"As for patterns, the Giants' philosophy of sniffing out inexpensive talent at the major league level (well, talent might be a strong word) seems to be continuing in their scouting habits. Lots of junior college players, Division II and NAIA talent, and college seniors from strong baseball programs -- all players who are either easy to sign or creep under the wire of other team's scouts. Or both. This could be perceived as clever or cheap. Again, I say both."

Personally, this is a reason that I (and I suspect Sabean) are not totally pissed about giving away the first round draft pick. The Giants have been long known for reaching with their draft picks, and as such, losing a first round pick isn't as bad for them as it might be for other teams, because they might end up with the same player in the 2nd or 3rd round that they would have picked if they had in the 1st round anyway, and since they will be drafting that player later, it will end up being cheaper as well. I am not saying that I love the idea, but from that perspective, it does make some semblence of sense.

D

P.S. Keep rambling!