Edgar Renteria to the Giants

He's just not a young man anymore.

So, I'm a few days late on this, but I blame school (why should I take the blame when I can blame an inanimate object that can't fight it). Anyway, I was surprised to see Dave Cameron and Keith Law support the signing of Edgar Renteria. From the moment I saw the signing went down, I thought, "Sabean continues his determination to make his lineup younger -- because 33 is younger than 40, right?"

Renteria was a pretty good player for the Braves, but he really plummeted this past season. His .270/.317/.382 line was pretty abysmal, especially when compared to his .332/.390/.470 line from 2007. However, 2007 was closer to his career numbers which are .290/.347/.405. His career OPS+ is 96, and he has only had 5 seasons above 100 in that category. In other words, he's pretty much a league-average hitter (actually worse). He's had a four All-Star seasons, but only one of those seasons did he have an OPS+ over 100 (and it was 104). He might be one of the more over-hyped players in the majors (how many of us remember that World Series-winning run?). Granted, a league-average hitter is better than the average shortstop, but when you count in his defense, it kind of evens things out, doesn't it? Then, the Giants have a decent option in Emmanuel Burriss who hit .283/.357/.329 with an OPS+ of 81. In terms of wOBA, Renteria was actually worse (.308 to .316). I imagine he's at least as good defensively as Renteria, if not better, so why did the Giants spend $9M a year on a guy who isn't a whole lot better than what they have? That just makes the other decisions they make more inflexible. They need a power-hitter, not a two-hole guy.

I realize that Burriss may not be as good as Renteria, and he may even regress next season. I realize that Renteria's .294 BABIP probably means he'll bounce back next season. Burriss won't hit .280 again next season. But again, I ask -- is Renteria worth the extra $8.6M? No, he's not. Even considering his leadership, experience, and ability, he isn't. Is his contract a fair one? Maybe. Is the two-year contract a burden? No, but it doesn't help Burriss at all. Why not add a first baseman instead? Adam Dunn probably wouldn't have cost a lot more (maybe $6M at most), but he would have been a major addition. Renteria is not a major addition. He's an upgrade but not much of one. Sabean again made a bad decision, even if Renteria comes back and has a good season.