Saltzman Says...Giants becoming a perfect blend

The Giants have more experience with two franchises over all others.  They are the two teams that they started with in New York.  They are the Yankees and Dodgers.  The Yankees have become the big money team in baseball, as revenue is so much larger in New York.  The Dodgers spent the past several decades building teams based on pitching, speed, and defense. 

The Giants have begun to finally blend what works with both teams to not only win their first World Series in San Francisco, but more importantly to sustain what they have built.  More important to any Yankee fan than the big free agent signings, has been the retention of their own talent.  Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams, and Jorge Posada played their entire major league careers in pinstripes, and Andy Pettitte spent all but 1 season in New York.  They were able to re-sign key free agents to extensions over the last 20 years as well.  Players such as Mike Mussina, Alex Rodriguez, and Robinson Cano have been re-signed instead of finding more money elsewhere.

The Giants have given Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Brian Wilson, Jeremy Affeldt, and Aubrey Huff new contracts over the last two years, and re-signed arbitration eligible players such as Cody Ross, Jonathan Sanchez, Andres Torres and Javier Lopez.   Those re-signings have given Giants fans the same confidence that Yankee fans take for granted.  Fans of the Oakland A's can never grow too attached to a good player because they eventually end up with another team.  Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada, Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, Barry Zito, Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye, Carlos Gonzalez, Huston Street, and Matt Holliday are just some of the star players that have left Oakland over the last 20 years.

The Dodgers had Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale in their best years in Los Angeles.  The Giants now have Lincecum and Cain.  Sanchez and Madison Bumgarner are two more starters that have shown falshes of brillance, including a no hitter and Game 4 NLCS and World Series wins respectively.  Drafting Buster Posey, who can clearly command a staff behind the plate and hit for power and average is no different than the long line of catchers drafted by the Dodgers.  Even Jorge Posada in New York spent several years behind the plate in pinstripes.  Now with Brandon Belt next in line and many good position players competing for roster spots in the minors, the Giants scouting department is on the same level now as the former New York "roommates" of the Giants.

Is this the second coming of Koufax/Drysdale?