Brian Sabean Giant Blunders #3: Dave Roberts

Coming in at number three on the list of the top five worst Sabean moves in the last five yars, it’s another light-hitting old guy:

#3 – Dave Roberts

If you were a GM, how much would you pay for a 34-year-old leadoff hitter with a .340 OBP, a .260 Avg, 61 runs and 23 RBIs?  If you were Sabean you’d pay him $6.5 million for the effort, and call it the player’s best year so far on a three year contract.  Everyone remembers Dave Roberts’ huge SB in the 2004 ALCS.  He went on to have his best season the next year for the Padres.  Then Sabean (in typical buy-high fashion) signed him to a three-year, $18-million deal.

Roberts has had unforseen injuries and blah-blah-blah, but it’s impossible to explain this blunder away.  Was the guy ever really a three-year, $18-million type of leadoff hitter?  He’s a career .266 batter with more strikeouts (362) than walks (307).  Great baserunning doesn’t really help when the guy’s not on base that often.  Throw in a weak arm, and you’ve got another Sabean bust in the outfield.  Yes, Rowand was a more costly mistake.  But at least the Giants are going to get *some* offensive production out of him.  Roberts, on the other hand, is a lost cause.

Going to Giants games over the last couple of years and seeing lineup cards with Roberts and Vizquel was excruciating.  Two slapping Judy hitters in the same impotent lineup.  You can’t have three easy outs in a lineup and win games in the majors.  At least Vizquel made up for it with the glove.  Roberts has had no redeeming qualities in the two years he’s worn a Giants uniform (other than the fact that he’s a nice guy, which unfortunately doesn’t do anything to the win column).  I don’t expect this season to be any different.

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