NL West

There has been grumbling in some quarters regarding the lack of trades or free agent signings by the Giants in this offseason—but people are missing the point.  And we're not talking about "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," because despite winning it all, the Giants can certainly stand to improve in anything and everything that doesn't relate to pitching up and down their lineup.

Edgar Renteria told ESPNdeportes.com that the Giants one-year, $1-million contract offer is insulting. To that I say if an employer wants to insult me with a million dollar salary, bring it on. 

Now, in truth, that is not a fair comparison as I am not a professional athlete. And, to be fair, Renteria is probably worth more than that, especially when you consider a backup catcher like Henry Blanco just signed for the same amount. 

That man is smiling because Adrian Beltre is currently the "hottest" item left on the Major League Baseball winter stove now that Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth, Victor Martinez and Adam Dunn have found greener pastures.

Or more luxurious estates with more elegantly manicured lawns amidst a community with higher gates.

You say potato, I say potato...

Do you ever have one of those days where it doesn’t seem to matter what you do, you just somehow find a way to stick your foot in your mouth? And then you try to fix things and you make an even bigger mess out of stuff than if you had just let things alone? Unfortunately, that pretty much describes every day of my life but even more so it describes my day yesterday.

At the conclusion of the final home game of the 2010 regular season, the Arizona Diamondbacks held a celebration for their season ticket holders on the playing surface at Chase Field. Season ticket holders had the opportunity to sign up and have their pictures taken with various players and coaches.

Cliff Lee has signed with the Philadelphia Phillies one year after they traded him to the Seattle Mariners. The Phillies are the favorite to win the National League and World Series, right?

Wrong.

After the 2009 World Series, the Phillies set their sights on fixing their holes and begin prepared for the 2010 World Series. Philadelphia fell short, dropping the NLCS in six games to the San Francisco Giants, despite adding Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt.

The 10 biggest laughing stocks of free agency are described as such not necessarily because they aren't (or weren't once) fine players.

Although some of them are far past their prime.

But the main reason why teams would be foolish to sign them is because of the likely very high asking price.

Maybe the aging veterans whose production has dwindled would take a reduced deal, one-year to hang or try to resurrect their career. But that's not likely.

And maybe the free agents who aren't over the hill, aren't seeking contracts far better than they're worth.

A season of torturous happiness and excitement was capped off when Aubrey Huff Zoolandered his famed rally thong in front of thousands of overjoyed Giants fans on the steps of City Hall.

As the realization set in, and the splurging on championship gear began for fans, the organization was quickly back to work. At hand was a task completely foreign to San Francisco -- how to defend a championship. 

When the Los Angeles Dodgers signed outfielder Tony Gwynn, Jr. to a one-year Major League deal on Tuesday, it became almost apparent that Xavier Paul is not part of the club's future plan. And with General Manager Ned Colletti still pursuing outfielders Jeff Francoeur, Bill Hall, and Scott Podsednik, one wonders if the X-Man is being considered as a possible bartering chip to fill in a few remaining gaps on the roster.

Based on this offseason, I think I am going to start calling Colorado Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd “A Deal A Week O’Dowd.” It seems like every week the Rockies are in the news for something.