Cody Ross and Giants at a crossroads

Giants fans may have seen the last of Ross The Boss in a Giants uniform.

Ross is playing the field and is looking for a multi-year deal, which GM Brian Sabean is hesitant to do. And rightfully so.

Ross is a fan-favorite, no doubt, for his fun personality, huge smile and his heroics during the 2010 postseason. But he put together his worst season in 2011 since becoming a full-time player.

Ross turns 31 in a few weeks and is coming off a season in which he hit .240 in 121 games.

If he were willing to take a one-year deal for less than the $6.3 million he made in 2010, I think the Giants would jump at that. But according ESPN’s Buster Olney, Ross is looking for at least three years. That kind of pact just doesn’t fit into the Giants long-term plans.

CSN Bay Area’s Jaymee Sire exchanged text messages with Ross on Monday and Ross told her that the Giants “are my number one choice.”

Well, if wants to come back to the Giants, he’s going to have to come down from his desired contract. And he’s going to have to realize that he may not be an everyday starter on the 2012 Giants.

If I could whisper in the ears of Sabean and Ross, I’d tell them to work on a one-year deal with vesting options for a second, and possibly third, year. His performance on the field dictates whether he has a contract in 2013 and 2014. That kind of deal tells Ross “we want you, but you have to earn those extra years.”