Here are some reasons on why it is a good idea:

* Verlander, Felix Hernandez, Lester, Sabathia, Beckett, Lincecum, Zambrano, Peavy, Billingsley and Hamels. What do these 10 pitchers have in common? They are the only proven strike out pitchers that are under the age of 30. It is no mystery that if you have one of these guys on your team, you have an ace for the next 4 or 5 years (at least). The only team with two of them is the Boston Red Sox and it just might be the reason they are the gold standard when it comes to major league baseball franchises. Guess what … there is only one guy that is available to the highest bidder.

* The 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Yankees in the World Series for two reasons: Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson. Two proven aces on one pitching staff makes ANY team an instant contender and, in some cases, the favorite to win a pennant. Again, the Red Sox are the favorite to win the World Series and it little to do with Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz. If the Giants acquired Peavy, they’d have the best one-two punch in the National League for the next 6 years.

* Winning World Series is about having dominant starting pitching not great starting pitching. Greg Maddox and Tom Glavine were great pitchers but John Smoltz was the dominating pitcher on the staff and the reason they won the World Series in 1995. Dominant pitchers have a distinct advantage over their less dominant peers, fear. If you surveyed every national league hitter and asked them the top 3 pitchers they fear in the National League, how many of them mention Matt Cain?  

* Pop quiz, what is the wealthiest area in the United States after New York and Los Angeles … the San Francisco Bay Area. The Giants fan base is predominately white collar workers spread across a large metropolitan area and the pay roll is only $2 mm more than the Milwaukee Brewer!? THE BREWERS!!! The concept that they don’t have money to spend doesn’t make any sense. We are in the middle of one of the worst recessions this country has ever seen and people are still buying $700,000 homes with only one bathroom! If you are not selling out the stadium you don’t need to look any farther than the second floor of the Giants building where the sales and marketing department sits. The Giants can afford to pay Lincecum, Cain, Peavy and a couple free agent hitters if they ran the business correctly.

* Prospects are exactly that … prospects. Holding on to prospects to see if they will become proven entities is just stupid when you can acquire a top flight player. Period.

So here’s what I am proposing …

The Giants get another number one starter who is under 30 and do not have to give up their two best prospects in the minor leagues. The Padres get a major league proven pitcher, a young major leaguer (thinking Burriss here) and a 5-star prospect in Alderson.

What’s the worst thing that could happen … the Giants don’t win the World Series. Wait, that happens every year.