Major League Baseball

San Francisco Giants: Possible Trade Targets

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 2:20 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Jake Mastroianni/FanSided via Around the Foghorn

Here we take a look at some possible trade candidates for the San Francisco Giants as they prepare to make a run at another World Series title in 2017.

There are not many holes left for this San Francisco Giants team, but there is always room for improvement on a ball club throughout the year.

Most people would say that the one position where the Giants need an upgrade the most is in left field. However, as someone commented on Twitter after I mentioned this before, Mac Williamson still has some upside in his bat at age 26.

Third base is another position where the San Francisco Giants could look to make an upgrade this year.

I think it would be wise for the San Francisco Giants to explore possible trades to strengthen a lineup that is ready to compete for a title, and I’m sure they are doing just that.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are not sitting back on their heels, so neither should the San Francisco Giants. The goal is always to win the NL West and not worry about a one game Wild Card scenario.

Even though the Giants won the Wild Card game last year, it’s not something you want to rely on every year. And in order to win the division you have to be ready to go from day one.

Sure the Giants could always make improvements at the trade deadline, but if you enter the year with those players then it might be the difference in winning the division and playing in the Wild Card game.

However unlikely it may be, here are a few trade candidates that the San Francisco Giants should check in on.

Ryan Braun

This one would be a pretty big stretch for the San Francisco Giants as Ryan Braun is still owed a ton of money. He is locked up through 2021 – his age 37 season – and is owed $91 million over that period.

It’s hard to believe that he’s still just 33 years old, and he’s been a productive player when on the field. He hasn’t played more than 140 games since 2012, which was right after he was found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs.

Last year he hit .305 with 30 home runs in 135 games. The Giants would definitely take that kind of production from their left fielder.

The Giants are already right-handed heavy in the middle of the lineup with Buster Posey and Hunter Pence, so Braun might not be the best fit in that regard.

However, the Milwaukee Brewers seem interested in trading him as part of their rebuild, and if the Giants can get him at the right price I wouldn’t hate the deal. You could either get him with lower level prospects and take on the bulk of that contract, or have the Brewers eat a lot of it and give higher level prospects.

I still don’t think Braun would be the best fit for the Giants, but he’s definitely an option to look into.

J.D. Martinez 

There have been some rumors of the Detroit Tigers looking to deal J.D. Martinez this offseason, but nothing has really progressed. I still don’t know if the Tigers are trying to be contenders this year, or looking to tear things down and rebuild.

He will play this year at age 29 after hitting .307 with 22 home runs and a .373 on-base-percentage in 120 games last year. He really broke out in 2015 when he hit 38 home runs and drove in 102 over 158 games.

He hasn’t played left field since 2014, but it’s the outfield and he’s a major league player, he’ll figure it out.

Martinez is also right-handed, which doesn’t help to break up the void of righties in Posey and Pence. He is still a dangerous hitter though.

This season will be the last year of his contract in which he’s owed $11.75 million, so it wouldn’t be a ton of money to take on. However, it would be a one-year rental, but I think the Giants have what it takes to win it this year, so you might as well go for it all.

If the Tigers aren’t blown away by anybody in a deal for Martinez ,then my guess is they start the year with him on the team and then move him during the season when they realize they’re not that good.

Mike Moustakas 

We haven’t spent much time talking about upgrading at third base because most people are satisfied with Eduardo Nunez and Conor Gillaspie. However, if the better deal is to get a third baseman then I think the San Francisco Giants will pull the trigger.

The Kansas City Royals are reportedly shopping Moustakas who is coming off a shortened season in which he only played 27 games. That’s after having a break out season in 2015 where he hit .284 with 22 home runs and 82 RBIs while leading the Royals to a World Series title.

Moustakas was a highly touted prospect coming up, but it took him nearly five years to put it altogether at the major league level. He’s still just 28 years old, so there is a lot to hope for him if he can stay healthy.

The problem for the Royals is that you’d have to be giving him away at a discounted price right now because he’s coming off an injury plagued season.

He’ll be a free agent after the season and he’s only owed $8.7 million. If the Kansas City Royals are looking to tear things down and start over, then they need to move Moustakas.

He does bat left-handed, but I don’t think he’s good enough to hit in the 3-hole to split up Posey and Pence. In fact, Moustakas is pretty much the same as Brandon Belt at this point.

I’m not sure he’s the best option right now, but he’s definitely someone to consider if things don’t turn out well at third with Nunez and Gillaspie.

Brett Gardner 

Here is a very interesting name that I haven’t given as much thought as I maybe should have. It’s been rumored that the New York Yankees might be willing to move Brett Gardner.

He’s signed at least through 2018 with a team option for 2019. He’ll be making $12.5 million this year and $11.5 million next year with a team option for $12.5 million in 2019.

Much like the Detroit Tigers with J.D. Martinez, the New York Yankees have to decide if they’re going to try and compete this year or continue building for the future.

Gardner has been a very steady major league outfielder hitting between .260 and .270 for the majority of his career. He’s played in at least 148 games for six of the last seven years. In 2016 he hit .261 with 7 home runs, 80 runs scored and 16 stolen bases.

The power numbers were down a bit after he hit 16 the year before and 17 the year before that. Those are the only two seasons he’s hit double-digit home runs though.

I’ve always thought the New York Yankees thought more highly of him than other teams, so I’m sure they’d want more than anyone is willing to give in return for Gardner.

I think the left-handed hitter would fit well in the San Francisco Giants lineup though as you could bat him at the top or bottom of the batting order.

Melky Cabrera 

Could it be time to bring the “Milk Man” back to the San Francisco Giants? Melky Cabrera resurrected his career with the Giants in 2012 before being busted for PEDs. He was named to the All Star team that season and finished the year hitting .346 with 10 home runs and 84 runs scored.

He’s been a very good ball player ever since and is still just 32 years old. He’s in the last year of his contract, but he’s owed a hefty $15 million this year.

In 2016 he hit .296 with 14 home runs, 70 runs scored and 86 RBIs. He also had a .345 on-base-percentage and only struck out 69 times, which is good in today’s game.

I would love to have that kind of production from our left fielder – not to mention he’s a switch hitter.

The White Sox are clearly in a sale now mode and Melky is one of the players who will be dealt either before or during the upcoming season.

I don’t think the San Francisco Giants would have to give up too much to get Melky, so this deal makes a ton of sense to me. The problem is, there are a lot of other teams that could use Melky’s services who are thinking the same thing.

Corey Dickerson

Corey Dickerson is coming off a pretty good year with the Tampa Bay Rays where he hit .245 with 24 home runs and 70 RBIs in 148 games.

He’s now hit 24 home runs twice in his abbreviated career. Dickerson is still just 27 and this is first year of arbitration, which means he’s under club control for three more years.

The Tampa Bay Rays just traded for a young outfielder in Mallex Smith, so it makes sense that they may want to move Dickerson while the iron is hot.

He is another left-handed bat, which will fit well in the middle of the lineup. His splits are not too dramatic, but he’s definitely hit better against lefties throughout his career.

I’m not exactly sure what the Rays would want in exchange for Dickerson. He’s still fairly young and under team control for a while, so I’m sure they’d want another young, controllable prospect in return.

However, I don’t think the Giants would have to give up any of their top prospects to land him, and if that’s the case then I think it would be a good move to add some left-handed pop in the lineup.

Evan Longoria 

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Going back to the Tampa Bay Rays — this one is kind of out there — but I think it’s finally time for them to move on from Evan Longoria.

The third baseman made a commitment to the Rays, and they made a commitment back to him by singing him through 2023. His salary goes up a little every year starting at $13 million in 2017 and peeking at $19.5 million in 2022. Then there is a team option for $13 million in 2023, which will most likely not be picked up.

There is no way that the Rays can afford to pay him the back end of this deal while they are trying to stay afloat in the highly competitive American League East.

They have to find a way to shed Evan Longoria, and the San Francisco Giants could be a good landing spot for him.

He’ll play this year at age 31 and he’s still a very productive player at the plate and in the field. He’s played in at least 160 games in the past four years after dealing with some injuries in the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

He’s also hit at least 22 home runs in each of those seasons, including 36 last year. His batting average and on-base-percentage is not what it once was finishing at .273/.318 last year, but he’s still a very good hitter.

He is right-handed, which makes it hard to stack him in the lineup with Posey and Pence, but you’ll take that risk with someone like Longoria.

Not only does he bring another big bat to your lineup, but he’s one of the best defensive third baseman in the game as well, and someone who could add veteran leadership on a club trying to win a World Series.

Obviously the biggest hiccup in any deal for Longoria is the money. While Longoria is still a productive player at 31, he is coming out of his prime years and won’t be worth what he’s owed the next six years.

The Rays would have to eat a lot of that money and take minimal prospects back in return. But it may be worth if for a franchise that desperately needs to rid itself of that contract.

This one is definitely a long shot, but I think Longoria would be a great addition to this team if the stars aligned.

It’s still highly unlikely that the San Francisco Giants will make a move for any of these players, but it’s nice to dream in the middle of January.

Let us know what you think on Twitter (@RoundTheFoghorn), and comment below on who you think the San Francisco Giants should trade for – if anybody.

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