SAN FRANCISCO -- The man who led the National League in batting when he was popped for performance-enhancing drugs is eligible to be activated. But even after re-instating him to their 40-man roster, the Giants want no part of Melky Cabrera for the postseason.
They will not add him to their roster for the NL Championship Series against St. Louis that begins on Sunday. And if they beat the Cardinals, don't expect to see him activated for the World Series, either.
"You've seen the team and what we've done since he's been gone," Giants general manager Brian Sabean told CBSSports.com Saturday. "It's a very close-knit team. To use [third-base coach] Tim Flannery's phrase, it's a very spiritual team.
"They're very comfortable playing with each other and for each other. It also helps that Gregor Blanco and Xavier Nady have emerged."
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The Giants do not expect either Blanco (.244/.333/.344, 5 homers, 34 RBIs in 141 games) or Nady (.240/.333/.400, 1 homer, 7 RBIs in 19 games for the Giants) to replicate what Cabrera did over 113 games before his suspension (.346/.390/.516, 11 homers, 60 RBI).
But Cabrera alienated the entire organization by disappearing without a trace following the announcement of his suspension. He did not make an effort to speak with teammates or talk with the Giants' front office.
And there is the matter of his agents, Seth and Sam Levinson, being investigated by Major League Baseball for the fraudulent Web site created for the alleged purpose of allowing Cabrera to follow Ryan Braun through a loophole attempting to beat the system.
Sabean would not comment on any details surrounding Cabrera's suspension.
But as for moving forward, the Giants are not interested in activating him.
"In our minds, it's not the right thing to do," says Sabean, who worries about "bursting the bubble" of what the Giants players have created in their own clubhouse in the aftermath of Cabrera's departure.
Says Sabean: "They're too good, as a group."
The Giants were 64-53 when Cabrera was suspended on Aug. 15, then immediately went on a tear to finish the season. They went 30-15 following his suspension to win the NL West running away.
Even without him this October, however, the Giants still could receive one parting gift from their deposed Melk-Man: As the All-Star Game MVP, Cabrera was a big reason why the NL won that game and, as such, earned home-field advantage in the World Series.
