San Francisco Giants linked to talks with New York Mets’ Dillon Gee

HardballTalk’s D.J. Short posted an item Monday, linking the San Francisco Giants to the New York Mets’ Dillon Gee, as a possible fortifying element to the starting rotation. Perhaps Tim Hudson’s ankle surgery to remove bone spurs, is the motivation behind this latest attempt to bolster pitching, or possibly it has been Brian Sabean’s goal all along. No matter.

The reality is that the brain-trust never shuts down. It wouldn’t matter if San Francisco had five projected 20-game winners in the rotation, Sabean would still be making phone calls or texting this crony or that, keeping his sights set on what would need to happen, if one-or more-of those five starters went down.

Described in Short’s article as a “back-end starter, compiling a 3.91 ERA over 103 starts and three relief appearances in the majors,” Gee would add depth to a rotation already expected to start the season with Hudson still rehabbing from his recent procedure.

Yusmeiro Petit can only replace one guy at a time.

If

takes up the slack, then who replaces him if another starter stumbles? It’s all about depth.

From his numbers Gee would not appear to inspire confidence, but that is completely irrelevant because I know nothing about him aside from his stats. I know he tore his labrum in 2009, and had issues which limited him to 22 games last year, but nothing beyond that. Short did report that Gee owned a 45.6 percent ground ball rate for his MLB career, which is always going to attract notice.

His projected 5.1 million dollar salary would also add to the mix when it comes to the carefully monitored salary structure outline, which still has some undetermined components to it involving unsigned and arbitration-eligible players.

You can bet the rent though, that Brian Sabean has had his scouts out and about, asking a clarifying question here, or having lunch with this current Mets’ coach there, to run a few ideas up the flagpole to see what comes of it. It’s in his best interest to know what is still out there before he makes a decision-any decision.

Jun 9, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong (32) returns to the dugout with catcher Buster Posey (28) after the top of the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

What is also key is that the Giants have not stopped looking. In this same article, Short reported the Ryan Vogelsong was involved in talks with the Colorado Rockies. There was no connection between the two except to note that quality arms are always in demand.

Whether Dillon Gee would enhance Giants’ chances or not is not up to me to determine; it’s up to Brian Sabean. Just know that there are still five weeks or so before pitchers and catchers assemble in the desert and that the hunt for Orange October never stops.

It has been pointed out to this site that San Francisco’s offensive clout in terms of home runs, no way matches that of Los Angeles or San Diego, or Arizona or Colorado either, for that matter, so they had best strengthen the pitching, no matter what it takes. Something about good pitching and its effect on good hitting.

Where have we heard that before?