Cody Ross Expresses Interest In Returning To San Francisco Giants

Cody Ross, if nothing else, has become quite the sentimental favorite in San Francisco – so many are most likely pleased at the news dropped by the Chronicle’s Hank Schulman this evening in which he reports that ‘The Boss’ wouldn’t mind a return to 3rd & King:

"Sounds like Cody Ross wants to be a Giant. I emailed him to see if he’s had any talks with team before free-agency period. He said…”I have talked to them briefly, but no negotiations have taken place. They have interest and so do i. Hoepfully we can get something done.”"

Me, I’m a bit torn. I love Cody Ross the person, the player though….well…uh, um, hey – look at that Sunset…isn’t that purtay.

Listen, like everybody else, I’m appreciative of what Ross did during the Giants ’10 stretch run. It was monumental and imperative to the Giants winning their World Championship, but, in the words of the immortal Dennis Green: He are what we thought he were!!!!1111!!!!1!1!1 Okay, so maybe that doesn’t work as well in this situation, but Cody Ross isn’t going to ever be anything more than the annual .265-ish hitter who can club 15-18 HR’s in 550 AB’s. That’s not meant in a disrespectful way to Ross – you just know what you’re getting and in this case, what you’re not going to be getting. He’s not playing half of his games in Florida any longer – expectations need to be tempered.

Personally, I don’t see much advantage to bringing back Ross over Andres Torres (and no, I’m not really advocating either, just sayin’) – but if (and it’s a big if) Ross is willing to sign for a one year deal on a small salary (I’m talking 1.5/2 million) – you do probably have to make the move if you’re the Giants front office. Of course, free agent moves could change all of that making it a mute point – either way, this will all come down to financials.

It’s abundantly clear to Ross the momentum he had after the Giants’ World Series run is over and that long term, financially secure contract he was seeking wont be out there. Yes, he’s going to want more than the Giants will be willing to offer – and if another squad wants to outbid them, I say feel free. The Giants are essentially only bidding against themselves in this scenario. It’s cheap and short, or nothing. Anything else is a mistake.

I’m not against a Ross return, it’s just that the role and money have to be right – something that concerns me on both accounts.