What Does a .692 OPS Really Mean?

Well, it means the following infielders had better years than you last year:

Yunkiesky Betancourt
Ian Desmond
Jeff Keppinger
Pablo Sandoval!
Ben Zobrist
Chase Headley
Orlando Hudson
Garrett Jones
Jeff Keppinger
Jeff Keppinger
Jeff Keppinger

And I would venture that none of those guys are 37 years old.

Of course, Miguel Tejada isn't 37 years old either. Not yet, anyway. Not until May.

Sabean's panic button needs to be hidden in the bottom of a laundry basket in the back of a closet in a secret room under a hidden staircase in a house protected by Muggle Repelling charms.

Emanuel Burriss may not be the answer at SS. Maybe Fontenot and DeRosa aren't the answer either. But, and here's what Sabean doesn't seem to get, THEY ALREADY PLAY FOR US. We don't have to pay them more money.

Things we could do with $6.5 million:
1. Use it to help sign a big time free agent outfielder
2. Save it for when Lincecum is a free agent. Put it in a jar with a sign on it that says "Timmy's money! Don't touch! F$%^ Yeah!"
3. Stick it in a "Zito" jar and repeat "we're only paying him 11.5 million" over and over again until we don't feel so bad anymore.
4. Free hot dogs for all Jewish fans. All beef!
5. Hire Pablo Sandoval a personal nutritionist/concubine
6. Go to Vegas and bet it on "Red". Lose, and you still have 3 shortstops with numbers similar to Miguel Tejada. Win, and you've got yourself a full year of Aaron Rowand.

No, this is a spectacularly dumb decision and no amount of conversation about Miggy's charm or defense or former (roid-fueled) glory in Oakland will convince me otherwise. It's like Sabean thinks the World Series Championship (in case you forgot, the Giants are World Series Champions of the World Series) is a mandate to continue overpaying for old people. We won despite the fact that we were overpaying for a bunch of old guys. Not because of it.

Is Tejada for 1 year and 6.5 million better than Uribe for 3 years and 7 million? Sure. I guess.
It's also better than Zito for 7 years 126 million.
It's also better than Tejada for 1 year, 35 million.

Just like it's better if my little baby grows up to be a coke dealer than it is if she grows up to be a genocidal dictator.
(I actually think she's going to grow up to be a professional food thrower, as this is currently her most impressive talent.)

Well, now Sabean is saying the Giants are pursuing trades for Jason Bartlett. That way, Tejada can play 3rd in case Sandoval has a bad year like he did last year when he had a .732 OPS. You might have noticed Bartlett wasn't on the list I posted.

There's a reason for that, and it's not because I forgot him.

It's because his OPS was, yes, WORSE than Tejada's.

I'm thinking 5 years, 43 million with a 3 million dollar bonus if he hits .230 or better.