After attending my first game of the year yesterday, I’ve come to two conclusions: first, the “Fist-Pump Cam” is likely the worst thing to happen in the world of organized baseball since the ‘94 strike.  Second, Clayton Kershaw is really good and seems to be especially good when he faces the Giants.  Now that that’s out of the way, we can move on and talk about happier things.

Oh this ring? Just something I dug up.

With no baseball to be played today, fans can instead take part in some good old-fashioned rosterbation.  Such an activity usually involves having MLB Trade Rumors on refresh, while setting your MLBTR iPhone app to alert you every time a Beltran-related bit of news comes up.  So let’s get to it:

• The latest on Beltran is that the Giants are willing to take on salary for Beltran but unwilling to give up a high-end prospect, while the Mets are willing to absorb money and want a high-end prospect.  It would appear as though the two sides have reached an impasse.  Given Brian Sabeans ability to pull off trades that we never even knew were on the radar (see Keppinger, Jeff), maybe something will happen.  Maybe.
• There were rumblings of interest about a possible deal for Hunter Pence, but according to “a baseball source who is an admirer of Hunter Pence,” the Astros outfielder will likely not be moved.  Still, I don’t know how much credibility an “admirer of Hunter Pence” has in this scenario. Pence would take a Zack Wheeler and/or Gary Brown at the very least, so odds are it won’t happen anyways.
• Before the Jeff Keppinger trade went through, there were rumors that the Giants were discussing Michael Cuddyer with the Twins in hopes of having him play second base.  Those talks fell through when the Twins demanded too much, and Sabes pulled the trigger on the Keppinger deal instead.
• Cody Ransom is back in the Major Leagues following the season-ending injury to Stephen Drew.  I honestly had no idea that Ransom was even in organized baseball still, and now he’s the starting shortstop for our division rivals.  I’m terrified about the prospect of Ransom hitting some dramatic soul-crippling home run a la Steve Finley come September, but that’s just my irrational fear of the worst talking.
• According to one Phillie blogger, Bruce Bochy is a devious mastermind who made a concerted effort to wear out Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee in the All-Star game while saving his own starters.   Irrational paranoia aside, it would seem as though Halladay and Lee player because they’re two of the best pitchers in the National League, but hey that’s just my own crazy theory.
• Speaking of the Phillies, looks like the Giants are going to dodge Halladay and Lee when the Giants go to Philadelphia, and will instead face Cole Hamels, Vance Worley, and Kyle Kendrick.  Oh happy day!
• Catcher Max Ramirez is hitting .366/.416/.676 at Fresno right now.  Maybe the former highly-regarded prospect deserves a chance to hit on a team struggling to score?

Other than Beltran, there hasn’t been a whole lot of talk about possible targets for the Giants, but the prevailing attitude seems to be that Sabean is determined to do something before the deadline.  Whether or not he does is an entirely different matter altogether though.  It could get to a point in the Beltran negotiations where no one is willing to give up their top prospect for a rental player who can’t be offered arbitration, which would leave the Giants in the best position to provide the next best thing in salary relief.  That’s just me guessing though.  You can cite me as “an impassioned blogger with possible but not likely sources kind of close to someone who may know things about the Giants.”