A wise man once said baseball is a simple game. You throw the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the ball. Any team worth its weight in pine tar and fungo bats does all three things well.

Some “help” from a young Susan Sarandon doesn’t hurt either, but you can’t always get what you want.

For the past handful of years, the San Francisco Giants have done two of those three key things exceptionally well. The third? Let’s just say the G-Men haven’t been breathing through their chakras with bats in their hands.

Since 2008, the Giants have been the most consistent squad on the mound, piloted by The Freak, Tim Lincecum, and The Beard, Brian Wilson. Youngsters like Nate Schierholtz and Brandon Belt suggest the future of the defense is promising also.

The offensive numbers tell a different story, however. Despite a strong comeback performance by a healthier Pablo Sandoval, the Giants ranked in the bottom five in virtually every offensive category last year and were unarguably the weakest offense in the National League. The returns of Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez for spring training will help, but they won’t be enough.

Logic would suggest the Giants turn to the free agent market. While it’s true the Giants are already among the biggest spenders in terms of payroll, the organization pulled in $230 million in 2011, yet their payroll is projected to remain stagnant at roughly $130 million. In other words, they have unused wiggle room.

New CEO Larry Baer is understandably cautious with the company credit card; his predecessors oversaw a number of notoriously bad free agent signings, like those of Barry Zito and Aaron Rowand. These deals have hamstrung the club for years. The Renteria and Huff deals get a pass because they were essential to the championship chase.

But the Giants are in a very special window of time here in the next few years. They have at least two of the best arms in the game in their rotation and the kind of bullpen most coaches only dream about. If ever a shopping spree was in order, it’s right now in the city by the bay.

Instead, the ownership has left the Giants one injury away from another year of futility at the dish.

After last season ended and Carlos Beltran hit the market, he said he would be interested in coming back to San Francisco if the management made a commitment to putting a winning lineup on the field. Baer’s response was to tighten the belt a notch and dig in, so the would-be savior of the city took his talents elsewhere. Fans need to demand a change.

Prince Fielder is still available. The owners could make a killing on “Two Tons of Fun” T-shirts with he and Sandoval.

Update: Too slow on the draw; Fielder is off the market.

Alex Grotewohl can be reached at [email protected].