Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
SAN DIEGO — A move for a starter sounds close. A move for his receiver sounds far.
The Giants still are in the market for a (preferably righty) power-hitting corner outfielder and a (preferably lefty) flexible infielder who can back up/complement Evan Longoria and Mauricio Dubon, but no transaction sounds imminent. However, the Giants are confident they soon will be able to begin filling out their rotation.
“There’s a good chance” San Francisco adds a major league starter at the Winter Meetings, Farhan Zaidi said Monday from the team’s hotel suite/war room.
“We’re having multiple conversations on that front,” said Zaidi, who said they were after “at least” one more rotation piece. “Pitching is a big priority here for us, as it is for a lot of teams. It’s been a major focus for us leading up to this, and we expect to be busy this week.”
Chances are that soon-to-be-Giant won’t be Madison Bumgarner, whose representatives the team will meet with during this gathering of the baseball world. With the Giants seeking spots to try out youth, a reunion with their 30-year-old legend with so much wear on his arm — and so many zeroes on his next deal — is not likely.
In Bumgarner’s class is Hyun-Jin Ryu, who again likely would command too many years for a pitcher his age. Vets like Brett Anderson, Ivan Nova, Andrew Cashner and Jason Vargas, to name just a few, are further down the list. The Giants successfully brought in Drew Pomeranz on the cheap last year only to flip him for Dubon at the trade deadline. Short-term cures can become long-term fixes.
Last year, the Giants did virtually nothing of consequence at the Winter Meetings, their only transactions being Rule 5 picks (who did not last).
“The flexibility and the pace of the market, I would expect us to be more active than last year,” Zaidi said.
Though, it doesn’t sound as if they’ll be active in the catcher market either now or later. While Zaidi previously told reporters they would seek a veteran catcher to spell/complement Buster Posey, perhaps for a season while Joey Bart marinates, many catchers have gone off the market, including Stephen Vogt. With Yasmani Grandal, Travis d’Arnaud and Dustin Garneau out of play, Zaidi believes Aramis Garcia will suffice.
“He’s putting in a lot of work this offseason,” Zaidi said of the 26-year-old righty, who is playing in the Dominican Winter League. “We’re not closed off to [bringing in a veteran], but we have good youth catching depth, and at some point you want to create opportunity for some of these guys.”