Long in the tooth? Giants will come calling - MLB

Last year the San Francisco Giants signed 33-year-old free agent shortstop Edgar Renteria to a two-year, $18.5 million contract, in theory, to boost their offense.

Renteria, whose rapid decline had already been spotted by everyone except this guy, rewarded general manager Brian Sabean with a .250/.307/.328 line that included his fewest homers (5) since 1998, and the Giants boosted their offense by scoring *17 more runs than in 2009.

*I’m going to chalk this up almost entirely to the emergence of Pablo Sandoval. Quibble with me if you must, but don’t anger the Panda.

On Tuesday, the Giants will announce they are signing free agent Mark DeRosa — who soon turns 35 — to a two-year deal that is reportedly worth $12 million. Compared to the Renteria deal, this will be a bargain.

At this point in his career, DeRosa can play anywhere on the field except shortstop, center field and catcher. He’s coming off a career-best 23-homer season, and his career line at pitcher-friendly AT&T Park (.278/.326/.468) isn’t much different from his overall numbers (.275/.343/.424).

But he also struggled last season after injuring his wrist, and while it will help the defense to put DeRosa at third base and move Sandoval to first, DeRosa is not exactly a stellar defensive player. Versatile, yes. Stellar, no. In fact, he comes in at -6.5 in UZR/150 at third base over his career.

Given DeRosa’s age, his declining defense, and his recent injury struggles, I would expect this signing to come off only slightly better than the Renteria inking, in large part because he is cheaper. A good addition? Certainly. But a move to put the Giants over the top? Doubtful.

But that’s OK, there will be plenty of older, fair-to-mediocre free agents on the market entering the 2011 season, so Sabean can once again quench his thirst for the wiley veteran crowd. Lyle Overbay, anyone?

Follow me on Twitter at @bharks.

PITTSBURGH — The New York Mets will have to dig out of an early-season hole without star first baseman Pete Alonso.

The leading home run hitter in the majors will miss three-to-four weeks with a bone bruise and a sprain in his left wrist.

The Mets placed Alonso on the 10-day injured list Friday, retroactive to June 8. Alonso was hit in the wrist by a 96 mph fastball from Charlie Morton in the first inning of a 7-5 loss to Atlanta on Wednesday.

Alonso traveled to New York for testing on Thursday. X-rays revealed no broken bones, but the Mets will be missing one of the premier power hitters in the game as they try to work their way back into contention in the NL East.

“We got better news than it could have been,” New York manager Buck Showalter said. “So we take that as a positive. It could have been worse.”

New York had lost six straight heading into a three-game series at Pittsburgh that began Friday. Mark Canha started at first for the Mets in the opener. Mark Vientos could also be an option, though Showalter said the coaching staff may have to use its “imagination” in thinking of ways to get by without Alonso.

“I’m not going to say someone has to step up and all that stuff,” Showalter said. “You’ve just got to be who you are.”

Even with Alonso in the lineup, the Mets have struggled to score consistently. New York is 16th in the majors in runs scored.

The team also said Friday that reliever Edwin Uceta had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Uceta initially went on the IL in April with what the team called a sprained left ankle. He is expected to be out for at least an additional eight weeks.

New York recalled infielder Luis Guillorme and left-handed reliever Zach Muckenhirn from Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets sent catcher Tomás Nido to Triple-A and designated reliever Stephen Nogosek for assignment.

Nogosek is 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA in 13 games this season.