lack of errors. This is certainly a consideration in this example. Outside of that, the range factors and the zone ratings are within the same range. Omar has the better numbers then player #2, but he’s not killing him.Here’s a comparison of their hitting statistics.

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2.

Both players have essentially the same OPS. They even have the same batting averages, although Omar has a clear speed advantage on the base paths.

Salary Comparison from 2007:

Omar: $5.14 Million ($5.3 million in 2008)

Player 2: $1.5 Million

Click here for player #2’s identity

Basically the point that I’m trying to drive home here is that this was way too much to pay for Omar Vizquel. The Giants, even minus Barry Bonds, need to accept the fact that they are not going to the playoffs in 2008. One quick look at the rosters of the Rockies & the Diamondbacks will prove this. Those teams are only going to get better with time. The Giants would be far better off developing their own shortstop. Young speedster Emmanuel Burriss (33rd overall in 2006) is having a great AFL season and should start 2008 in AA. He’d be a great candidate to bring in at the half-way point of the season.

They could also obtain a young SS with one of their pitching prospects (which is just about their only position of strength in the minors). A third option would be to grab a Clayton like player in the FA market and pass the savings onto another position in the FA market.Time will tell the story on Omar’s contract. Even if he returns to past .300 levels, on the surface I feel that the money, shortstop position and overall future of the Giants would be better off if they choose one of the three recommendations instead of forking over $5.3 million for the possible future hall of famer.